Call Kamala Harris what she is: A Moderate

As soon as Kamala Harris became Biden’s VP pick a host of articles designed to win over progressives flooded the media. A number of them make deceptive arguments. A case in point is a piece by Peter Beinart that uses two tactics to minimize discussion of her record and to paint her as more progressive than she is. One is a bait and switch where legitimate criticism of her record is represented as an attack on her identity. The other dismisses progressives as naive. Both limit meaningful discussion.

Beinart’s argument claims progressives per this The New York Times article have imposed a false dichotomy on Kamala Harris when it asks, “Is Ms. Harris essentially a political pragmatist, or has she in fact changed?” The dichotomy is false in Beinart’s view and naive “[b]ecause if politics hadn’t influenced Harris’s views, she probably wouldn’t be in a position to join the Democratic ticket in the first place.” Commentators can ignore the realities of politics, but a “Black woman who want a career in national politics cannot.” This critique of Harris is made possible in Beinart’s view because of the commentators’ privilege.

Beinart first interprets the statement in The New York Times as broadly indicative of most progressives. This decision is questionable, but not nearly as troubling as what he does next. He then chooses to interrupt the statement as…