Gosh, what could be behind the right’s hatred of Stacey Abrams?

There is now a whole genre of right-wing punditry declaring, in hysterical and angry tones, that Stacey Abrams would be the worst pick in the history of vice-presidential picks. No, really. The people who defend their vote for President Trump, who support the most unqualified Cabinet in history and who think political experience is overrated now see a catastrophe if the former minority leader of the Georgia state House, the founder of Fair Fight and Fair Count and a rising star in the Democratic Party is picked as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee.

Rich Lowry declares: “President Trump has rewritten the rules of political experience, yet it’s still a stretch to imagine someone who has only served in the Georgia legislature — and as a state representative, not even a senator — is ready to become leader of the free world.” She was actually the Democratic leader from 2011 to 2017, but I’m sure overlooking an African American woman’s credentials was inadvertent. He continues: “Her foremost political achievement to date — making her loss in Georgia a cause celebre among Dems — is built on nonsense.” Ah, yes, that old “nonsense” — massive voter suppression.

In any event, he says, “Abrams can reasonably boast of an ability to stoke turnout among minority and young voters — she won more votes than any statewide candidate in Georgia ever. But given her high-octane progressivism, she’d have limited appeal to working-class swing voters and suburban women.” (She actually won more votes than any Democrat in Georgia history and a greater share of the white vote than any Democrat in years, but whatever.) What about nonwhite suburban women? They count, too. (Also take note that Republicans have been hemorrhaging white suburban female voters under Trump.)