House Republicans just got the rug pulled out from under them.
They’re so used to running against President Joe Biden and seem to be struggling mightily with how to run against Vice President Kamala Harris,
a 59-year-old woman of Black and Indian heritage who is now the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Consider just what’s gone on during the last couple days. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called Harris a “DEI hire,”
a shocking remark that Democrats pushed back hard on.
Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), one of just four Black House Republicans,
then told us that Harris is “the greatest example of DEI.”
More Owens: “For those who believe in DEI, this is exactly what DEI is like. Kamala Harris.”
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) said on Sunday that Democrats “have to stick with her because of her ethnic background.”
We followed up with Grothman on this, who then informed us
“I don’t think people view her as Black.”
Grothman added that people “just view her as someone who did nothing on the border.”
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), when asked if Republicans need to be careful in how they talk about Harris’ race, told us:
“I’m not going to get into all the color stuff. I’m just looking at performance.”
What’s happened to Harris, Biden and the Democratic presidential ticket has no direct precedent.
Democrats dumped Biden just months before the election, leaving Harris roughly 100 days to rally the party
— and the nation
— to her side.
But it’s also a problem for the GOP,
which has spent the last couple of years probing every facet of Biden’s life.
They dug into his family’s business deals. They considered impeaching him. They highlighted Biden’s every weakness, misstep and fumble. Now all of that’s changed.
Harris is a diametrically different challenge for Republicans.
Biden is old and occasionally confused. Harris is younger and sharp.
Biden is a white man. Harris is a woman of color.
There are lots of firsts in Harris’ bio, of course.
Former President Donald Trump seemed to try out some attack lines against Harris on Monday night,
labeling her as “Lyin’ Kamala” while calling himself “a fine and brilliant young man named DONALD. J. Trump.”
At 78, Trump is more than 18 years older than Harris. Harris is trying out her own lines on Trump too.