Former President Barack Obama’s claims that black conservative men are not supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign due to sexism have sparked a heated backlash from the very group he was trying to persuade. At a recent event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Obama accused black male voters of not being onboard with Harris, saying that their reluctance to support her was rooted in sexism.
However, black conservatives are pushing back against Obama’s assertions, arguing that his comments are not only inaccurate but also condescending. They claim that Obama is not representing the views and experiences of the black community, and that his attempts to shame them into supporting Democrats are not effective.
Former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, a conservative Republican, responded to Obama’s remarks by calling Harris “Madam Lock Up A Brother” and demanding an apology. Jones accused Obama of trying to dictate how black men should vote, saying that he no longer lives in the black community and has no right to lecture them.
CJ Pearson, co-chair of the GOP’s Youth Advisory Council, also rejected Obama’s comments, saying that black men have been “taking one for the team” by supporting Democrats for decades, only to see their communities suffer. Pearson argued that black men should be free to make their own decisions about who to vote for, without being bullied or shamed by Obama or other Democrats.
Conservative media personality Rob Smith also spoke out against Obama’s remarks, saying that he will not be intimidated into supporting Harris. Smith accused Obama of trying to lecture and bully black men into submission, and said that he will not be swayed by Obama’s words.
Other black conservatives, including political analyst and author Boyce Watkins and former Florida Republican congressional candidate Willie Montague, also responded to Obama’s comments, saying that they are tired of being lectured by the former president.
Watkins compared Obama to a “deadbeat dad” who has abandoned the black community, while Montague said that he is not voting for Harris and will make his own decision about who to support.
The backlash against Obama’s comments comes as a new poll reveals that black support for Harris is lower than it was for either Democrat nominee in the 2016 and 2020 elections. While 78% of black voters are currently supporting Harris, that is a significant drop from the 90% who supported Biden in 2020 and the 92% who supported Hillary Clinton in 2016. The poll also found that 15% of black voters are supporting Trump, a significant increase from the 9% and 7% who supported him in the last two elections, respectively.
