We support our Publishers and Content Creators. You can view this story on their website by CLICKING HERE.

With an eye toward the future of the party, one Democratic senator shared his criticism of the vice president’s “weird” way of interacting with the American people.

“There’s nothing… chickensh*t about saying things… in ways that are appealing to people.”

Vice President Kamala Harris’ Election Night loss paved the way for a Republican-controlled Congress as President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House. As leftists continued to try to wrap their heads around what that meant for the political future, Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz (D) endeavored to practice what he preached and called out Harris for speaking in a manner “definitely unfamiliar to regular people.”

During a lengthy interview with Politico’s Jonathan Martin, who suggested aspirations of becoming Senate Democratic Leader for the congressman, Schatz coupled the vice president’s word salads with the left’s tendency to appeal to activist buzzwords.

The postmortem asserted, “I think Kamala did a really good job on focusing on middle-class concerns. But I remember her saying, ‘I’m going to center the needs of the working class.’ And I thought to myself, I don’t know anyone in the world who says center. I know people in politics who say center. I know people in academia. I know people in advocacy who say center… But centering the needs, or making space for, or all of that, is a clear indication that you are not normal. And I put myself in that category. By definition, I am a coastal progressive.”

Similarly, Schatz brought up the use of the term “Latinx” as an “easy one… because it’s just a fact that you can scarcely find a politician who says “Latinx.” But that’s not the point. The point is we have a whole language that’s maybe not offensive, or irritating. But definitely unfamiliar to regular people.”

“And it goes to not just being careful not to say things that are egregiously weird sounding, but it’s also the way we interact with advocacy groups.”

“I remember saying I was for a cessation of hostilities in Israel and Palestine. And people said why don’t you say ceasefire? I’m thinking, that’s literally the same thing. I remember saying I was for a big, bold climate bill. And someone said why don’t you say Green New Deal?”

“And this idea that there are magic words that we must be forced to say defines progressivism and political courage by essentially saying whatever a bunch of activists want us to say, as opposed to doing the thing. And I think that there are a bunch of people who see what we’re doing as performative, for that exact reason. But it’s also just alienating. This magic words thing has to go away.”

“I think it is worth it to be precise about the language we use. And be unapologetic about trying to use language that is maximally popular. There’s nothing untoward or chickensh*t about saying things and phrasing things in ways that are appealing to people. That’s half of the business we’re in,” he contended.

By contrast, it was agreed that Trump “sounds like a normal person” as Martin expressed, “He speaks like people speak now, including profanity. It’s normalized. It’s mainstream. And he says it — And you know what, everybody says it in this country with very few exceptions.”

Previously, the senator spoke concerning how his party’s rhetoric had led to their getting their “a**es kicked” since 2020.

“I don’t want to get into blaming us for everything that has gone wrong, but I do think we have to do some soul-searching about right or wrong, fair or unfair, why we just got our a**es kicked,” he’d said during an interview with “The Bulwark.”

Regarding Harris’ loss in particular, amid talk she might seek a third run at the White House or enter into the gubernatorial race in California, Schatz said to Politico, “I mean look, you could quibble along with the tactics. Even with a successful campaign you can look back and see where mistakes were made and where opportunities were lost.”

“But I don’t think fundamentally that there were major errors made. I thought that was a relatively well-executed campaign,” added the senator. “Again, I could quibble. But I don’t think that’s what happened. I think what happened was this was a change electorate. And a change election. And the sitting vice president didn’t look like the change president because that’s impossible.”

Kevin Haggerty
Latest posts by Kevin Haggerty (see all)

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.