On Wednesday’s New Day, CNN co-host John Berman brought on Kamala Harris’s lifelong friend Stacey-Johnson Batiste to gush over the “humble,” “smart,” and “thoughtful” Harris. Doing his best to hype his vice presidential candidate, Berman told Batiste that it appeared that she was “looking forward to that moment when she walks on that stage with Mike Pence.”
Berman began the interview by enthusiastically praising Joe Biden picking Harris and introducing Batiste as one of Harris’s “first friends”:
Senator Kamala Harris achieving a lot of firsts as Joe Biden's choice for vice president. This morning we're learning more about her personal side from one of her first friends. Stacey Johnson-Batiste has known the Senator since kindergarten, which wasn't, I guess, that long ago. She joins me now. Listen, thank you so much for being with us. We have some pictures of the two of you from a long time ago.
The Democratic hack journalist then launched a series of softball questions to Batiste in order for her to gush over her friend:
BERMAN: What drew you to her as a friend in kindergarten?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: So our mothers became friends. And so that's how she and I, you know, became friends. So we were always around each other because of our mothers.
BERMAN: What drives her, do you think?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: Oh, gosh. Kamala, as far back as I can remember, she's always been a passionate person. She's always cared about people. She is -- you know, she's always been humble, very smart, very thoughtful about what she says and what she does. I think she's driven by her -- her -- her love and her caring for people, for her family, for her friends.
BERMAN: She talks about being a -- a biracial child. She talks about being present at protests, at civil rights protests with her parents when she was in a stroller even.
JOHNSON-BATISTE: Right.
BERMAN: To what extent do you think that that affected her?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: I think a lot, you know? Berkeley, during the '70s, it was very common for us to see protests and demonstrations and it was a very multicultural city and small, but mighty. I mean, you know, we would walk all around Berkeley and there were street vendors, you know, festivals, live music. You know, so -- and we -- we spent a lot of time walking through and all around UC-Berkeley and being on Shadic and Telegraph and university. So it was a -- a -- a -- a very special time of -- of protests. And whatever was going on in our state or the country or around the world, we knew about it. So I think that exposure to the world and to, you know, to many different people, cultures, food, music, theater, all of that helped to shape the person she is today.
Harris must have been thinking of “civil rights” when she was helping to lock away over 1,900 individuals for marijuana possession and advocating that non-violent offenders stay in prison so that they could continue to provide California cheap labor.
Berman also set up Batiste to hype how Harris will perform in her debates against Mike Pence:
BERMAN: So what do you think Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, needs to know about getting on a debate stage with your friend, Kamala Harris?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: Oh, boy. Kamala's fierce. She's fierce. She is phenomenal. She is a very thoughtful person. So thoughtful in terms of what she says. She -- you know -- you know, she cares very, very much about this country and all of the people in it. She is -- she's ready. She's ready. So everything that she has worked so hard for over the decades being a prosecutor, being a district attorney for San Francisco, you know, being California's Attorney General and Senator, it has groomed her, shaped her, got her ready. And I would say it really all started, that passion, in Berkeley.
BERMAN: When I first asked you the question you laughed in a way that indicated to me that maybe you were thinking something, you know, a -- a little different, a little deeper than that there. Like you're looking forward to that moment when she walks on that stage with Mike Pence.
JOHNSON-BATISTE: I am, actually. I think it will be -- I mean since yesterday, there's been a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. I think Kamala is a perfect balance to Joe. I think it's going to be a great campaign. And when we see her on that stage, I mean, I -- you know, running for president, all of those campaigns and contests has gotten her ready.
Berman should start working for the Biden/Harris campaign if he wants to spend his day with Harris’s friends praising her.
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Read the full August 12th transcript here:
CNN New Day
08/12/20
8:29 AM ET
JOHN BERMAN: Senator Kamala Harris achieving a lot of firsts as Joe Biden's choice for vice president. This morning we're learning more about her personal side from one of her first friends. Stacey Johnson-Batiste has known the Senator since kindergarten, which wasn't, I guess, that long ago. She joins me now. Listen, thank you so much for being with us. We have some pictures of the two of you from a long time ago. What's it like to get that call --
STACEY JOHNSON-BATISTE (LIFELONG FRIEND OF SEN. KAMALA HARRIS): Thank you for having me.
BERMAN: What's it like to hear that a friend of 50 years has just been put on the ticket?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: It is amazing. I mean it is fabulous. Absolutely wonderful. I -- I -- I was so excited yesterday and last night I could barely get to sleep. And then I woke up at like 3:40 and could not go back to bed. So it's very, very exciting.
BERMAN: What drew you to her as a friend in kindergarten?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: So our mothers became friends. And so that's how she and I, you know, became friends. So we were always around each other because of our mothers.
BERMAN: What drives her, do you think?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: Oh, gosh. Kamala, as far back as I can remember, she's always been a passionate person. She's always cared about people. She is -- you know, she's always been humble, very smart, very thoughtful about what she says and what she does. I think she's driven by her -- her -- her love and her caring for people, for her family, for her friends.
BERMAN: She talks about being a -- a biracial child. She talks about being present at protests, at civil rights protests with her parents when she was in a stroller even.
JOHNSON-BATISTE: Right.
BERMAN: To what extent do you think that that affected her?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: I think a lot, you know? Berkeley, during the '70s, it was very common for us to see protests and demonstrations and it was a very multicultural city and small, but mighty. I mean, you know, we would walk all around Berkeley and there were street vendors, you know, festivals, live music. You know, so -- and we -- we spent a lot of time walking through and all around UC-Berkeley and being on Shadic and Telegraph and university. So it was a -- a -- a -- a very special time of -- of protests. And whatever was going on in our state or the country or around the world, we knew about it. So I think that exposure to the world and to, you know, to many different people, cultures, food, music, theater, all of that helped to shape the person she is today.
BERMAN: So what do you think Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, needs to know about getting on a debate stage with your friend, Kamala Harris?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: Oh, boy. Kamala's fierce. She's fierce. She is phenomenal. She is a very thoughtful person. So thoughtful in terms of what she says. She -- you know -- you know, she cares very, very much about this country and all of the people in it. She is -- she's ready. She's ready. So everything that she has worked so hard for over the decades being a prosecutor, being a district attorney for San Francisco, you know, being California's Attorney General and Senator, it has groomed her, shaped her, got her ready. And I would say it really all started, that passion, in Berkeley.
BERMAN: When I first asked you the question you laughed in a way that indicated to me that maybe you were thinking something, you know, a -- a little different, a little deeper than that there. Like you're looking forward to that moment when she walks on that stage with Mike Pence.
JOHNSON-BATISTE: I am, actually. I think it will be -- I mean since yesterday, there's been a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. I think Kamala is a perfect balance to Joe. I think it's going to be a great campaign. And when we see her on that stage, I mean, I -- you know, running for president, all of those campaigns and contests has gotten her ready.
BERMAN: How do you make her laugh? What's something that would embarrass Kamala Harris that we don't know about?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: Oh, boy, you know, she -- she's intuitive and we laugh at the -- just little things, silly things. I mean, we don't really have to -- I -- I mean just common, every day, you know, people, places, things, memories. Our mothers and their laughs and some of the things that we did when, you know -- being -- being kids, going to Ferry Land, going to parties, you name it, you know, just simple, everyday life.
BERMAN: I don't know if you've had a chance to talk to her yet and I have to let you go. But if you did have a chance to talk to her, what's the first thing you'd say?
JOHNSON-BATISTE: Oh, God, I am so proud of you. I'm so proud of you. And we need you now. Our country needs you now.
BERMAN: Stacey Johnson-Batiste, thanks for joining us this morning and sharing your memories and your thoughts about your friend who is now on the major party ticket and we are waiting to see her later today. So, thank you very much.
