Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz said during a recent interview that Vice President Kamala Harris’ use of certain words was very unfamiliar to Americans, and said the party should avoid them going forward.
“The point is we have a whole language that’s maybe not offensive, or irritating. But definitely unfamiliar to regular people,” Schatz told Politico in an interview.
Schatz referenced the term “LatinX,” but noted he doesn’t think many lawmakers use the term, which has been largely rejected by Latinos, according to a poll.
“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,” he added.
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“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,” Schatz continued.
He cited more examples he’s used himself and said, “I remember saying I was for a cessation of hostilities in Israel and Palestine.”
Schatz added, “And people said why don’t you say ceasefire? I’m thinking, that’s literally the same thing.”
“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,” he continued.
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While discussing a political comeback for Democrats following Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump, he said Democrats should be unapologetic about using language that is “maximally popular” with voters.
“There’s nothing untoward or chickens— about saying things and phrasing things in ways that are appealing to people. That’s half of the business that we’re in,” he said.
Schatz said that ultimately, Harris’ campaign was well executed, and it ultimately came down to the fact that it was a “change election.”
“And the sitting vice president didn’t look like the change president because that’s impossible,” he said.
