Former Obama speechwriter Favreau: ‘Hilarious’ some media outlets calling Harris a moderate

Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau mocked some media outlets for referring to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as a “moderate,” with the “Pod Save America” host calling the notion “hilarious.”

“It was hilarious to me that she’s being called, in all this coverage, a ‘moderate,’ like Joe Biden has found a fellow moderate or centrist. She supports something extremely close to ‘Medicare for All,’ which Bernie Sanders acknowledged in his statement supporting her. She’s for the Green New Deal. She has one of the most liberal records in the U.S. Senate,” Favreau said.

Harris, who was officially announced as Biden’s running mate on Tuesday, embraced a number of liberal policies during her own failed presidential bid, though she did not run as far to the left as fellow primary contenders Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sanders (I-Vt.).

“If you want to call Kamala Harris’s record in the Senate and her policies that she’s supporting now centrist or moderate, great,” he continued. “If that’s where the Overton window has moved, then congratulations to all the progressive activists, because you have f—ing moved the shit out of that window — that supporting the Green New Deal and basically Medicare for All is now moderate and centrist. Fantastic, I’ll take it.” 

Several media outlets and opinion writers have referred to Harris as a centrist since her announcement, including The New York Times, which called the California senator a “pragmatic moderate.” 

Breaking News: Sen. Kamala Harris of California is Joe Biden’s pick for vice president. A pragmatic moderate, she is the first Black woman on a major party ticket. https://t.co/Ttvh5RyxUB pic.twitter.com/NMcIz60ckH

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 11, 2020

Opinion: Harris is a small-c conservative, party-friendly pick — which makes her just right for Biden https://t.co/C0Lb3mXArD

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 12, 2020

Kamala Harris is a natural centrist who combines the authority of a prosecutor with the enthusiasm of a skilful retail politician. Read our first profile of Joe Biden’s choice for vice-president from 2016 https://t.co/S64mPNrJkJ

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 11, 2020

A recent GovTrack analysis found Harris to be the most liberal member of the Senate in 2019, though left-wing groups had pushed for Biden to select a more progressive vice presidential candidate such as Warren or former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams.