• Lasherz12@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    It’s funny, I don’t remember a peep from Republicans about DEI for Obama choosing an old white dude as a running mate. It’s almost as if DEI is a stand-in for another word. Maybe media could do their job and posit what that word might be.

    • merc@sh.itjust.works
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      3 months ago

      Yeah, every VP is a DEI candidate.

      When they talk about “balancing the ticket”, they’re looking specifically for diversity. Old to balance young. Southern to balance northern. Experienced to balance inexperienced, etc.

      Even when both candidates are white men, they are looking for someone who will bring in voters that the presidential candidate won’t on their own. Dick Cheney was an old white man, but he was chosen to balance Bush Jr’s young age and relative lack of political experience. Even Mike Pence was a DEI hire because he was specifically chosen to appeal to religious evangelical voters who didn’t trust Trump.

    • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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      3 months ago

      Maybe media could do their job and posit what that word might be.

      I think that’s also not a winning argument. Again, many voters who are hostile to the idea of DEI still don’t want to think of themselves as explicitly racist. If the Republicans are acting racist, these voters won’t support them. But if the Democrats are calling these voters racist, then these voters won’t support them either.