Kamala Ditches ‘Centrism’ to Play Al Sharpton

(Scott Greer via Revolver)—Kamala Harris knows black men aren’t thrilled with her campaign. Polls show that a lower percentage of this demographic wants to vote for Harris than past Democrats. Kamala sent out Barack Obama to chastise the “brothers” for not being motivated to vote for a woman. Other surrogates and liberal outlets lament Trump’s relative popularity among black men.

This has prompted a shift in the campaign. No longer is Kamala pretending to be a centrist, moving beyond identity politics. Now she’s trying to be like Al Sharpton and promise black voters that she will dole out exclusive benefits to them—so long as they vote for her.

When Kamala began her campaign, she tried to portray herself as a middle-of-the-road politician. She believed in strong borders (ignore her open border record). She was for boosting American energy (ignore her past support for radical environmentalism). And, most importantly, she was moving beyond “woke” (ignore her past support for reparations and eliminating Columbus Day).

Her acceptance speech at the DNC emphasized her moderate pitch, appealing more to the middle class than to identity politics.

The media fell for this act, gushing over how Kamala, who would “make history” with her various identities, eschewed identity politics. NPR fawningly noted last month how Kamala doesn’t talk about her identity and focuses on the broader middle class. Politico praised her in August for sidestepping the issue and pledging to be “for all Americans.” MSNBC declared her avoiding race and gender the smart political move.

But that’s no longer Kamala’s strategy, as the “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” indicates. This policy is identity politics on steroids. Here are the five points of the plan:

• Providing 1 million loans that are fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others to start a business.
• Championing education, training, and mentorship programs that help Black men get good-paying jobs in high-demand industries and lead their communities, including pathways to become teachers.
• Supporting a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets so Black men who invest in and own these assets are protected.
• Launching a National Health Equity Initiative focused on Black Men that addresses sickle cell disease, diabetes, mental health, prostate cancer, and other health challenges that disproportionately impact them.
• Legalizing recreational marijuana and creating opportunities for Black Americans to succeed in this new industry

Along with this plan, she’s entertaining reparations once again, telling popular black radio host Lenard Larry McKelvey, aka “Charlamagne tha God,” that she will look into it as president.

She’s also trotting out the Central Park Five—five black men who went to jail for the assault and rape of a white woman—to show how dangerous Trump is for blacks. The Five, whose innocence is dubious, claim in a new ad that Trump wanted them executed simply for the color of their skin.

It is very funny what she thinks will win over black men. The plan is to give them generous loans, support their crypto investments, and legalize weed. It’s not even attempting to offer them any higher ideal for their vote. It’s simply appealing to a caricature and hoping it works. It envisions that black men simply want more goodies from the government and legal weed. It’s an understandable yet brazen pitch. Kamala might as well propose free menthol cigarettes while she’s at it. (Appropriately, the Biden administration continues to delay a menthol cigarette ban to avoid alienating black voters.)

Will this be enough to excite black voters for Kamala? Probably not.

The real issue for Harris is her personality. People don’t like her. She’s inauthentic; she flip-flops all the time, and she’s extremely awkward in the public eye. She doesn’t have what it takes to excite black voters. They’ve already had a black president. A second one isn’t that inspiring anymore. Kamala muddies her identity by also insisting she’s Indian. Obama didn’t go out there and talk about his white identity. He was just black, and that’s what black voters would prefer. Kamala’s multiracial identity further cements her chameleon reputation. She’ll change who she is depending on the audience. Many blacks don’t like this.

Her campaign itself has also centered itself around college-educated white women. We had the “brat” theme, then the childless cat lady debate, and then the Taylor Swift endorsement, complete with press releases entirely in Swift lyrics. The focus on this demographic has paid dividends for the Harris campaign, as polls indicate she’s set to win a record number of college-educated whites. However, this pitch leaves other voters feeling left out. Black dudes seem to not be thrilled with the high-caste Brat.

This strategy may still be enough to win Kamala the election. It would be an important change in politics if Democrats win the college-educated white vote by double digits while Republicans finally get double-digit black support. It’s a smart trade-off for Team Blue. But I doubt the results will be that good for them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be melting down over the lack of black enthusiasm. Democrats need high black turnout to win elections. Running up the score in suburban blue enclaves won’t win them battleground states with significantly black cities.

Whatever happens, Kamala’s black men plan should dispel delusions that she’s some kind of moderate. She may have no principles besides her own advancement, but whenever she’s forced to make decisions, she comes down on the far left. Look at her career as a district attorney and attorney general. Look at her Senate record and 2020 campaign. Just look at what she’s done as vice president. She’s a conniving leftist who will accelerate the Great Replacement and make America look more like California.

The true sensible moderate in this election is Donald Trump. Only a fool would fall for Kamala’s ever-shifting pitch.

Scott Greer hosts the Highly Respected Podcast.