'I hope it backfires': Ex-GOP governor rips 'yahoos' rushing to TV to smear Kamala Harris

From the moment Vice President Kamala Harris ascended to be the odds-on favorite for the Democratic Party's 2024 presidential nominee, Republican lawmakers and conservatives have rushed to attack her on the cable networks — and it's led Republican party stalwarts to cringe at damage being done to their party.

In the few days since President Joe Biden shocked the country by stepping aside and paving the way for his VP to take his place at the top of the ticket, she has been smeared as a DEI hire — a less than subtle racist attack — and been shamed over her sexual past by a multitude of conservative influencers.

Appearing on MSNBC with host Andrea Mitchell, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) lashed out at the smears of the vice president, hitting his ex-colleagues as "yahoos" and knocking conservative media outlets for giving them a platform to spew their voter-alienating attacks.

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He told Mitchell, "Republicans have to be very careful. I've been thinking about this now for a couple of days. They start going really ugly against her, I think it could really, really backfire."

"They go ugly, I hope it backfires," he admitted. "You know, we don't have time for that in this country."

"You know, she's formidable," he later added, "She's a formidable candidate, there's no question. And that is why, you know, look, some of these yahoos that are out there saying these nasty things, by the way, that is how they think they can get on TV — by the way, that's how they do get on TV — they say wacky things and insulting things and they are in the news."

"'Good job there,' some of their people tell them or supporters," he elaborated. "Fact is, it's typical politics and it could backfire when you are talking about a woman."

Watch below or at the link.

MSNBC 07 24 2024 12 40 34youtu.be