Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to prioritize the price lock-in plan from her first day in office, but critics have questioned why she hasn’t already curbed inflation while in office.
“If I become president, lowering prices will be my first priority on day one,” Harris declared in a social media post Thursday night. “I will take on big corporations who engage in illegal price gouging and corporate landlords who unfairly raise rents for working families.”
But as vice president and presidential candidate, she faces a unique challenge in discussing policy: her current administration, led by Biden-Harris, has failed to enact such reforms, as many critics have pointed out.
“What have you been doing these last four years?” asked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the National League of Cities’ annual conference in Washington, DC, USA, Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photographer: Ron Sachs/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Liberal Washington Post columnist says Harris’ price controls are like “communism”
“For you, Day One was three and a half years ago. What are you talking about?” asked Colin Lugg, co-owner of Trending Politics.
“Day 1. I would vote for her because of the last 4 years but now I have to pretend like nothing happened,” posted subscriber Jim Treacher.
“You’ve spent three and a half years raising prices,” columnist John Gabriel wrote.
“You’re now vice president, why aren’t you addressing these issues?” political scientist Josiah Lippincott pointed out.
“You’re now vice president, almost four years into your term, and you’re running as vice president while simultaneously running against the administration you’re vice president of,” strategist Jossi Gestetner said in criticizing her plan. “Price controls would discourage production, bail out supply, and put more people in a position where they have less. It’s genius.”
Conservative commentator Paul Cipla argued that Harris was to blame for the economic crisis in the first place, saying, “Kamala Harris served as vice president for four years and raised prices by an average of 20 percent. Prices are high because of high inflation. That’s how Harris voted.”
“She wrote the headline,” said Joel Berry, editor in chief of the Babylon Bee, as he shared a screenshot of his parody Media headline, “‘Elect me to office and I’ll fix it,’ says incumbent woman.”
Vice President Kamala Harris held a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee spoke about rising prices. (Image direct from Fox News Digital)
Biden tells media to ‘start writing’ that inflation policies are ‘working’
Other commentators have condemned the policy itself.
Financial and cultural commentator Wall Street Silver argued that historical and contemporary examples show nothing good in such a policy.
“Price controls failed in the 1970s when Nixon tried them. Companies cut production because they couldn’t make a profit at the government-mandated prices,” he wrote. “Businesses reacted to government controls, resulting in shortages. Kamala is a socialist who will turn America into Venezuela.”
“This policy has led to economic disaster in every country it’s been tried in. Every country. And I think at least half of Americans still think it’s a great idea. I’m not saying it will be a disaster, but it probably will be a disaster,” Red State’s Bonchie said.
Red State columnist Buzz Patterson wrote: “It’s called communism, but it doesn’t work. How many more times does the world need to be proven this?”
“Kamala Harris wants to institute price controls on key areas like food and housing, just like in socialist countries,” said conservative author Libby Emmons, “and she wants to destroy tax cuts and incentives to invest in America, making it harder for big corporations to create new jobs.”
Virginia Kurta, another conservative writer, similarly condemned the policy and Harris for promoting it.
“So if you have a small grocery store or you own a single home or building that you rent, you’re in trouble, and she doesn’t care,” she warned. “If she imposes price controls on the big corporations and landlords, they’re going to have to charge less than the small businesses, and the small businesses are going to lose out.”
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Harris unveiled her economic plan during a speech in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday.
“If elected president, I will make reducing costs and increasing economic security for all Americans a top priority. As president, I will tackle the high costs that matter most to most Americans, including food prices,” she said. “We all know prices rose during the pandemic when supply chains shut down and couldn’t function, but while supply chains are improving now, prices are still too high.”
She then added: “We know that most businesses create jobs, contribute to the economy and follow the rules, but some don’t. This isn’t right and we need to take action in those cases.”
