With just three weeks to go until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris issued a list of proposals in effort to regain support from black voters -- specifically men.
(1) Providing 1 million loans that are fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others to start a business.
(2) 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.
(3) Supporting a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and other digital assets so Black men who invest in and own these assets are protected.
(4) 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.
(5) Legalizing recreational marijuana and creating opportunities for Black Americans to succeed in this new industry.
This is Kamala's Plan on How to Win Back Black Men
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 14, 2024
https://t.co/ajscIw5FZe
But a number of the policy positions touted by Harris were immediately met with the reality of the U.S. Constitution and the illegality of loan discrimination based on race.
Imagine this 👉
— William ⚡ Laurent (@WilliamLaurent3) October 15, 2024
A presidential candidate who doesn't understand that race-based lending is illegal.
Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and the Fair Housing Act (FHA), lenders are prohibited from discriminating against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion,… https://t.co/cLHxAMrQ7h
Now, the Harris campaign is backtracking.
"While Harris’s rhetoric suggests she will provide such benefits specifically to Black men and women, it turns out that the words “and others” are doing a ton of work: The campaign says that the programs listed under the Black men agenda will be open to all Americans on a race-neutral basis," the Wall Street Journal reports.
Meanwhile, support for Harris remains at levels lower than needed to beat former President Donald Trump in November.
No matter how you splice the data, Trump seems to be the strongest Republican with Black voters since 1960. Young Black men in particular have trended right during Trump's runs (cutting the Dem margin by 40 pts from 2012).
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) October 14, 2024
But Trump's doing historically well with Black women too pic.twitter.com/FyUqqDKLjE