In a recent press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called out Republican congressional leaders for needing to remind their members to stop making racist and sexist comments towards Vice President Kamala Harris. The fact that GOP leaders had to hold a closed-door meeting to address this issue speaks volumes about the current state of the party.
According to a Politico report, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson organized a meeting on Tuesday morning to urge lawmakers to refrain from attacking Harris based on her identity. Jean-Pierre emphasized the importance of respecting Vice President Harris and condemned the desperate, disgusting, and dog-whistle attacks against her.
Unfortunately, following Harris’ campaign announcement, several Republicans made derogatory comments about her, dismissing her as a “DEI hire” and questioning her qualifications for the role. Rep. Tim Burchett even went as far as to suggest that Harris was only chosen for her race and gender.
Despite the backlash, Johnson insisted that the attacks were not personal and claimed that the upcoming election should focus on policies rather than personal attacks. However, the underlying tone of these comments cannot be ignored.
It is concerning that in today’s political climate, GOP leaders feel the need to remind their members to refrain from racist and sexist remarks. This should be a basic expectation, especially when it comes to addressing the Vice President of the United States. It is time for all elected officials to show respect and professionalism in their discourse.