Analysis of the CNN transcript of the 8/29/24 interview with Harris and Walz

Good morning. I have been watching a lackluster stock market today, and bitcoin, and oil, and interest rates, and to keep busy I have been reading and analyzing the CNN interview. I have the full transcript put out by CNN, which is available here.

Governor Walz Words:

We will start with Walz, the candidate for Vice President.

Below is his Word Cloud (www.wordclouds.com, thank you) of his answers according to the CNN Transcript, with no edits.

Walz is incredibly simple spoken. Simple, value-laden words:

• I'm
• I've
• Know
• think
• Can
• Proud
• Hope
• Things
• Never

He is the "I guy" who makes simple statements, like I think, I know, I can, I hope, and I am proud. It was all about him.
Here is the word cloud: https://imgdlvr.com/pic/wordclouds.com/20240830-0637/public
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From the speech, I noticed content:

• Supports a child tax credit to reduce child poverty
• Support reproductive freedom to eliminate any barriers to families having children.

This sounds, to me, like a pro-life stance.

Vice President's Words:

Note: We included all of her answers verbatim, with no editing, from the CNN transcript.

She is definitely running for President of the American people. Her top three words were People, American and President, with America close behind.

She spoke about herself a great deal, with top words being:

• Done
• Think
• Gonna (sounds very informal)
• I'm
• Believe
• Border
• Deal
• Clear
• and surprisingly for a member of the executive branch: Bill and Congress

Her filler words were in full force: Clear, Important, Including, One, and Actually.

She did speak of Joe Biden.

There wasn't much discussion of policies in the speech. I see a few words, like investing and invest, and tax, inflation, and credit. However, the speech largely avoided the economy and economic policy. There are few words on foreign policy. Fracking was there, but in response to a question. There was no discussion of America's energy or industrial policy.

I see "Bacon" which could upset leaders in muslim countries (she said she cooks bacon and feeds it to her family). It stood out for me in the transcript.

In terms of her positions, policies and important matters of state:

• President Harris plans to increase spending on the middle class (not the poor, nor rich), by giving tax credits to promote (stimulate demand) for specific events she feels are important (first year of a child's life and first time home buyer). She is stimulating demand for children and home ownership in an incredibly tactical way.
• President Harris will implement, continue, and strengthen price controls to reduce prices on goods that she selects, and to those who she chooses to benefit. Insulin is now capped at $35/month for senior citizens. Total prescription drug costs are capped at $2,000 / year for seniors, regardless if they need life saving cancer treatments, dialysis, or just cold medicine. The problem is that pharmaceutical companies may not be able to raise the money to develop the newest and riskiest drug candidates if they cannot charge for them in the incredibly unlikely event their inventions work. This only really works for old, off-patent medicines.
• Harris does not discuss the economic impact of price controls on supply. She also ignores services, focusing only on goods. What about services, especially housing? A tax credit for home buying will make rents higher, not lower.
• A Harris presidency will not ban fracking, because we can manage to change the climate without it for now.​
• Harris was very specific on her role on immigration as requested by President Biden, that she was addressing the root causes of migration in the northern part of Central America. She suggested her work helped as it caused U.S. businesses to increase investment in those areas.​
• She really wants to hire 1,500 new Customs and Border Patrol agents and place them at the border. However, she doesn't say that. She says she will make sure Congress passes that border bill. I don't know what is in it, but I believe it was really complex and expensive.
• When asked about illegal immigration, she said illegal border crossers should face consequences, and the would enforce the laws around immigration. She sounds like a lawyer, not an executive.

​
With regards to the New Cold War, she has a few well hidden ideas that came out being couched as things Joe Biden did that she was proud of:
- The way to handle Israel and the Palestinians is a Two-State Solution, and a 'deal' is urgent. She said it at least four times in quick succession. Diplomacy & deals.
- She is for expanding our NATO, SEATO and new AUKUS+India+Japan+Indonesia alliances. She will protect sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is directly targeted at Russia and China, whether she realizes this or not. She will continue our New Cold War.

A few things that were absent that I expected to see:
- more active, policy statements (things to do, and how, when and why)
- proud to be an American, free, strong and independent (her mom and dad were immigrants)
- speaking like a president in a polished and formal way, serious
- The government's debt and deficits, interest rates, currencies, trade flows and the markets.
- The private sector and how to promote jobs, income, opportunity and wealth.
- America as a promise, a place to come to, and a treasure to protect (patriotism)
- Big picture strategy and strategic thinking.
- A grand challenge for America. Is there a race to 2050 we need to win? A goal to unify us?

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The Kamala Harris Word Cloud can be found here: 
https://imgdlvr.com/pic/wordclouds.com/20240830-2937/public

I hope you enjoyed the post and analysis.

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