Shut Up, Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama stepped deep in it during recent remarks aimed at black men who are not planning to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November. He and those defending him are getting pilloried on social media after he basically accused black men of being misogynists because they don’t want to support Harris at the ballot box.

As cringeworthy as his remarks were, Obama showed why so many black Americans are giving up on Democrats.

For those who haven’t heard, the former president was at a campaign event for Harris and took the opportunity to schoolmarm the millions of black men who don’t want to vote for the vice president. He argued that they should support her because she “grew up like you” and supposedly had the same struggles as many young black men who spent most of their middle-class childhoods in Canada getting a superior education.

He then said that these individuals are “coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses” not to vote for Harris. One of these reasons is a supposed mistrust of women.

"Because part of it makes me think -- and I'm speaking to men directly -- part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that."

Obama then claimed the “women in our lives have been getting our backs this entire time” and that “When we get in trouble and the system isn’t working for us, they’re the ones out there marching and protesting.”

"And now you're thinking about sitting out or supporting somebody who has a history of denigrating you, because you think that's a sign of strength, because that's what being a man is? Putting women down? That's not acceptable,” he concluded.

Obama tut tutting the “brothas” for not blindly supporting Kamala Harris while he lives in a mansion on Martha’s Vineyard is perfect. Absolutely perfect. pic.twitter.com/gMQcKzhqnL
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 11, 2024

Of course, Obama could not be bothered to engage with black men to hear their concerns about Harris. He didn’t have time to try to truly understand why a black man might be hesitant to support a party that has refused to fulfill its promises to the black community for decades.

Why? Well, because he’s a Democratic politician, of course, and a black one at that. They aren’t concerned with what black people think. They only want us to fall in line and support their party.

Turns Out Those Obama Remarks Got Worse—He Even Insults Black Men Who Are on the Fence About Kamala

Obama’s comments received a significant backlash on social media from black media figures on the left and right. Conservative commentator Sonnie Johnson echoed a sentiment I have also stated for years: Obama and the rest of the black leftist chattering class are not about black empowerment; they are about Democratic empowerment.

They are NOT PRO BLACK. THEY ARE PRO DEMOCRAT https://t.co/61Avy1SBgl
— Sonnie Johnson (@SonnieJohnson) October 12, 2024

Former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner, who is about as close to being a Trump supporter as I am to winning a marathon, stood up for black men, savaging Democrats who are preemptively blaming them for a potential loss for Harris.

If white men supported Harris at 72%, they’d be held up as an example of how men can support women.

So why are Democratic leaders painting Black men as misogynistic?

It’s wrong.
— Nina Turner (@ninaturner) October 11, 2024

BREAKING: 🔥Momma @ninaturner blasts democrats and Obama for focusing frustrations on black men! When Kamala loses, it will be because of Kamala, not because of anyone else. #Election2024 pic.twitter.com/BEbtpCODL3
— Ja'Mal Green (@JaymalGreen) October 11, 2024

FCB CEO Darvio Morrow summed up the issue perfectly.

But many [black men] are asking questions that [Democrats] are not accustomed to having to answer.
They have to answer questions from the Black conservatives, the Black moderates, the ADOS brothers, the Hotep brothers, the FBA brothers, Black libertarians want to have a say too, and they’re not used to all of that. All of those groups don’t even agree with each other on everything but they’re all asking questions to the Democratic Party. And it would be in their interest to start answering those questions. There hasn’t been a full fracture yet but it WILL happen if they keep attacking instead of answering.

You know what the issue is? They don’t know what to do about the significant amount of Black men that are not inside of the Democratic ecosystem. Because of podcasts & platforms like this, a lot of folks are getting amplified who weren’t before. And that doesn’t mean they’re all… https://t.co/v62lp2AvVO
— Darvio Morrow (@DTheKingpin) October 12, 2024

And therein lies the heart of the matter.

The Democrats’ strategy of shaming black men into pulling the lever for Harris will be about as effective as fighting a grizzly bear with a toothpick. Black men have valid reasons for questioning the Democratic Party, which has enjoyed their loyalty for decades without offering much in return.

Digital media has given a voice to alternative perspectives from black Americans, as Morrow suggested in his post. In the past, gatekeepers in the establishment media could keep these individuals from getting their ideas out to the public. Now that media has been more democratized, these individuals are reaching people on social media and other online platforms and have worked their way into the national zeitgeist.

This has also emboldened even more black people to voice their problems with the Democrats. It does not necessarily mean they are becoming Republicans, but there is a growing dissatisfaction with the left that Democrats wish to ignore. But they do so at their own peril. The days of shaming black people into simply getting in line are gradually coming to a close.