Democrats have brandished the label in interviews and online, notes the
Associated Press, highlighting Vance's comments on abortion and attacks on political leaders who don't have children. They've also used the "weird" attack to reframe concerns around right-wing policy ideas that threaten civil rights and other basic freedoms, such as book bans and anti-LGBTQ legislation.
As it grows in popularity — and goes viral on social media — the "weird" branding appears to have offered Democrats a hold over far-right Republicans that the party rarely saw when President Joe Biden led its ticket. The new attack line also reflects a departure from the rhetorical strategy of President Joe Biden's campaign, which experts told Salon could prove to be an effective change in bolstering Harris' bid for the presidency.
... "When Democrats are now saying, 'These guys just sound a bit weird,' it's because they've all been talking to each other for long enough that if you're not part of the Republican cinematic universe, none of it makes any sense," Karpf said. "When you take a step back, their policy proposals are serious and dangerous, but they're also just so off-putting and ridiculous."
The "weird" strategy roll out began with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who's been characterizing far-right Republicans' behavior and proposals as such for months, during an appearance on MSNBC last month, in which he called Trump and Vance "just weird." Walz, a contender to be Harris' running mate, doubled down on the point during a subsequent CNN segment, noting Trump's repeated, odd references to Hannibal Lecter, the fictional serial killer from the film "Silence of the Lambs," in his rally speeches.
Harris' campaign quickly adopted the rhetoric, ...
The label's use has only erupted from there, with some Democrats even hurling the branding of "weird" at far-right policy at-large. Just Monday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wielded the label against former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy after he bemoaned the tactic as "dumb" and "juvenile" on X, formerly Twitter.
"It’s an incel platform, dude. It’s SUPER weird. And people need to know," the congresswoman
posted.
... So what 'weird' [by] focusing on style does is it allows the Democrats to talk about this in ways that are actually fun and shareable," Karpf said. "They are pointing and laughing at these people who want to do awful things and getting other people involved and saying, 'Yeah, that's off-putting. That doesn't sound like America at all.'"
... But despite Trump's and his allies' efforts, Neiheisel said the reversal tactic hasn't yielded very convincing results.
"It's a little bit schoolyard in some ways," he said. "I don't know that that's necessarily a position of strength for them to be in. You don't really want to be forced in a position where you're adopting your opponent's agenda and you're using their same kinds of language and tactics."
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