Mediaboss Marketing

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she is introduced during the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.'s Grand Boul, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. Darron Cummings/AP hide caption

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she is introduced during the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.'s Grand Boul, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Indianapolis.

It's not the first time a person of color or a woman has run for president, but Vice President Kamala Harris is already facing a new wave of sexist and racist personal attacks.

Her opponent, former president Donald Trump, has a long history of personally insulting people of color, women and immigrants. Here are just some of the attacks he's leveled at opponents:

Trump has called undocumented immigrants "animals." He has emphasized the non-European names of GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley and former president Barack Obama. He denigrates women of color as "angry" or "nasty."

The list could go on, but it's not just Trump attacking Harris.

Multiple Republican Congressmen have already called Harris a "DEI hire" or "DEI vice president," implying the former U.S. Senator and California Attorney General was not sufficiently qualified and only picked to fulfill a diversity, equity and inclusion quotient.

You're reading the Consider This newsletter, which unpacks one major news story each day. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to more from the Consider This podcast.

Ange-Marie Hancock, director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University, has studied Harris' career and how it's been shaped by her identity as a multiracial woman.

She says Trump's language could impact swing voters whether consciously or unconsciously.

"If you were to survey independent voters or swing voters, I bet you would get a strong majority who would say...'We really don't like the way in which he talks about women or talks about his opponents,'" she says.

For swing voters leaning to the Democratic ticket, Hancock says it's unlikely that racist and sexist language would negatively impact their views of Harris. But for voters who are open to Trump:

"There would be actually a more negative impact there, both because people are filling in the gaps, and saying...'you know, maybe he's right in some way, shape or form'...But then the other piece of that is also that we have implicit biases."

Trump's rhetoric has had implications far beyond the campaign trail, Hancock says.

Hancock sees the current political climate as the result of a decades-long trend toward the "normalization" of racist and sexist attacks.

"I think, you know, in 2016 or in 2020, it was still on the upward swing...I think that trajectory has continued. I don't necessarily think it's going to change trajectory in 2024," she says.

And the hateful language and imagery used to describe Harris only gets worse in more conservative circles, she says.

"Some things can get particularly dark and really draw upon some of the most pernicious stereotypes of African American and Asian American women, sometimes very sexualized images."

This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

Read the original:
Kamala Harris already faces racism and sexism from Trump and Republicans - NPR

If Colorado Republican Party members vote to oust Chair Dave Williams this weekend, a group of former party leaders led by Eli Bremer say theyre willing to step up and take the reins.

Bremer, a former U.S. Senate candidate and chair of the El Paso County Republicans, sent a letter to party central committee members saying hed be chair and offering a unity vision for the party moving forward.

What (Colorado Republicans) need is a group who can triage the situation and rectify a really bad situation and try to create something good out of it, Bremer explained. With that, I started talking to other former successful party chairs and people who are really well respected, who have the right skill set to come in on a short-term basis and try to fix the situation. And I'm very happy with the team that's come together in a unified vision of saying, let's end the drama.

Bremer would come with a full team including former Weld County GOP Chair Scott James, who would be vice chair, former Mesa County GOP chair Kevin McCarney, who would be secretary, and former Park County GOP chair Dick Elsner, who would be treasurer.

In the letter, they say if selected to replace Williams, the team would focus on restoring relationships with national Republican groups and Colorado congressional campaigns where the party did not endorse the winning candidates, state house leaders and in-state donors. They also said theyll institute financial oversight.

Its unclear if Williams, let alone the rest of the current GOP leadership team, will be removed Saturday. They argue the upcoming Saturday meeting is invalid and have sued two local Republicans leading the effort.

The State Party has the right to govern its affairs according to our bylaws and we wont allow rogue members to violate the rule of law and confuse other members with their illegal efforts, especially in a time we need to rally around President Trump to defeat radical Democrats, Vice Chair Hope Scheppelman told CPR News last week.

Bremer added hes unsure if anyone else will try to run for chair if Williams is removed. He said hed welcome that but wants to see a full plan.

I mean, I hope if anybody else decides to jump in, that they put forward a plan, a team, he explained. Because if its not going to be our team, I hope that we have another team that is competent, if not more so, and experienced and has the ability to get it done.

He said in the end its about helping Republican candidates win in close races.

Link:
If Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams is ousted, here's what some Republicans say they'll do - Colorado Public Radio

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman has long been involved in politics, but his recent actions have drawn criticism from both parties.

Hoffman is a longtime Democratic donor, but he recently denounced Bidens leader of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, who has been aggressive in her antitrust actions against big companies, including Microsoft, where Hoffman sits on the board of directors.

Lina Khan isa person who is not helping America, Hoffman told CNN. I would hope that Vice President Harris would replace her.

As the November presidential election draws closer, tech titans are more actively participating in politics, mostly on the side of Republicans. The worlds richest man, Elon Musk, along with influential venture capitalists like Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen, has publicly backed Trump. Meanwhile, Harris replacing Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket has reenergized Democratic donors, especially on Wall Street.

But Hoffmans recent comments about Khan were quickly rebuked by Democrats, especially progressives who accused the billionaire donor of meddling.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D.-Mass.) praised Khan and said she was doing an excellent job in a statement to CNN. Meanwhile, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders (I.-Vt.) called out Hoffman for his arrogance and said Khan was one of the best FTC chairs in a long time.

Billionaires should not be telling candidates who to be keeping on or not, Sanders told CNN. This concerns me because Lina Khan is doing a great job and I would hope and expect that the VP, if she wins, keeps her on.

Hoffman told CNN that he certainly has not pushed for Harris to replace her if elected, although the vice president herself has privately criticized Khans broad view of antitrust powers, the New York Times reported, citing an unnamed donor who spoke with her privately.

FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said Khan stands by her record.

Chair Khan is honored to serve in the Biden Harris administration, where she has protected consumers, workers, and entrepreneurs from illegal conduct and corporate abuse, Farrar said in a statement to Fortune.

Hoffman did not immediately return Fortunes request for comment.

On the other side of the aisle, Hoffman recently angered Republicans for comments made just before the attempted assassination of former President Trump. While speaking at the elite Sun Valley Conference in Idaho earlier this month, Hoffman butted heads with venture capitalist and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, according to media outlet Puck.

Thiel, who has backed former President Donald Trump, sarcastically thanked Hoffman for making Trump into a martyr by funding E. Jean Carrolls lawsuit against the former president. Hoffman reportedly responded that he wished he had made Trump an actual martyr. Soon after, a gunman tried to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and some on the right condemned Hoffman for his inopportune comments.

Tesla CEO Elon Muskwho, like Thiel, has backed Trumpcalled Hoffman out personally in a post on X following the assassination attempt.

The Reid Hoffmans of the world got their dearest wishbut then the martyr lived, Musk wrote.

The LinkedIn cofounder was quick to clarify and apologize, saying in a statement that his words were taken out of context and that there is no place for political violence in our society.

See the article here:
First Trump, now Harris: LinkedIn billionaire Reid Hoffman has successfully angered both Democrats and Republicans - Fortune

About 100 Republicans gathered in Brighton Saturday morning to discuss the potential removal of state party Chair Dave Williams, though no vote on the issue was taken due to a judges restraining order.

That effort was thwarted after an Arapahoe District Court ruled Friday to temporarily block the group from conducting a previously scheduled formal meeting. Williams had called a planned vote invalid and filed a lawsuit several days ago.

I was pretty stunned, Eli Bremer, an Olympian, former chairman of the El Paso

County GOP and candidate vying to replace Williams, said when describing reading a text message about the temporary restraining order.

But, despite the ruling, the group still rallied at a church, with speeches from four GOP candidates to replace Williams and signatures collected for a petition to conduct a future meeting to formally vote to remove the chairman.

Its not yet clear when such a meeting could take place. Fridays restraining order bars Williams critics from doing so for 14 days or until further action from the court. Meanwhile, they need signatures from a quarter of the states central committee to conduct the meeting. And Williams disputes whether the organizers have reached that threshold.

The last thing we want to do is go against a restraining order and put all of us in contempt, Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer said.

We are in a crisis mode, and Im not saying that lightly, Kirkmeyer told the crowd. She noted that the GOP is one senate seat away from being a super minority in both chambers of the statehouse. Our state senators and representatives and candidates for those offices arent getting support from party leadership.

She said another loss would mean the GOP could not block things like veto overrides or proposed constitutional ballot amendments.

We are screwed, Kirkmeyer said if the legislature becomes a super Democratic majority.

Williams has had a tumultuous tenure at the helm of an embattled and diminished Colorado GOP. After months of long-standing criticism, anti-Pride emails he sent in June ignited an unprecedented public uprising against a state party chair. He also faced backlash for using party resources for his failed congressional bid in Colorados Fifth Congressional District and endorsing candidates in GOP primaries.

Multiple Republican nominees for Congress signed a letter Friday asking Williams to resign or face removal from office.

In a Facebook post Friday, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert called the state party infighting embarrassing.

We have a golden opportunity this November to flip seats at every level of government, Boebert wrote. Instead of uniting we've seen lawsuits, threats, and censures, resulting in a failure to come together fueled by all sides of the party.

Boebert placed the blame on Williams for failing to lead the party and called on the party chair to either show a plan to support candidates up-and-down the ballot or be removed.

Williams did not respond to a request for comment from CPR News but did provide a copy of the temporary restraining order issued Friday.

Brita Horn, a firefighter from the Western Slope, was one of the four candidates willing to replace Williams. She said the party needs robust fundraising.

Money, unity and victory, said Horn. Weve got to win. We have it in our grasp to win.

Bremer, another candidate, said the party cant fight against itself.

Weve got a lot of relationships we have to restore, Bremer said, listing the RNC, NRCC, county and state leaders as well as grassroots activists.

Candidate and Statehouse Rep. Richard Holtorf of Akron said his future vision for the Republican party would include building coalitions.

People dont want to give to a dysfunctional Republican party, Holtoft said. In the country we have country values.

And Douglas County GOP Chair Steve Peck said its a losing strategy for Republicans to spend money against other Republicans in primary races.

What I want is party unity, Peck said. Sometimes it is unity behind a letter.

Read this article:
Colorado Republicans still gathered Saturday to discuss removing state Chairman Dave Williams, but no vote was taken - Colorado Public Radio

ANALYSIS When it comes to President Joe Bidens plans for reelection, Republicans arent taking no for an answer and are pressuring him to resign altogether. Presumably, the goal is to embarrass Biden, weaken the Democratic Party and help give former President Donald Trump another advantage in the race. But the GOP strategy could do just the opposite.

The call for Biden to step down includes some of the top Republicans on the Hill.

If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President, said Speaker Mike Johnson in a release on Sunday. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.

If Joe Biden cant run for re-election, he is unable and unfit to continue serving as President of the United States. He must immediately RESIGN his office for the good of the country, said House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik in a release on Tuesday morning with the subject line JOE BIDEN MUST RESIGN.

If President Biden is not fit enough to campaign, he is not capable of holding the nuclear codes. He should resign, said GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa in an email on Sunday as well.

The call for Biden to step aside also includes candidates who havent even gotten to Capitol Hill yet.

It is simply not enough for Joe Biden to just bow out of the race. If hes unfit to run in 2024, he is unfit to hold office. He MUST resign, said a release from Ret. Col. Laurie Buckout, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Don Davis in North Carolinas 1st District. That race is rated as a Toss-up by Inside Elections.

Two more Republicans in Toss-up races are singing from the same hymnal.

If Joe Biden is not fit to run, he is unfit to serve. I am formally calling on Joe Biden to resign the Presidency because his continued presence in the situation room is a national security threat, said Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno in a release. Hes challenging Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Montanans will never forget that Jon Tester lied to all of us when he engaged in the Lefts coverup and said Biden is 100% with it, said Montana Republican Tim Sheehy in a release. The truth is, the truth is, Joe Biden must immediately resign as President of the United States because if youre not fit to even run for president, youre not fit to serve as Commander-in-Chief for one day longer.

You get the point.

So what is the potential fallout from Republicans pressure campaign?

First of all, Republicans have created an arbitrary standard of coupling serving in office with campaigning, which in reality are different functions. Serving as a president doesnt have to include a rigorous, nationwide travel schedule effectively required for a national campaign. And theres nothing beyond custom that requires someone who is eligible for another term to seek one. But Republicans are also setting a precedent that could haunt them later.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, has had multiple, public elderly moments. Hes not likely to run for reelection in 2026 because of his age, so should he resign early? Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is 90 years old, so should he continue to serve if he doesnt commit to campaigning in 2028?

Coming back to the current cycle, trying to keep the attention on Bidens age and faculties might seem like a good idea and benefit Republicans by owning the Democrats, but it could also hurt the GOPs effort to win the grand prize in 2024.

Time will tell, but its possible Republicans already hurt themselves by harping on Bidens age and forcing Democrats weakest candidate from the race. Now the Democrats are riding with Vice President Kamala Harris who, at a minimum, has energized the party base beyond anything Biden was able to do. Pushing Biden out of office completely could hurt Republicans even more.

Biden is giving a national speech Wednesday night from the Oval Office about his decision to drop out of the race, and while theres no indication he would even consider it, a Biden resignation would be yet another historical event that would garner at least a few days of news coverage.

It would also elevate Harris to the top job. There would be at least a couple weeks of news coverage about the first woman president in the nations 248-year history and various aspects of the historic transition. Harris would also have the full trappings of the office. For any voters who have difficulty envisioning her as president, she would be the president. Republicans would be an afterthought for at least a little while.

It would give Harris the opportunity to do the job. If theres a moment of crisis, she could demonstrate her decision-making skills. And from a campaign perspective, a Biden resignation would give her a slightly different message. She could say, Give me a chance. I just got into this job. Give me a full term, more time to demonstrate I can do this.

That wont sway any base Republicans. Trumps core supporters who think Biden is a terrible president would likely think the same about a new President Harris. But its not an unreasonable argument to softer, independent voters who Harris needs in order to win. In other words, moderate voters may be less likely to fire someone who just got the job.

Of course its possible that Harris becomes president following a Biden resignation and fails, even in a short amount of time. She could fumble a crisis or get pinned with current problems that plague any resident of the Oval Office, even if those issues are not a result of her actions.

If Democrats come to the conclusion that helping Harris become president could boost her chances before Nov. 5, a Biden resignation could be the October surprise everyone is always looking for. And if Republicans complain, then Democrats can just say it was their idea all along.

Read more here:
Republicans should be careful what they wish for on Biden resignation - Roll Call