Vice President Kamala Harris recently made a public statement that prompted some Republicans to erupt with indignation and ridicule on social media.
Here’s what the Vice President said, verbatim: “I am Kamala Harris. My pronouns are ‘she’ and ‘her.’ I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit.”
Have you ever heard anything more outrageous? Apparently, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, has not. “Just when you think it can’t get any sillier,” he tweeted. “The American people are caring but not generally confused by the difference between a man and a woman. Political correctness is dominating the Biden Administration.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois, also took a shot at what Harris said: “If you ever wonder why the left still can’t win elections despite the insanity of Trumpism, save stuff like this for reference later.”
Even the Republican National Committee posted without comment on Twitter a video of Harris making the statement. I don’t know what the point of posting it was, but I’m sure it wasn’t to make Harris look good.
There have been times when Republicans have delivered for disabled folks. But when they do, they’re not being “good” Republicans.
Well, the joke was on all of them, because it turns out that the Vice President was addressing a group of disabled people and describing herself for the benefit of people who are blind or have low vision. That is considered to be a courteous, respectful, and welcoming thing to do when introducing yourself to people who may not have good vision.
These Republicans either didn’t know this or just thought it was a stupid idea.
But I’m glad they reacted the way they did, because at least they were honest—albeit accidentally. Some Republicans tend to crawl out from under their rocks to make a statement about disabled folks every July 26, which is the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. They issue template statements singing the praises of this law and how much it has done to ensure equality for people with disabilities.
And then they spend the rest of the year undermining everything that the ADA stands for. They can’t help it. It’s what being a Republican is all about. Laws like the ADA run counter to the selfish greed creed that is the bedrock of Republicanism.
Of course, there have been times when Republicans have delivered for disabled folks. President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA. But when they do the right thing like that, they’re not being “good” Republicans. They’re not acting in accordance with their guiding philosophy. They were overcome by a bout of temporary sanity.
It was especially gratifying to see Kinzinger making a fool out of himself. He’s one of these politicians who wants to reject Donald Trump, but still wants to be a Republican. Well, news flash: You can’t do both. Trump is the personification of the sick joke that is the essence of Republicanism. As Kinzinger’s tweet shows, you can’t walk very far away from one without walking away from the other.
Those who jumped on Harris for this showed themselves to be a bunch of ignoramuses. Or is it ignorami? What is the plural of ignoramus? Whatever it is, that’s what they are.