Conservatives Are Already Attacking Kamala As a ‘DEI Hire’

The crisis unleashed by President Joe Biden’s debate performance has not let up with many wondering how to replace him at the top of the Democratic ticket and whether the person to do it should be Vice-President Kamala Harris. That question has inevitably led to some conservatives engaging in a little thinly veiled racism and sexism, as the New York Post did in a widely panned op-ed over the weekend that declared, “America may soon be subjected to the country’s first DEI president: Kamala Harris.”

The corners of the internet that have come together to gas up Harris in recent days quickly called out the Post on this foul narrative.

BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK https://t.co/hiilAhcFJY

— Racism Watchdog (@RacismDog) July 7, 2024

I know some of you people cannot stand the idea of a black woman in higher office. But you *need* to come up with a better front for your bigotry than to label Kamala Harris as a DEI hire.

— OakSyder???????? (@OakSyder) July 4, 2024

The inability of conservatives to not do this type of shit is a potentially major upside to elevating Harris https://t.co/gMBKMB3Z8d

— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 6, 2024

These people use "DEI" to imply that BIPOC are chosen strictly for the color of our skin. That's the ignorant, shallow thinking of racists. Madam VP Kamala Harris is more than qualified, but their racism and ignorance won't let them see that! Disgusting!! https://t.co/V97riEPIjW

— J'Wan Yvette | Justified Madness (@jwanyvette1) July 7, 2024

When the newspaper and folks on the right call Kamala Harris a “DEI candidate,” it just reminds Black folks that our work and value is never given equal weight to that of white men. Be careful. You might just get Black voters reengaged.

— @TheCoreyRichardson on Threads. Follow Me There. (@vexedinthecity) July 7, 2024

Conservatives have been targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across the country through lawsuits and legislation for years now, including successfully dismantling affirmative action in college admissions. In these circles, DEI has become a dog whistle that frames efforts to create more equitable workplaces for marginalized communities as fundamentally unfair and a net negative.

Now the term is also frequently used as a slur against people of color in positions of power, including Harris. The Post article — which was written by longtime Fox Business correspondent Charles Gasparino, a man who once faked being a Pulitzer Prize nominee — suggests that Harris ascended to the vice-presidency because of diversity programs and not because of her track record. This is a woman who has been a public servant for nearly two decades, including stints as California’s attorney general, during which she oversaw the country’s largest state justice department, and in the U.S. Senate. Gasparino took aim at what he described as Harris’s “manifest unlikability; her word salad whenever she tries to sound smart; her cackle when she laughs; her vaulting ambition” — phrases it’s hard to imagine he’d write about a man they could also apply to, like former president Donald Trump.

Gasparino is not alone in his screed. Right-wing commentators have been promoting this racist and sexist narrative around Harris for a while, most recently calling her “DEI Barbie” and pushing the conspiracy theory that Biden’s poor debate performance was a plot to install her at the White House and “have a DEI presidency.” These insidious attacks are not only unoriginal and boring, but they could backfire with Black voters as Republicans try to court them ahead of Election Day.