Rep. Ro Khan (D-Calif.) said Saturday he doesn't like a new rhetorical tactic used by Democrats to call Republicans “wackos” in their election messaging.
He criticized this approach. Live event with The Guardian Speaking at a festival hosted by the Texas Tribune, he said Democrats should instead focus on uniting the country.
“To be honest with you, I don't like calling each other 'freaks' or calling each other names. I don't think that advances American democracy,” Khanna said at the event.
“I think in this country, and as a political party, we don't just have to win, we have to deserve to win. And deserve to win means offering a vision that unites this country in a common purpose.”
Vice President Harris' campaign has leaned heavily into the “weird” attack since her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), first used the term to describe the Republican candidate in July.
The strategy then caught on among Democrats, who soon began sneaking the term into nearly every interview. The campaign was applying the label to everything from former President Trump's rally remarks about Hannibal Lecter to Sen. J.D. Vance's (R-Ohio) past comments about childfree women.
Khanna said at the event that it may be “no longer fashionable” to take the high road and follow former First Lady Michelle Obama's “if they go low, we go high” guideline, but “I still think it's a win for a country that is hungry for some new common purpose.”
