Democratic congressman says give Kamala’s ‘fuzzy’ policies ‘some time’

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, defended the recently announced fiscal policies of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, telling Just the News that her ideas are “going to be fuzzy” because she has only been a candidate for about one month.

Cleaver was confronted with the words of Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell who castigated Harris for introducing a left-wing fiscal policy when the Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, has called her a communist. "When your opponent calls you ‘communist,’ maybe don’t propose price controls?" was the headline of her piece op-ed piece.

"What are these 'clear rules of the road' or the thresholds that determine when a price or profit level becomes 'excessive'? The memo doesn’t say, and the campaign did not answer questions I sent seeking clarification," she wrote.

When asked about Harris’ price control plans, Cleaver suggested that Harris should be congratulated for being so vague.

"She didn't go into any detail," he said at the Democratic National Convention. "So I think we have to give her the benefit of the fact that she entered the race late as the leading person on this ballot. She's going to do a lot of things right now that are not, that are still going to be fuzzy. That's just the way it is."

Cleaver said the Washington Post and other mainstream media outlets that have panned Harris’ fiscal agenda as “gimmicks” should be patient.

“Now, if in three weeks, that's all we know about it, then that criticism is legitimate. I still don't want it, but it'll be legitimate," he told Just the News.

"Four weeks is all she's had," he replied, referencing how long Harris has been the Democratic Party's nominee for president after Joe Biden announced he would no longer be seeking re-election.

In response to Harris' economic proposals, Trump has characterized the Harris-Walz team-up as communist. After Harris released her plans for price controls across economic sectors, "Kamunism" trended on X.

Cleaver was also asked whether it was about time that Harris talked to the media in a news conference or formal interview with a journalist.

"It's unrealistic to think that over a four week period she has a complete presentation on everything she wants to do. She didn't think this was going to happen. She didn't have any idea that she would end up being the nominee, so we have to give her time,” he responded.

"The media wants her to say things now and then, things that are incomplete, then she'll get beat up for their incompleteness. So she deserves some time, and I think she's going to end up on all the TV talk shows. She's going to be, she'll call press conferences,” the congressman predicted.