As Democrats largely coalesce around Kamala Harris As his presidential candidate, some right-wing politicians and pundits have resorted to racist dog-whistling in their attacks on the vice president, a Black and South Asian American woman.
Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, called Harris The “DEI rental.”
Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisconsin, said many Democrats feel they must support Harris’ candidacy.”because of their ethnic origin.”
Senator JD Vance of Ohio, donald trumprunning mate, said Harris does not feel “grateful“For the country. “I never hear this gratitude when I hear Kamala Harris,” Vance said at a rally in Ohio.
Former Trump White House advisor Kellyanne Conway suggested that Harris is inarticulate and lazy, two pervasive negative stereotypes that are used to look down on Black Americans. “She doesn’t speak well, she doesn’t work hard, she doesn’t inspire anyone,” Conway said.
The horrific attacks on Harris began even before the president Joe Biden withdrew from the race on Sunday and endorsed her to run in her place. When the Democrats started openly deserting After Biden’s debate performance and discussion about who would replace him at the top of the ticket escalated, so did the claim that Harris was in her position only because of identity politics, not because she won the spot because of its merits.
The New York Post recently published a column by Fox Business senior correspondent Charles Gasparino, who warned about Harris becoming the country’s “first DEI president.”
Sebastian Gorka, former Trump White House adviser and prominent figure on the right, repeated a similar insult soon after: “She is hired by DEI, right? She is a woman! She is colorful! Therefore, it has to be good.”
In a way, these Republicans are following the example their standard bearer set. Trump, the Republican Party presidential candidate, called people of color “animals”And elevated racist conspiracy theories against non-white opponents – including Republican colleagues. He has attacked the appearance of some women while sexualizing others.
Trump also attacked Harris personally. In 2020, after Biden chose her as his running mate, Trump helped supply a false and racist “birther” conspiracy theory about her and also called her “monster”, “disgusting” It is “the cruelest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anyone in the US Senate.” More recently, he mocked her laugh It is Tried to lower your intelligence.
This article was originally published in MSNBC.com