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Barack Obama speaks during a rally for Kamala Harris on Thursday, October 10, 2024.Mother Jones; Tom Williams/CQ-Appeal/Getty
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There are many surprises that rock the electorate every four years, but one thing is certain: an inordinate level of attention – and contempt if something goes wrong – will be directed at black voters. This week’s episode of our sister radio show Reveal followed one person, Michaelah Montgomery, who has lived in the spotlight as Donald Trump’s favorite, and if you missed it, it’s a deep, nuanced look at the enduring appeal of conservatism for some black voters, and it’s worth it listen:
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Now a lively and provocative special bonus episode explains why you shouldn’t buy the pervasive election narrative that Black men are leaving the Democratic Party to support Donald Trump against Kamala Harris.
Is it worth trusting the polls? It provides all this Disclose host Al Letson and Mother Jones video correspondent Garrison Hayes a golden opportunity to bask in their skepticism as they ask their friends and acquaintances to consider whether Democrats should be concerned about Black men leaving the party, former President Donald Trump’s plans to win them over, and why they think one of the demographic group in the U.S. that leans most heavily toward Democrats is likely to remain that way.
“I really think there’s something uniquely frustrating about a conversation where the second most reliable group of people in that group is berated or looked down upon, don’t you?” Hayes tells Letson during the episode. At the same time, a national discourse is being created. It at least sparked a conversation in the community that appears on this show today.”
Listen to this conversation:
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Either way, it is true that this topic has become one of the most important electoral stories in the recent run to the polls. Earlier this month, former President Barack Obama visited Kamala Harris’ campaign office in Pennsylvania and made headlines by admonishing black men for being less enthusiastic about supporting her in the presidential election compared to the support he received during her 2008 run, and blaming sexism.
“Part of it, I think, well, you just don’t feel comfortable with the idea of a woman being president, and you come up with other alternatives and other reasons,” Obama said.
Days after Obama’s comments, Harris unveiled a “black male opportunity agenda,” in part aimed at energizing and engaging this segment of the electorate. According to a recent one New York TimesThe Siena College poll found that 70 percent of likely Black male voters said they supported Harris, compared with more than 80 percent of Black men who voted for President Joe Biden in 2020.
“I think politicians also need to ask themselves why some Black men don’t feel represented by their parties? “I think that question is a little easier to answer for Black people when they look at conservatives or Republicans, there are elements of anti-DEI, wokeness and CRT,” Hayes says.
Al agrees: “It’s just blatant racism… it kind of turns black people off!”
Here’s Garrison describing in his own words his monthly reporting project, “Red, Black and Blue,” and where you can subscribe Disclose: :
Black voters are at the center of the election battle, and Democrats are trying to win the support of Black men.
In the NEW episode @disclose, @garrison_hayes brings us into his months of conversations with black conservatives about Trump’s appeal.
NOW wherever you find your podcasts! pic.twitter.com/odHOQtbwKg
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) October 19, 2024