Confronted with a series of polls indicating a historic cratering of support among black men, Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a new “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men,” hoping to entice one of the Democratic Party’s most critical voting blocs to show up to the polls in November.
The agenda would give black men “and others” the opportunity to access business loans and mentorship and training programs. In addition, the agenda would legalize recreational marijuana, protect cryptocurrency transactions by creating a regulatory framework, and launch a health equity initiative focusing on health problems that most affect black men.
This eye-roll-inducing “agenda” is deeply offensive. Of all the issues currently facing black men in this country, the ability to buy more scammy cryptocurrencies and smoke marijuana is not among them. But beyond being offensive, the plan itself is ridiculous. Who would want a government-assigned “mentor”? Some of these programs would likely be struck down via court challenge.
Even progressive black folks took issue with some portions of the plan.
“I don’t love reinforcing the idea that black men specifically need more mentorship,” said liberal Washington Post columnist Perry Bacon Jr.
Fascinatingly, Harris’s new proposal marks a departure from her campaign’s decision to avoid engaging in explicit identity politics appeals. Up until now, Harris has side-stepped opportunities to engage in lengthy diatribes on race and gender. She refused to attack former President Donald Trump after he publicly questioned her racial identity. She has also, according to a report by Politico, decided to engage with Latino voters by talking to them about bread-and-butter issues such as the economy and the border instead of promising lax immigration policies.
Admittedly, Harris’s decision to try to win voters through Obama-esque appeals to universal values rather than identity was refreshing. However, alarming polling numbers from black voters (especially young black men) seemingly spooked the Harris campaign into adopting race-centric messaging.
While Harris’s deteriorating position among black male voters raised eyebrows among national commentators, it reflects a broader trend among the demographic. Ever since former President Barack Obama won black men by a staggering 83 points in 2008, the demographic has continued to shift away from the Left. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won black men by 63 points in 2016, President Joe Biden won black men by 53 points in 2020, and Harris is on track to win them by 41 points in 2024.
What can Harris do to stem the outflow of black men from the Democratic Party? Perhaps not much. Black men seem to be following a trend seen among men of all races. The Democratic Party, which has intentionally promoted itself as the “party for women” and “the party of social justice,” has likely alienated many young men who are seeking to affirm their masculinity.
Trump, for all his personal flaws, effortlessly exudes a form of masculinity that appeals to many young men. The Democrats understand this as well. Why do you think they’ve spent the past few months parading Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz around football games and painting serial cheater Doug Emhoff as the “model of masculinity”?
Moreover, it’s possible that black men, like other groups, are voting on their personal policy priorities rather than on an identitarian basis. Men, in general, tend to harbor more conservative instincts than women, and black men are no exception to this rule.
The Democrats have responded to Harris’s shrinking margins among black men with predictable lecturing and hectoring. Obama descended from his Martha’s Vineyard mansion to scold black men who are considering voting for Trump, implying that they are sexist and “just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”
While I’m not confident that Harris can prevent the growing exodus of black men from the Democratic Party, there are some policy positions I, a black man, would like to see the party adopt.
First, Democrats need to embrace the importance of law enforcement. While there are some bad apples in the police force, our inner cities need robust law enforcement to ensure that the lives of young black men are preserved.
Second, Democrats need to break with teachers unions and support school choice programs. Teachers unions across the country have tried to eliminate voucher programs in blue states, keeping low-income (mostly black) students from escaping dysfunctional failure factories masquerading as “schools.”
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Third, Democrats should embrace much tougher border enforcement. The Democrats reversed Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy, which has contributed to the surge of illegal migrants in this country. Many of these migrants have wound up in heavily Democratic cities, and the local government subsequently dumped them in majority black and struggling communities.
All of these policies will have far more benefits for black men than Harris’s pathetic “agenda.”
Corey Walker is a Washington, D.C.-based reporter who focuses on institutional capture, education, and public safety.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
