*The recent announcement that Vice President Kamala Harris would be given the Democratic nomination to be the next President of the United States initially took me by surprise. It was indeed historic for several reasons. President Joe Biden bowed to interparty pressure and seceded the nomination to Harris, the Democrats were immediately invigorated the likes of which haven’t been seen since Barack Obama.
The Narrative
In each of the last three elections, the voting activity of African American men has come into question. In Hillary Clinton’s campaign, Democratic talking heads in all mediums chided Black men for criticizing Clinton’s record on criminal justice, foreign policy, and the whole “super predators” comment for, a 1996 New Hampshire speech given in support of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act signed into law by her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
We need to take these people on. They are often connected to big drug cartels, they are not just gangs of kids anymore. They are often the kinds of kids that are called superpredators — no conscience, no empathy. We can talk about why they ended up that way, but first, we have to bring them to heel.”
The former Secretary of State would later say she regretted saying that during her 2016 run for the presidency, but only after being confronted on the matter by activists.
Clinton never mentioned Black people in her speech, but she didn’t have to. A dog whistle by any name is still the same.
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The Wrong Way to Do Black Male Voter Outreach
Buoyed by images of photo ops with Black celebrities and athletes, a narrative developed that Black men were pro-Trump.
Following Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump, the voting numbers for Black males were taken to task when it was reported that Trump won 13 percent of the vote. ONLY 13 percent, yet it was as if Black men handed Donald Trump the election and not the 52 percent of White women who did that.
A similar situation developed during the campaign of President Joe Biden. His record on mass incarceration was brought up, particularly his support for the 1994 Crime Bill, but his audacity to say, “Anyone who doesn’t vote for me isn’t black” was a swift kick in the nuts of black sensibility and pride.
Because who the hell does that? Yet, Trump was only able to muster 12 percent of the black male vote.
According to available data, reports of Black males identifying with the Republican Party are greatly exaggerated.
And Now Some Words From a Celebrity
Last week, actor Wendell Pierce had a message for Black men in the upcoming election.
“There’s blood on that ballot box. Remember those who died in the rivers of Alabama and Mississippi. For them, do the honor and vote. Any Black man that has an issue with a Black woman rising, they have to look at their own inadequacy,” Pierce said.
“What would make you so fearful of someone so beloved of you, who was so loving to you, like your mother and your grandmother and your aunts and your sisters, that you cannot be proud and embolden yourself when you see someone from your community rise?”
Like so many Democrats before him, Pierce pointed to trinkets as reasons for Black male support of Harris in mentioning student loan forgiveness, HBCU investment, and $2 billion provided to Black farmers after years of institutionalized discrimination from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“If that’s not enough for you to vote for this campaign, why don’t you go to the other and hold up a sign behind him at a rally and tap dance? That’s what they want.” Pierce said.
So, according to Pierce, and Biden during his election campaign, one is somehow less Black for not throwing on pom-poms to celebrate the new face of white supremacy? Another tired-ass lesser of two evils mantra arises, one that suggests people not question the presumptive favorite because she has a parent of African descent. Black, white, or other, any American president adorns themselves with the trappings of a white supremacist settler state. No matter how one tries to “blacken” it up, it remains what it is.
The Numbers
In the 2016 election, white voters made up 70% of all voters. Among those voters, 58 percent of all men voted for Mr. Trump and 37% voted for Hillary Clinton. White women, supposedly Clinton’s wheelhouse, voted 52% for Trump. Overall, only 8% of black voters supported Trump. By comparison, 29% of Hispanics and Asians voted for Donald Trump. Yet, it is Black people who are chided into voting blue, and black men who are admonished in all media.
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Creekmur’s Take on President Kamala Harris
Recently, I asked longtime Hip Hop media mainstay, cultural leader, and activist Chuck Creekmur of AllHipHop.com of his thoughts on the revelation of Kamala Harris’ move to the fore as the Democrat’s silver bullet to become President of the United States.
“I think that the polls show that most Black men support her. We continue to regurgitate based on emotions and assumptions that they do not. If there is healing or reconciliation to take place, then let it be done based on the fax. Also, let it be done based on the record. Because a lot of what is going on in our community is misinformation and disinformation. Through the Internet, many people have been able to insert disinformation and dilute the truth. We adopt these things as facts and then continue to spread them around.”
Vice President Harris’ criminal justice record as Attorney General for the state of California, and as a prosecutor in San Francisco before that, has been a searing criticism for years.
“As a district attorney, she was the prosecution, but if you look at what she has said, and what she has done, it’s not nearly as bad as what people are openly promoting. I think that Kamala Harris should address the issues straight on and talk directly to black men. And I do not mean the club of insiders at Washington DC or their friends, I mean actually in our communities and neighborhoods, like Barack Obama and Joe Biden. That way they get to know her, and not what someone in MAGA might feel or say.”
Conclusion
The truth of the matter is, other than Black women, no group is more likely to vote for Kamala Harris than Black men. Any assertion to the contrary is reactionary, emotional, and enflamed by podcasters, paid media plants, and bots. But Black males are historically an easy target. Very few people have pushed back against this tiring narrative.
Furthermore, it’s not Black people’s job to save America. Yet again we have been tasked with doing just that. But the true demographic of concern is and has always been white Americans. Joe Biden won 41% percent of white male voters and 57% of white female voters in 2020.
How these demographics play out will determine the election.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Will VP Harris Continue to Avoid Qs About Race? – The Journal of Steffanie Rivers | WATCH
