There is no question we should be against an extremely progressive agenda: Stephen A. Smith
WARNING-Graphic Footage: Stephen A. Smith voices his concerns over rising crime in U.S. cities on 'Jesse Watters Primetime.'
Fox News primetime host Jesse Watters pressed ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith over his defense of Vice President Kamala Harris, after Smith described Harris as a "highly intelligent" woman whose capabilities have been stifled by limited professional opportunities.
During an interview on "Jesse Watters Primetime" Monday, Smith was asked whether he agrees with "Real Time" host Bill Maher, who suggested over the weekend that President Biden should cut Harris from the Democratic ticket if he chooses to seek reelection, calling her a "bad politician."
"I wouldn't go that far," Smith said. "Believe it or not, I think she is a highly intelligent woman that unfortunately doesn’t have an opportunity to showcase her intelligence."
"She’s got the second-biggest job in the country," Watters responded. "She hasn’t got the opportunity?"
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Smith said Harris has repeatedly signaled that "other people [are] running the administration" and that he believes she is being forced to suppress her ideas to "parrot" talking points of the administration.
"So, you are saying it’s Joe Biden’s fault she is a bad vice president?" Watters asked.
"No," Smith said. "Ultimately, it comes down to her. I can’t absolve her from accountability. You asked for that seat. You are in that seat. I dig she needs to do a better job, no doubt about it."
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris smiles during her speech at the NAACP National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. July 18, 2022. (Reuters/Hannah Beier)
Smith said he wished the vice president would be honest with the public on critical issues of the day instead of "giggling all the dang time."
"A lot of times I’m looking at Kamala Harris and I'm just saying, ‘you are a highly intelligent and accomplished woman. Will you tell us what you truly, truly think instead of giggling all the dang time, every time somebody asks you a question?’" he said. "She can bring a lot if she, as far as I’m concerned, I believe, had the freedom to truly, truly speak her mind and be as raw and authentic as she wants to be.
"I think she has been encouraged not to," he continued, "and…she isn't going to say what she feels. She is going to say what they want her to parrot. And as a result of that, she finds herself I think looking worse than she actually is on many occasions."
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U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Iron Workers Local 86 Political Director Heather Kurtenbach arrive for Biden to sign the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, U.S. November 15, 2021. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
The Harris exchange followed an earlier discussion between Smith and Watters, during which the two appeared to find common ground on the rising crime and homelessness that has ravaged American communities. Smith said politicians are not "innocent" in creating the crisis and blamed progressive criminal justice reform policies that embolden criminals and return them to the streets.
"There is no question that we should be against an extremely progressive agenda that is calling for people to be released from prison on multiple occasions, that’s ignoring a lot of crime that’s taking place in the streets," Smith told Watters. "There is no doubt about that."
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US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Committee Women's Leadership Forum in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (Leigh Vogel/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Smith went on to say that politicians deserve the criticism directed toward them for implementing radical policies that have made Americans feel unsafe in their cities.
"They are not innocent in all of this. In some instances, the division that exists and has existed for so long has contributed to some of the nonsense that’s been taking place in the streets. It doesn’t excuse it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to be addressed," he said.
But, "A lot of them deserve the criticism they are getting," Smith added. "There is no doubt about that."
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