As if we didn’t see enough of this cheap disparagement of a female opponent in 2016, Trump is at it again. Now, he’s accusing vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris of not being liked – by anyone.
It’s not his only line of attack. He’s throwing out something for every member of his base, including that it would be an insult – an insult – to the U.S. were Harris to become the first female president. Misogyny and racism tucked into one. Why else would a presidential candidate target a vice presidential candidate? Isn’t that Mike Pence’s job?
It comes as no surprise that Trump goes pathetically low like this. He’d be glad to have us all get up in arms. He’d take it as having poked the bear and won. So, how should the Biden/Harris campaign respond?
In They Don’t Get It, Do They? I wrote about verbal sparring. A male business executive shared with me that “Women need to guard against the guy who feels trapped, so he switches to sexual put downs to win. He knows that the woman isn’t likely to resort to the same. It’s not worth sparring with that kind of guy.”
This is reminiscent of Michelle Obama’s motto: “When they go low, we go high.” In general, I agree. If a response is needed, though, here’s one that doesn’t stoop: Smile, remain calm, and say: “I see you got desperate, substituted crass for clever,” laugh a little, and bring the whole thing to a close.
It doesn’t pay to respond by showing how many people like Harris. That just lends credence to the attack – grants it more media coverage. “Hey DJT: Is that all you’ve got?” is an option. It would make a good t-shirt. Or maybe a jacket like Melania wore with a huge laughing emoji.
That’s the kind of dismissive verbal sparring that can be used when Trump goes low. Cads hate being the target of a joke. I don’t recommend it for Harris. But the rest of us have the option. No use dignifying Trump’s sexist low blows. Better to make him squirm.
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