Tipsheet

Harris' Desperate Pandering With Black Voters on Full Display With That Charlamagne Tha God Town Hall

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  October 15, 2024 10:00 PM

On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris continued her pandering to black voters with her audio-only town hall event alongside radio host Charlamagne tha God. It's become a trending topic over X, especially since Harris was asked about and gave quite the alarming answer about being open to reparations only to then actually remind voters during the event that she supposedly "grew up in the middle class."

The event was aptly described by Teri Christoph at our sister site of RedState as "chaotic" and "racist." 

Here's how a question from a listener going by "Z" was framed:

My question to you is: What's your stance on reparations? We all know that America became great, you know, off the backs of free black labor. How progressive are you on making it a priority on righting America's wrongs? 

It is understood that you are running for president for all people of America. Asking for specifics for black communities doesn't mean "don't do for others" but black Americans are heavily asked to vote Democrat every election for over half a century with very little in return. What are your plans to address these very important issues and change that narrative?

Naturally, Harris went with the claim about how she's supposedly "running for president for all people of America."

"So, to your point, um, yes, I am running to be a president of all Americans. That being said, I do have clear eyes about the disparities that exist and the context in which they exist. Meaning, history. To your point. First of all, on the point of reparations, it has to be studied. There's no question about that. And I've been very clear about that position," she offered.

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Harris' state of California, despite being a state that never had slavery, has also looked into studying reparations. A 1,100 page proposal was released in July of last year. The state is still looking into such an effort, with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom supporting some parts of the effort and opposing others. The New York City Council last month also passed a bill to consider reparations. 

Where Harris pivoted to talking about how she supposedly "grew up in the middle class," is when she discussed the economy and what she says is her "immediate plan." 

Not only did Harris reference this line about growing up "in the middle class," but she told the same story voters have already heard before about Harris' mother buying a house. 

RealClearPolitics' Philip Wegman highlighted another truly troubling question and answer that deserves coverage as well.

One caller worried that former and potentially future President Donald Trump will put "anyone who doesn't look white into camps." Harris gave into that fearmongering, as she told the caller, "you've hit on a really important point and expressed it I think so well, which is he is achieving his intended effect--to make you scared."

Joe Concha put out a quoted repost to refer to Harris' town hall as "by far the worst interview of this campaign season."

Democratic strategist James Carville also went on a similar rant when speaking to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on her MSNBC show about how voters need to be "scared" into fearing Trump. 

The town hall comes after Harris also announced on Monday plans to woo the demographic, as RedState's Jeff Charles covered:

Vice President Kamala Harris recently unveiled her plan for Black men just after a New York Times/Siena poll shows that she is doing worse than President Joe Biden with this demographic.

Harris’ plan includes provisions aimed at addressing systemic inequalities, economic empowerment, criminal justice reform, and improving access to healthcare. The proposal is supposedly designed to decrease disparities in incarceration rates, improve educational opportunities, and support Black small business owners and entrepreneurs.

The proposal argues that America must end the era of mass incarceration by implementing policies that will drastically reduce the prison population and eliminate racial disparities in sentencing.

Harris’ plan would supposedly expand economic opportunities for Black men, especially through entrepreneurship. One of the provisions involves “Providing 1 million loans that are fully forgivable of up to $20,000 to Black entrepreneurs and others who have historically faced barriers to starting a new business or growing an existing business.”

The vice president would “work with the private sector to expand access to affordable banking options that will allow Black men and others who are locked out of the banking system—and the wealth building that comes with it—because of high fees to save, invest, and build credit."

Harris’ plan involves opening more pathways for Black men to obtain higher-paying jobs. “She will set a goal to double the number of registered apprenticeships in America by the end of her first term—which provide quality training in high-demand industries with a clear pathway to a good-paying job,” the document reads.

...

Of course, if this proposal works and enough Black people vote for her to win the election, it won’t mean a damn thing. Harris will simply say, “Thank you, Black folks,” and then ignore their concerns for the next four years until it is time to pretend to care about them again in 2028.

There is a decent chance that Black folks realize this, which means there won’t be many who fall for this “proposal.”

Fox News' Greg Gutfeld, as Christoph also referenced, referred to Harris' plan as "racist," as Harris is "essentially bribing them," referring to the black men she's trying to pander to. 

The plan has been highly criticized not just for pandering, but also because of concerns that it is unconstitutional due to its basis on race.

Harris also brought in former President Barack Obama to appeal to black men, with the former president trying to shame them into supporting the Democratic nominee while out on the campaign trail last week. Obama was among those promoting Harris' plan for black men over X on Monday. 

As the polls have shown, Harris is dropping in support when it comes to black voters in comparison to when President Joe Biden won with her as his running mate in 2020, and when Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016.