Kamala Harris refuses to debate Florida leaders on curriculum, citing no acceptable invitations.
Vice President Kamala Harris made a bold move on Tuesday by refusing to engage in a debate about Florida’s new African American history curriculum. This debate was proposed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and a prominent black academic who played a key role in creating the study program.
DeSantis, one of the leading GOP presidential candidates, issued a challenge to Harris on Monday night. This came after Harris had sparked a week filled with false narratives about the curriculum, following her emergency trip to Jacksonville to protest the materials.
“I officially invite you back to Florida to discuss our African American History standards,” DeSantis said. “We would be delighted to host you here in Tallahassee. I will also invite Dr. William Allen, who played a crucial role in developing our impressive new standards. You are welcome to bring Randi Weingarten or anyone else who shares your views on the standards.”
The governor expressed his readiness to meet with Harris as early as Wednesday, but Harris declined the invitation.
“They are trying to legitimize these unnecessary debates with a proposal that recently came in the form of a politically motivated roundtable,” Harris stated in Orlando. “Well, I am here in Florida, and I can tell you that there will be no roundtable, no lecture, and no invitation that we will accept to debate an undeniable fact: there were no redeeming qualities of slavery.”
This week, CNN reported that Harris aimed to raise her national profile ahead of the 2024 presidential election. To achieve this, she decided to take a page out of California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s playbook and attack DeSantis.
Harris’ team has reportedly been “marveling” at the fact that her criticism of the curriculum has led to DeSantis’ “opponents” using her claims as ongoing ammunition for attacks.
“Harris has quietly observed how other Democrats, including her friend and occasional rival for attention, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have gained national attention by aggressively confronting Republicans,” the report stated. “Her aides say she has also been following the news from the Republican presidential race and expressing her desire to be seen as fighting against extremism.”
The report also mentioned that ”Biden aides enthusiastically embraced the response and the series of events it triggered.” This included counterattacks by Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott and three black U.S. lawmakers, all of whom have endorsed Trump, against DeSantis and DeSantis’ retaliatory statements.
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