MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough is criticizing Republicans for attacking Vice President Harris as a “DEI candidate” now that she has become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee with President Biden’s exit from the race.
DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives aimed at increasing diversity in employment and other institutions.
“Republicans are total idiots, attacking her as a ‘DEI candidate,’” Scarborough said on Tuesday’s “Morning Joe.” “And, I’ll tell you, 99% of Americans don’t even know what those letters mean. But they know it’s probably racist.”
Democrats quickly rallied around Harris as she received a flood of support and money following the departure of her campaign manager.
“When I look at the vice president, I’m just looking at someone who is a generation younger than [former President Trump]and I think this will energize a lot of people that Democrats need to win this election,” Scarborough said.
Harris would be the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to be elected president.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) went after Harris as a “DEI contractor” and referred to her in a post on the social platform X Monday as “our Vice President DEI”.
“The level of incompetence is at an all-time high in Washington. The media supported this president, lied to the American people for three years, and then replaced him with our Vice President of DEI,” Burchett said in his post.
DEI programs often aim to promote justice and equality in institutions and often attempt to combat historical inequalities related to racism, homophobia, and sexism. They have come under attack from the right, with Senator JD Vance, currently the Republican candidate for vice president, introducing a bill last month to ban DEI programs and funding in the federal government.
“The DEI agenda is a destructive ideology that breeds hatred and racial division,” Vance said in a previous statement. “It has no place in our federal government or anywhere else in our society. I am proud to introduce this legislation, which would eradicate DEI from our federal bureaucracy, eliminating such programs and withdrawing funding for DEI policies anywhere it exists.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
