During footage that aired on Friday’s broadcast of FNC’s “Hannity,” host Sean Hannity and long-time Democrat strategist James Carville debated Vice President Kamala Harris’ long-held policy positions, specifically on immigration, fracking and health care.
The debate was contentious at times, with both Carville and Hannity talking over one another.
Transcript as follows:
HANNITY: James, we have — we have now identified because of Harris and Biden open borders, hundreds of people with known territories in this country. We have tens and tens of thousands from China, Russia. They’re coming from Iran. They’re coming from Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Venezuela.
Is that not a national security danger to this country? Because I see it.
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, it is well documented that immigrants have much lower crime rates than native-born Americans.
The second thing I would say, I completely agree, these are human beings. They’re members of the human race. All right? And they should not be denied health care.
Now, if you have a woman takes a 10-year-old or 6-year-old and walks 500 miles to get in this country from Guatemala because she’s being overrun by drug gangs, do I think this woman should be admitted in her children as citizens? Heck, yeah. Come in, come in girl. We got a job for you.
HANNITY: Why don’t — why can’t you — why can’t they go through the legal — wait, but, James, why can’t they just do it legally? We can vet them.
Do you really believe that people coming from Iran, Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, China and Russia, do you think they’re coming here because they want a better life? Is that what you really believe?
CARVILLE: You know, you know, Sean, I certainly — you have laws, I don’t — I don’t believe we should deny any human being health care. If you show up at the emergency room, I think that the Hippocratic Oath compels you, and I think being a Catholic compels me to say this person is entitled to health care, is entitled to basic human rights.
Should we have a border? Yes, we should have a border. But you know, and maybe we need fences and but we need big gates, and I will say this to my dying day, I would rather live in a country that people are trying to get into then live in a country that people are trying to get out of. I just do.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: But the reality, we have never had illegal immigration at this level, and I believe it’s a clear and present danger for you, for your family, for your children and we’re rewarding that illegal immigration behavior and it’s h wreaking havoc.
What do you say to Laken Riley’s family? What do you say to Rachel Morin, the mother of five’s family? What do you say to Jocelyn Nungaray’s family? I interviewed her mom and her granddad on my program right here, and they lost their 12-year-old little girl in Houston and it was killed by one of Harris and Biden’s unvetted illegal immigrants. What do you say to them, James? You love your children.
CARVILLE: I don’t know. I would have — I would have great difficulty as anyone have great difficulty telling the parents in involved, how are your children slaughtered with a legal weapon that no one has any need to have?
HANNITY: You’re changing the topic.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: They’d be alive if we secure the border.
CARVILLE: I’m not changing the topic — if you — the border had nothing to do Uvalde, the border had nothing to do with —
HANNITY: They entered the country with wide open borders.
CARVILLE: The border had nothing to do — again — the border had nothing to do with this. Please fact check me, please fact check me, the border had nothing to do with these mass shootings, with these AR-15s.
We all have difficult questions that we have to ask. Anybody can say that we can sit in the — in the peanut gallery and throw peanuts but I — and I do think we can have — I think border crossings right now are about the same as they were when President Biden took office.
Was there I think ineffective boarding policy at one time? Yes, because they did what I said you showed me saying at the beginning of the show. When you listen to these, quote, identity progressive left wingers, it’s always going to lead — it always leads to bad policy.
But right now, when you look at the Senator Lankford and Senator Murphy’s plan, that was negotiated and Donald Trump killed it. That’s a fact. That – – y’all can fact check me until the day you drop.
HANNITY: Donald Trump killed the plan — that plan to be clear would not have been implemented unless a few million people crossed the border on any given day and then it would be discretionary they wouldn’t have to even implement the plan, that’s not a border security plan.
Let me ask you this —
CARVILLE: Okay, okay.
HANNITY: So, all right, you’re supporting Harris and Walz. Tell me why — tell me — is I want you to answer two questions. I want you to answer is America better off than it was four years ago, number one. Number two, I want you to tell me specifically, no distractions, no obfuscation, what has Kamala Harris done as vice president that warrants a promotion?
CARVILLE: Well, let me say this it’s demonstratively better off than it was four years ago. Look at the employment rate four years ago. Look at the stock market four years ago. Look at the crime rate four years ago. Are you kidding me?
HANNITY: They’re up, crime is up.
CARVILLE: When Joe Biden — again, I’ll let you ask me questions please, let me answer questions, okay? I’m giving you very specific metrics to look at and if you ask me is the country better off today than it was four years ago, my answer is heck yeah. All right, period, end of the story. That’s James Carville’s view, all right?
So if — are there things that we need to work on, I think by the way the crime rates drop and almost to his historic levels and I keep hearing Trump talking about rise and crime — I don’t know what he’s talking about. I hear people talk about these urban hell holes and I’m sitting here in Chicago and tell you the truth, it’s a pretty damn nice city.
HANNITY: It’s — James, 30 people were shot this weekend, five are dead, not exactly safe and I have scrolled the names of people shot, shot and killed in the city.
Let me ask you a couple of I think what are very extreme positions of Kamala Harris. Do you — do you think it’s a good idea when she says to ban fracking and drilling? Do you think that’s good for our economy to do that?
CARVILLE: No, I don’t.
HANNITY: All right, I got one concession to you.
CARVILLE: I think fracking is a transition thing and I don’t think she has that position today, and I think human beings evolve and I think they have experience, and I know there are many things that I thought — for instance, in 2008, I always point out, President Obama and Secretary Clinton were against gay marriage. Well, you know what? They’re not anymore. Good for them, all right?
And when somebody evolves from a position to a better position, I’ll give them credit.
HANNITY: All right. Do you think we should eliminate private health insurance because Kamala thinks that she wants Medicare for all, universal health care? You know, you and I get a little bit older. I’d actually like to keep my healthcare.
She says we should eliminate private insurance. Here’s what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: You support the Medicare for all bill, I think initially co-sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders, you’re also a co-sponsor onto.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES & 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.
TAPPER: I believe it will totally at private insurance.
So for people out there who like their insurance, they don’t get to keep it?
HARRIS: Well, listen, the idea is that everyone gets access to medical care, and you don’t have to go through the process of going through an insurance company, having them give you approval, going through the paperwork, all of the delay that may require. Who of us has not had that situation where you got to wait for approval and the doctor says, well, I don’t know if your insurance company is going to cover this. Let’s eliminate all of that. Let’s move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: I thought she and Walz were running as the freedom party, I’d like the freedom to get my own healthcare and I think you’d probably like yours too.
CARVILLE: Well, I don’t — I don’t think we should eliminate private healthcare, never thought Medicare for all was a good idea. I disagree with it, just like I disagree with Donald Trump that people who serve in the armed forces are fools. I don’t agree with that.
HANNITY: He didn’t say that.
CARVILLE: I think (INAUDIBLE) place in the United States, then people win the medal of freedom.
So you never get somebody that you’re going to agree with on every point, but what she has — her position has evolved. So, am I going to say that she was wrong four or five years ago? Yeah, maybe she was, and if she held the same position today, I would be happy to come on your show and say although I’m voting for Vice President Harris, I profoundly disagree with her position on private insurance, I do not think that is a current position.
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