EDITORIAL: Harris’ talking points don’t answer voters’ questions

A direct answer from Vice President Kamala Harris on how she’d improve the economy may be more elusive than the Fountain of Youth.

In the last week, Ms. Harris has given her first two solo interviews as the Democratic presidential nominee. On Friday, she did a short interview with Brian Taff, a local TV anchor in Philadelphia. On Tuesday, she answered questions from reporters with the National Association of Black Journalists.

Many voters want to know more about what Ms. Harris would do as president. There isn’t much time left. The election is seven weeks away. Mail ballots have already been sent out in some places. Former president Donald Trump is a well-known quantity. She isn’t.

Unfortunately, she’s been reluctant to provide details. Mr. Taff asked her to provide “one or two specific” ways she would increase affordability.

“I’ll start with this,” Ms. Harris said. “I grew up a middle class kid.”

She mentioned that she lived in a “neighborhood of folks who were very proud of their lawn.” She meandered into talking about the “opportunity economy.” She finally mentioned that she wants to build more houses and subsidize down payments for new homebuyers.

Aside from the “lawn” tangent, that answer may sound familiar. It’s very similar to what she said at the debate last week when David Muir asked if “Americans are better off than they were four years ago?”

She did somewhat better on Tuesday when Politico’s Eugene Daniels asked Harris a similar question. She talked about improvements in job numbers from where they stood during the pandemic.

She continued, “Is the price of groceries still too high? Yes. Do we have more work to do? Yes.”

This should have been the transition into her specific plans to lower prices. Instead, she said, “And I will tell you, I do believe that I offer a new generation of leadership for our country.”

That isn’t a plan. It isn’t even an original line. She said something similar in both the debate and when Mr. Taff asked her if she had any differences with President Joe Biden.

When asked about gun violence on Tuesday, she gave this response: “We’re not trying to take anybody’s guns away from them, but we do need an assault weapons ban.”

She said something similar on Friday, too. Her interviewers didn’t ask her to explain the apparent contradiction.

Not having to respond to tough questions may help Ms. Harris avoid more “word salad” moments, but that approach leaves voters unsatisfied.

If undecided voters feel Ms. Harris isn’t up to answering basic questions, she may find them gravitating toward Mr. Trump.