Washington Free Beacon editor in chief Matthew Continetti said Wednesday that Sen. Kamala Harris’s (D., Calif.) denunciation of private health insurance could haunt her presidential campaign.
At a town hall event on CNN Monday, Harris said there are a host of problems associated with private health insurance, including delays and costs, and she said, "Let’s eliminate all of that." After liberal commentator Richard Fowler downplayed the radicalism of Harris’s comment, Continetti answered affirmatively when co-host Bill Hemmer asked if the comment will "stick to her."
"Yes, [it will stick to her], and it would stick to her if she became the Democratic nominee," Continetti said. "I think Senator Harris had a pretty good rollout: She had that big rally in Oakland, she had the good fundraising number in her first day. This is a major slip-up for her, which will haunt her if she makes it to the general election."
Continetti pointed to her spokesman walking back the statement as evidence that it was a mistake on Harris’s part.
"She acknowledged that by having her spokesman saying that Senator Harris isn't backing one ‘Medicare for all' plan but is willing to look at other ‘Medicare for all’ plans that would allow people to keep their private insurance," he said.
The problem facing any massive health care overhaul, he argued, is the fact that most people like their coverage.
"Most people are covered in this country and most people who are covered like it, and that's the obstacle to the socialist schemes," Continetti said.