As Joe Biden’s support among nonwhite voters dramatically declines, his campaign team is scrambling to stop the hemorrhaging with efforts that are both laughably ineffective and likely to cause further harm.
While humorous to some, for black voters with self-respect, these attempts are patronizing, condescending, and shockingly desperate.
A recent survey published by The New York Times showed Biden with lower support among black voters than Hillary Clinton in 2016. During that election, independent and Hispanic voters played a crucial role in Clinton’s loss.
Despite Biden’s increased support among women concerned about reproductive rights, his campaign remains precarious. In an attempt to regain black voter support, Biden’s efforts verge on the absurd.
Last weekend, Biden spoke at the NAACP in Detroit, even misstating the organization’s name as the “NAAC.” Referencing his earlier commencement address at Morehouse College, Biden claimed he told students, “I saw them, I heard them, and the nation needs them.”
However, in reality, Biden’s Morehouse speech included statements that black men must work “10 times harder” for fairness and that America “doesn’t love [them] back in equal measure.” He also mentioned, “What is democracy if black men are being killed in the street?” without addressing his past support for tying law enforcement funding to compliance with Democratic policies, which could effectively “defund the police” — a policy shown to increase black homicides.
An op-ed published Sunday in The Washington Post discussed Biden’s strategies to regain black voter support. Author Karen Tumulty highlighted that while political insiders are focused on the election, “especially young black people” are reportedly more interested in a hip-hop feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. She praised Biden’s campaign for using this pop-culture moment to engage black voters, including releasing a social media video featuring hip-hop music.
Essentially, the campaign is saying: Black youths enjoy rap, and Biden knows it!
Perhaps most opportunistic was the Biden administration’s abrupt abandonment of its long-term effort to ban menthol cigarettes. The Associated Press reported in late April that the administration delayed the ban indefinitely to avoid alienating black voters.
This attempted ban had been in the works since 2021. A White House fact sheet from last year claimed that banning menthol cigarettes could prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths, particularly among African Americans.
Black lives matter, yet the administration seems willing to risk these lives if it helps retain political power.
The Democratic Party has long approached black voters by promising welfare and labeling Republicans as racists. While this strategy often works, current issues such as inflation, crime, and foreign spending may prompt black voters to seek alternatives.
Contrary to some political assumptions, black voters are not necessarily “waking up.” They will likely still vote for Biden and Democrats in significant numbers. However, if just enough opt for the Republican nominee, as current polls suggest, it could mark a historic shift.
And if they choose not to vote for Trump, abstaining from voting altogether remains an option. For black voters, not voting for Biden won’t diminish their identity.
