Much has been made about comments calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “DEI hire.” Many people have criticized the phrase, predictably calling it offensive and racist. Even though these detractors condemn the DEI hire moniker, that doesn’t make it any less accurate.
Don’t take my word for it. Take the words of President Joe Biden and other Democrats. If calling for someone to get a job specifically because of her skin color and gender isn’t DEI, then what is?
In March 2020, as the world was in the midst of a pandemic, Biden was focused on what gender a potential running mate would be. During a primary debate, Biden stated he would choose a woman as his running mate. The fact that Biden admitted every single man in the United States would be disqualified from being his running mate is discriminatory, and it embodies the spirit of what is known as “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Later in 2020, politicians, pundits, television show hosts, and others in the political media were pressuring Biden to pick a black woman as his vice presidential candidate. In April 2020, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams was on The View discussing who Biden’s potential running mate should be. Care to take a wild guess what Abrams said should be the determining factor?
Naturally, she said a black woman. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a black woman being a vice president or president, but the problem appears when skin color is the main criterion for choosing a candidate. Just like it would have been wrong if Abrams had said a white woman should be selected, so, too, was requiring a female candidate’s skin color to be black.
“Women of color, particularly black women, are the strongest part of the Democratic Party,” Abrams said during the interview. “The most loyal, but that loyalty isn’t simply how we vote. It’s how we work, and if we want to signal that that work will continue, that we’re going to reach not just to certain segments of our community but to the entire country, then we need a ticket that reflects the diversity of America.”
Notice the word Abrams used: diversity. Abrams literally used the word that is the first part of the DEI acronym. And now people are supposed to be upset over this?
It is supposed to be racist even though a prominent black woman in politics specified that diversity is the exact reason a black woman must be considered for the vice presidential role? Abrams even framed the idea as a quid pro quo arrangement. If Democrats want black women to keep voting for them, then they need to choose a black woman for the vice presidential nominee.
This was a consistent position among Democrats at the time, too. For example, consider what Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) said about this.
“I certainly agree with my colleagues who have said a woman of color, but specifically an African American woman,” Adams said in 2020 during an interview with CBS News. “Knowing the support that we have always given to this party. We have carried this party for as long as I can remember.”
Perhaps the updated acronym should be DEIQ: diversity, equity, inclusion, and quid pro quo.
Furthermore, in July 2020, during an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid, Biden essentially confirmed he was using DEI to fill out his administration. He mentioned prioritizing that his administration “look like America.” Of course, this phrase has no real-world value, nor are there any specific proportions to support exactly what America looks like. This is nothing but political rhetoric that means “not white people.”
Biden then emphasized to Reid that he was considering “four black women” for his running mate. After committing to pick only women months earlier, Biden did not specifically commit to choosing a black woman as his running mate. However, he also didn’t mention any other race of the candidates he was considering.
Biden later confirmed in the same interview that DEI was the prerequisite for his administration’s appointments. Again, Biden used flashy left-wing talking points, but ultimately the conclusion was transparent: Biden used DEI.
“It is important that my administration, I promise you, will look like America,” Biden told Reid. “From vice president to Supreme Court to Cabinet positions to every major position in the White House, it’s going to look like America. It’s critically important that be the case. I can guarantee you that.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Biden was wrong, of course. It’s critically important to hire the most qualified people for positions, not because they fit some agenda-driven demographic requirements. It’s critically important that the nation has people in positions who were chosen based on merit. Whether such people are male or female, black or white, Asian or Latino, gay or straight, etc., is of no legitimate concern.
The faux outrage over calling Harris a DEI candidate is nothing more than the Democrats’ latest deception. Just as Democrats lied when they told the country that Biden was in fine shape to be president, they are lying now.