Vice President Kamala Harris declined Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s proposal to discuss his educational curriculum advocating pro-slavery views in Florida. Vice President Harris emphasized that she and her team would not entertain any attempt to debate what she considers an unequivocal fact: slavery had no redeeming aspects.
Echoing her sentiments from her recent visit to Florida, she reiterated her commitment to vehemently oppose and expose extremist leaders who aim to withhold comprehensive and accurate historical accounts from children.
Vice President Harris said in Orlando, Florida:
We even see extremists ban books and attempt to erase, and even rewrite, the ugly parts of our history. Right here in Florida, they plan to teach students that enslaved people benefited from slavery. They insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, in an attempt to divide and distract our nation with unnecessary debates. And now they attempt to legitimize these unnecessary debates with a proposal that most recently came in of a politically-motivated roundtable.
Harris recognized DeSantis’s invitation as a politically driven maneuver and effectively showcased him as racially insensitive for his eagerness to debate the inarguable wickedness of slavery. However, Harris carefully avoided giving DeSantis the direct attention he craves for his faltering presidential campaign.
Video of Harris:
DeSantis seems to be seeking recognition from the White House to appear more presidential and on par with President Biden and Vice President Harris.
Unlike the previous administration under Trump, who was known to engage directly with adversaries, thereby inadvertently boosting their profiles, Biden and Harris are more strategic about their platform’s power. They quickly saw through DeSantis’s intentions and managed to both deny him the attention he sought and brand him an extremist intent on dividing and misleading the country.
This episode is seen as a significant victory for the White House and Vice President Harris.