This Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a plan directed at Black Americans in general, and Black men in particular. The initiative aims to provide support for Black entrepreneurs looking to establish businesses, as well as mentorship programs and various other resources. While the plan itself has merit, the timing raises questions about its genuineness, especially as it drops just as Harris’s support among Black voters appears to be faltering.
The release seems like a transparent effort to mitigate apprehensions that some Black voters harbor regarding Harris’s campaign as the election looms closer. Why wait until October 14 of an election year to announce such a plan? Additionally, why hasn’t any of this been implemented in the three and a half years of Harris’s tenure thus far?
It appears that Black voters only became a priority in Harris’s campaign once it was evident that she was losing more votes from this group than she could afford to.
Just a few days ago, former President Barack Obama, a prominent supporter of Harris, misguidedly labeled any Black man raising concerns about her as a misogynist. Following the backlash from that remark, the Harris campaign is now attempting to take actions that should have been taken long ago.
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This isn’t the first time I’ve criticized last-minute gestures toward Black voters. In 2020, former President Donald Trump unveiled his Platinum Plan in a similarly hasty manner. At the time, I remarked that it felt like a mere footnote on the campaign trail—an initiative released too close to Election Day, leading those aware of it to question its sincerity. Had Trump’s team introduced those plans months earlier and engaged meaningfully with affected communities, the electoral result might have been different.
While the Platinum Plan had more substance in certain respects compared to Harris’s plan, it suffered from appearing to be an afterthought—something many Democrats pointed out back in 2020. Unfortunately, the Democratic nominee appears to be making the same mistake in a similar fashion.
Conversely, some Republicans are predictably repeating past errors in addressing racial issues. Branding Harris’s plan as “racist” is misguided, particularly given that the Republican nominee made similar overtures during the last election cycle. It is reasonable, however, to scrutinize the authenticity of a plan unveiled at the last moment for a group that should be considered a core demographic. An intelligent response would be to highlight this contradiction or to advocate for a more proactive (and market-driven) agenda like the Opportunity Plan.
Republicans should have been proactive in presenting their own plan prior to Harris’s launch. Failing to follow up with a fresh initiative to replace the Platinum Plan was a misstep that allowed Harris to seize the moment. Now, she has a compelling argument tailored to Black voters, asserting that Trump’s efforts towards Black men are merely performative. With many Black media outlets leaning liberal, it’s likely that there will be a robust push to ensure Black voters are made aware of this last-minute overture. This also presents a chance to catch out the few indiscreet Republicans who can’t resist making ill-fated remarks on racial matters. The moment a significant Republican figure critiques her plan from that angle, it will likely spread throughout urban areas in key battleground states.
I do not fault candidates for proposing plans and policies aimed at resolving the distinct challenges faced by Black communities. Politicians ought to do this, not merely because constituents are Black, but because it addresses where there is a genuine need. The same approach should apply to all demographic groups, including low-income white communities.
However, we must be candid about the nature of this initiative: it is, fundamentally, a last-minute effort to shore up the tepid support Harris has among Black men.
It is hypocritical for the very Democrats who berated Trump’s late-in-the-game outreach to Black voters in 2020 to now champion a similar strategy. But such is the nature of American politics.
Darvio Morrow is CEO of the FCB Radio Network and co-host of The Outlaws Radio Show.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
