It’s no wonder Kamala Harris has been dodging interviews since she snagged the 2024 Democratic nomination from Joe Biden, a move orchestrated by the party’s top brass, donors, and Nancy Pelosi. And honestly, who can blame her campaign for keeping her away from the media? Harris is a disaster when it comes to public speaking, and if this is how she handles being labeled an extreme leftist, her team might as well keep her hidden in the bunker for as long as possible.
The Washington Post hit the nail on the head with its latest opinion piece titled, “When your opponent calls you ‘communist,’ maybe don’t propose price controls?” It’s a headline that’s both painfully accurate and unintentionally hilarious. Columnist Catherine Rampell didn’t pull any punches when she criticized Harris’ tone-deaf proposal to tackle so-called price-gouging at grocery stores with a plan that seems ripped straight from the Soviet playbook.
Rampell didn’t hold back: “It’s hard to exaggerate how bad this policy is.” And she’s right. Harris’ plan is essentially a government takeover of price setting across every industry, not just food. Forget about supply and demand—Harris wants D.C. bureaucrats to decide what’s an acceptable price for your groceries. Imagine the FTC telling a Kroger in Ohio how much it’s allowed to charge for milk. What could possibly go wrong?
At best, this disastrous idea would result in shortages, black markets, and hoarding—issues that have plagued other countries that tried to control prices by government decree. And that’s the optimistic scenario. The real kicker is that these so-called price controls could actually end up raising prices instead of lowering them.
The legislation Harris proposes would also ban companies from offering lower prices to large customers like Costco compared to smaller stores, essentially killing quantity discounts. On top of that, it would force public companies to disclose sensitive internal data about costs, margins, contracts, and future pricing strategies. This isn’t just overreach; it’s an invitation for companies to collude, keeping prices higher—all with a nice assist from the government.
Harris’ approach not only reflects her lack of understanding of basic economics but also showcases why she’s such a liability for the Democratic Party. The longer she stays out of the spotlight, the better it might be for her campaign, but at some point, even the most sheltered candidate has to face the music. And when Harris does, it’s not going to be pretty.
Kamala Harris is literally proposing price controls on food. This is literally what the Soviets did and the results will be scarcity and higher costs.
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) August 15, 2024
