Kamala Harris Won't Ban Fracking, or Genocide
(Kamala Harris during her first televised interview as candidate).
When Kamala Harris and Tim Walz sat down with Dana Bash for the pair’s first televised interview Kamala Harris made it very clear, she will not ban fracking. When Kamala Harris took to the stage at the Democratic National Convention she made it very clear, she will continue the flow of weapons to Israel. These two issues in particular are an interesting juxtaposition because they are both areas where the president has unilateral control. Fracking and funding genocide lay bare the moral core of the priorities of politics and presidential decision making.
Kamala Harris Could Do The Right Thing On Day One
Fracking is a major driver of climate change and about as environmentally damaging as mountaintop removal coal mining. Fracking poisons aquifers. Fracking destabilizes the ground below and causes earthquakes where before there were none. Fracking continues our reliance on fossil fuels, literally squeezing every last drop from the Earth as we march towards catastrophe. It also happens to make a lot of money and create a lot of jobs for people in Pennsylvania where by current projections 20,000 voters or so are going to decide this country’s fate in just a few short months.
Kamala Harris told Dana Bash in no uncertain terms, that she “will not ban fracking, as vice president [she] did not ban fracking, and as president [she] would not ban fracking.” She said her “values have not changed” but unfortunately she clearly said in 2020 that she would ban the practice if elected. Which is unfortunate because it’s one of those things that the president has pretty significant power to curtail through the executive branch in multiple different ways. It is something where a firm commitment could be turned into action relatively quickly. It’s also an issue where the stakes could not be higher.
Kamala Harris told Dana Bash in no uncertain terms that she is “unwavering in her support for Israel’s defense and that will not change,” citing debunked claims of mass sexual assault in her response. Separately she stated directly they will not change Biden policy. Which means American support for the genocide will continue. It means the United States will continue to send billions of dollars and all the weapons systems Israel could ever need. It’s unfortunate that Kamala Harris made these commitments and hopefully she changes her mind because again it’s one of those areas where the president could change policy on day one.
Doing the Right Thing is Popular
Kamala Harris is retreating from popular positions she took in 2020 because she has been convinced that they are “too liberal.” Fracking in Pennsylvania might be a pressing local concern, but it’s also a significant driver of climate change and that is an issue even Pennsylvania voters care about. According to polling taken in anticipation of the 2022 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial race some 51% of Pennslyvanians supported putting a hard cap on carbon emissions and 49% the same policy for methane. In that same poll 56% of Pennslyvanian’s suggested regulation would create more jobs and offset any job loss. According to Pew Research center in 2023 some 67% of Americans wanted to prioritize developing alternative energy and 69% of Americans support going carbon neutral by 2050. And to top it all off only 35% of Americans support the practice of fracking at all.
All that is to say there is broad popular support to ban fracking. The same is true of breaking with the Biden administration status quo on Israel-Palestine. In July of 2024 only 43% of Americans approved of Israel’s genocide and 48% opposed. In March of 2024 only 36% of Americans approved but support has increased almost 20% amongst Republicans leading the overall number to rise as well. When polling asks about taking military action despite killing or displacement of civilians approval drops below 20% in almost every poll. Currently the United States is funding Israel’s war to the tune of billions of dollars and all the weapons they could ever ask for. Kamala Harris has the power to stop it and if she did the public would seem to support her.
Kamala Harris has public support to take big action on two life or death issues, but seems like she’d rather shy away from her previous, correct, positions on those very same issues. That is fine but American voters reward moral leadership and often punish a lack thereof.