Democrats have privately admitted that Kamala Harris' price control plan is dead on arrival - with insiders admitting it's just a ploy to get votes with no serious chance of becoming policy.
Behind the scenes, Democrats have told allies that Harris' price control plan is a messaging strategy to blame inflation on corporations, insiders told Politico.
“It’s clear to me these are very general, very lofty goals,” one lawmaker said anonymously.
The price control proposal is one of a handful of policy ideas that Harris' campaign has released. The idea has faced skepticism even among left-wing media outlets that are highly supportive of her campaign.
The Washington Post rebuked Harris for embracing "populist gimmicks," and one of the newspaper's columnists warned that Harris' plan could help Trump paint her as a communist.
Harris has blamed inflation on corporate price gouging, despite a lack of evidence for the trend. While Republicans warn that Harris' plan would cause Soviet-style food shortages, Democrats are secretly reassuring allies in Congress and the food industry that her plan isn't going anywhere.
“I honestly still don’t know how this would work,” said a second Democratic lawmaker.
Democrats agree that the price control theme is meant to be a "messaging tactic — a way to show that she understands food prices remain an economic burden for many Americans and to redirect voters’ anger about inflation to corporations," Politico noted.
Harris has avoided taking clear policy positions, basing most of her messaging around broad themes like "joy."
Democrats have embraced Harris' vagueness as she continues to dodge tough questions, raising complaints from Republicans that she is trying to hide her real agenda. She has yet to sit for a major media interview or hold a press conference.
“I think people are reading too much into what has been put out there,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said of Harris' proposed price controls.
Inflation is the top issue in the election, with grocery prices up 20% since Donald Trump left office. A food industry official said Harris' price control proposal is an obvious talking point, rather than a real policy.
“I’m sure it polls well,” the person added. “But it’s an obvious effort to deflect blame from her administration on inflation.”
