Former President Barack Obama drew flak following his now-viral appeal for Black men to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris due to her race.
On Oct. 10, during an event in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Obama chastised Black men in the community for not being enthusiastic enough about Harris' campaign, allegedly because she is a woman. (Related: University of Kansas lecturer suspended after suggesting men who don't want to vote for Kamala Harris should be shot.)
"Part of it makes me think that, well, you 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," said Obama while speaking to volunteers at a Harris-Walz campaign field office.
"We have not yet seen the same kinds of energy… That [lower enthusiasm] seems to be more pronounced with the brothers," he added. "You're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses … I've got a problem with that."
Former President Donald Trump's campaign was quick to pounce on Obama's remarks, saying the former president has admitted that "Black men lack enthusiasm for Kamala."
The conservative group Black Men for Trump's advisory board released a statement condemning Obama's remarks as "insulting."
"It's demeaning to suggest that we can't evaluate a candidate's track record – especially when Kamala Harris has done more harm than good to Black communities," wrote the group in an open letter co-signed by Black legislators, including Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Wesley Hunt (R-TX).
Harris, Democrats counting on Black vote to boost support in swing states
Harris and the Democratic Party's campaign is relying on Black voters to come out in droves, especially in battleground swing states like Pennsylvania, to vote blue in the very tight race with former President Donald Trump, who has made significant inroads in garnering support among historically Democratic-leaning minority communities, with Black men in particular and men of all other races.
To support Harris' effort to get more Black men to come out to vote for the Democrats, the political action committee Win With Black Men has come out to organize weekly calls and events to bolster the vice president's standing among this crucial demographic.
"I believe President Obama is speaking to a tangible, visceral understanding of what it means for all men to relate to women in America. Calling out misogyny is not wrong," claimed Win With Black Men Executive Director and co-founder Khalil Thompson.
Thompson's group raised more than $1.3 million for Harris from 20,000 Black men in the 24 hours after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race and endorsed Harris' candidacy.
The group is focused on combating supposed misinformation spreading within Black communities regarding Harris and emphasizing how she apparently has policies that prioritize the well-being of Black men, which supposedly proposes greater economic opportunities, safer communities, social justice policies and better health care.
"We're not a monolith," said Thompson. "However, we are just like every other American in this country who wants a good paying job, that we can provide for our children and participate in their lives and the lives of our partners, that we can get them home safely, afford to go to the grocery store, save a little for retirement and have a vacation."
Learn more about Kamala Harris' campaign at KamalaHarris.news.
Watch this clip from Fox News discussing Obama's admission that Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign isn't able to garner enough enthusiasm among Black male voters.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
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