CNN's Van Jones said it's "not good" that Republicans are "rejoicing" over Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate pick, the Daily Caller reported. Harris has chosen radical Gov. Tim Walz over more moderate candidates.
Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said there was "cheering at Mar-a-Lago" over Harris' choice of the Minnesota Democrat. Jones appeared Tuesday on CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta to react to Republicans' excitement.
Jones, a former Obama administration adviser, lamented that Democrats' opponents are happy with Harris choosing the leftist governor over the other more moderate possibilities. "You see a lot of rejoicing on the right. That’s not good.”
'That's Not Good': Van Jones Says It 'Worries' Him How Conservatives 'Rejoicing' Over Harris' VP Pick pic.twitter.com/8YJ5VM8Sho
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 6, 2024
Jones compared Walz to other Democrats who were said to be on Harris' shortlist, such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. "What worries me is you see a lot of relief from the conservatives," Jones told Acosta.
"They were scared of Josh Shapiro … they were scared of a Mark Kelly. They thought that would help define Kamala more to the middle," Jones pointed out.
Although Shapiro is a popular governor in a swing state, many Democrats were worried that the Jewish politician would be a problem on the ticket. However, Jones thinks overlooking him caused "disquiet in the Jewish community" that adds to Democrats' woes.
"Some people had their hopes up. Maybe you’re going to get another shot at a Jewish vice president. We haven’t had that for two decades, and now that gets pulled away,” Jones said.
"Is it just because he’s a moderate, or is there some anti-Jewish bias here? So the party is still digesting this," Jones went on.
"I think if you’re a young Muslim or a young Arab or someone who’s concerned about Gaza, it gives you a reason to stay excited about Kamala because that was going to be hard for the party to digest. So you’ve got a party now trying to figure out, 'Is this good, is this bad? What does it mean for the young people?'" Jones explained.
Choosing Walz eliminated the perceived problems of choosing a Jewish running mate who would have been problematic for Democrats. However, what they're left with is someone who is likely too radical for most Americans.
"I think it is fair to call him a progressive in sheep’s clothing. When you look at his record over the last few years, what you see are transgender surgeries for minors, carbon electrical grid by 2040, driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants," McEnany said.
"In function, his abortion policy allows abortion until birth. These are policies that are far to the left of America … Kamala Harris has to do the exact opposite of what Tim Walz did," the co-host of Fox News Channel's Outnumbered continued.
"Tim Walz became more progressive. Kamala Harris is trying to become more moderate. But Republicans are going to say, ‘you’ve shed all your progressive policies, but yet you chose a progressive,'" McEnany added.
There's no doubt the Harris-Walz ticket is too extreme for most Americans. However, with the cover from the mainstream media and the Washington, D.C., machine, it's quite possible they end up getting elected anyway.
