Remember "Republicans pounced?" It has been used so much for the past few years that it has become a laughable cliché that has even earned an entry in the Urban Dictionary:
Republicans pounce!
A headline in a newspaper or other article that describes Republicans (or other right-leaning individuals) attacking a Democrat (or other left-leaning individual) when that Democrat commits a misdeed. Always written by a reporter with left-wing political views, it will attempt to frame the Republicans as overzealous, and will either downplay, ignore, or excuse the Democrat's misdeed. Commonly done by the New York Times or Washington Post, it is often viewed as a sign of the bias within the media.
Apparently Politico has become embarrassed by being called out on "Republicans pounced" so they made a slight cosmetic change to "Republicans seized" in their story about Kamala Harris' very brief visit to the border at El Paso on Friday which was written from the standpoint of how Republicans would react in "Harris looks to shift the narrative at the southern border."
"Shift the narrative?" Politico makes it sound like a public relations problem rather than a dire problem at the border in need of solutions. Even the subtitle drives home the Politico point about viewing this trip thru the lens of Republican reaction, "The vice president’s trip will put to rest at least one Republican talking point on immigration."
Now we get a foreshadowing of Republicans getting ready to pounce, or rather to seize.
The GOP gleefully labeled Harris the “border czar” after President Joe Biden tasked her with finding solutions to the crises in Central America driving migrants to attempt to seek refuge in the United States.
And now introducing the "pounced" replacement...
The Biden administration has continued to use a Trump-era policy, often dubbed Title 42 in reference to the U.S. code, to effectively seal the border, arguing migrants could pose a health risk during the Covid outbreak. The numbers of crossings are expected to surge when Title 42 is lifted.
Republicans have already seized on that point, accusing Harris of choosing to go to El Paso because Escobar has been more supportive than Democrats who represent the Rio Grande Valley, including Reps. Henry Cuellar and Filemón Vela.
Not only had the Republicans "seized" but they are also "closely watching."
A person close to Trump said Republicans are closely watching whether Harris will meet with rank-and-file border agents and whether their comments will be released to the public or visible by the media.
And when the Republicans are not "closely watching" they are "pounding hard."
Yet Republicans clearly plan to keep pounding hard on the immigration issue, which is red meat for their base. Some Republicans even took a victory lap yesterday amid the Harris border trip news.
Yes, new terms to call into question the motivations of Republicans. However, it does make one almost nostalgic for the old reliable term, "Republicans pounced."
