Conservatives’ racist and sexist attacks on Kamala Harris show exactly who they are | Judith Levine

Hatred will continue to ooze from the right. Pay attention - because that bigotry isn't just talk, it's Republican policies

Like a warm compress drawing pus from a wound, the Democratic presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris immediately brought out the misogyny and racism of the Maga Republican party.

Tim Burchett, the Tennessee Republican representative, called Harris, the child of a Black Jamaican father and an Indian mother, a DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) hire - picked, that is, because she is Black, not because she's qualified. Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, insinuated that Harris is a welfare queen. What the hell have you done other than collect a check?" he asked at a Michigan rally of Harris, a former state attorney general, US senator and now the vice-president. At the same time, social media posts showing Harris with her parents falsely claim she's not really Black, because her father is light-skinned.

Judith Levine is a Brooklyn journalist and essayist, a contributing writer to the Intercept and the author of five books