Vice President Kamala Harris’ team seems to understand that she and her fellow Democrats have a problem with black voters, and they’re trying to do something about it.
Harris recently made appearances in black media and did a promotional video with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, in Detroit, Michigan. While the topic wasn’t focused solely on the black community, it was clear that they were making an effort to appeal to this demographic amid months of polling showing that a significant chunk of African Americans are souring on the Democratic Party.
The Harris/Walz campaign released a video on Thursday featuring the two running mates at Aretha’s Jazz Café in Detroit, named for soul singer Aretha Franklin, in which they sat down for a ten-minute conversation discussing their backgrounds, careers, and desires for the nation.
The campaign filmed the conversation shortly after Harris announced Walz as her choice for vice president. Much of the discussion was light-hearted, focusing on music and food. At points, the two politicians discussed their campaign, with the vice president saying, “Our campaign is the underdog campaign.”
The two candidates highlighted aspects of their careers, with Harris recounting how she wanted to become a prosecutor after finding out that one of her friends was being molested by her stepfather.
“I told her, ‘You have to come live with us.’ I called my mom. I have to tell you, Tim, it was the first time that I realized how not everyone can take their safety for granted,” Harris said. “We should all feel a sense of responsibility to protect people from harm. So that’s why I decided I want to be a prosecutor.”
The conversation turned to music, with Harris talking about how her parents loved Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. Walz was more of a Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen guy. Perhaps he didn’t get the “We Need Black Voters” memo; otherwise, he might have gone with Marvin Gaye and James Brown.
The vice president also discussed her upbringing and being exposed to the fight for civil rights. “I grew up around a bunch of people that were marching and shouting for justice… They understood how to translate the passion from the streets to the courtrooms of our country,” she said.
It’s hard to miss what the Harris/Walz campaign is doing here. They taped a conversation in a cafe named after a black icon. They discussed how much Harris supposedly loves Motown. Harris once again touted her so-called exposure to the Civil Rights Movement. This was an effort to connect with black voters and white folks who would like to see themselves as allies.
Harris also participated in an interview with Essence Magazine, another black media outlet, in July. The vice president discussed some of the same topics – especially the Civil Rights movement.
I grew up in a community where an extended family of people told all of us, as children, that we are young, gifted and Black—that we could do anything, that there was no boundary or border to what we could pursue or believe, and that we have a duty,” Harris said.
Part of the interview focused on black women, particularly when it comes to maternal health, abortion, and empowerment. “The idea that these so-called leaders would be passing laws that make no exception for rape and incest… That’s immoral, and that’s what’s happening in our country right now,” Harris said.
The vice president lamented that black women “have some of the highest rates of Black maternal mortality.”
Harris addressed black women directly, saying they “have extraordinary power” and that they should “Never let anybody take our power from us, and never be shy about our power.”
Harris’ candidacy is clearly a way for Democrats to win back at least some disillusioned black voters. The findings of a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on August 7 showed the vice president polling better against Trump than President Joe Biden did when he was the candidate. However, it is still significantly lower than what it would normally be for a Democratic candidate.
Some 70% of Black voters polled in July picked Harris over Trump on a hypothetical ballot, up from 59% who backed Biden in May and June polls. Trump’s share of the Black vote rose marginally to 12% in July from 9% in May and June.
As a Democrat, Harris should be at about 90 percent support among black voters, and the fact that she isn’t is telling. The fact of the matter is that, as California’s attorney general, Harris presided over the incarceration of black men over nonviolent offenses. She even fought to keep them locked up.
Another issue Democrats and their cohorts in the activist media would rather ignore is that many black Americans don’t quite view Harris as one of them. They question whether she truly understands the experience of black folks in America. There is also the fact that during the 2020 campaign, Harris during an interview with the Grio said she would not have any policies specifically to help black people. “So I’m not gonna sit here and say I’m gonna do something that’s only gonna benefit Black people,” she said.
Grio: “There’s not a particular policy for African Americans?”
Kamala Harris: “So I’m not gonna sit here and say I’m gonna do something that’s only gonna benefit Black people. Nooo!”
Me: So I’m not gonna sit here and say I’m gonna give you my Black vote. Nooo! #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/D45Ban3tOU
— Chayah Yashar’el (@chayahyasharel) August 12, 2020
While Harris performs better with black voters than Biden, it seems clear she still has much work to do in reaching that demographic. This is why she is currently making these overtures. Unfortunately for her, she has not only her baggage to contend with, but also the Democratic Party’s history of pandering and broken promises.
There is also the reality that many black voters have grown fed up with the constant broken promises coming from Democratic politicians. It is a frustration that will likely cause a portion of black Americans to either stay home on Election Day or give Trump a chance.
