Harris Tries To Crack Democrats’ Black Men Problem

PHILADELPHIA — Robert Lindsey, the owner of Sharp Skills Barber Shop, thinks his customers have some questions for Vice President Kamala Harris. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images “A lot of Black men really feel like others when they hear us talk about politics,” Rep. Gwen Moore said earlier this month after a roundtable with other Black elected officials in Milwaukee, noting even she focuses on issues more aimed at women like protecting abortion rights and expanding child care access. “They don’t know what to make of her,” she said of younger Black men’s reaction to Harris. And Black men know that, as they watch him deal with his own criminal problems and concerns, that the criminal justice system certainly doesn’t handle them the way it handles him.” The question of how much Democrats should bring up criminal justice and police reform has loomed over much of the discussion over how to best win back Black men’s votes, with some Democrats fearful discussions of criminal justice reform could quickly lead to GOP accusations that the party is soft on crime. Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images “Kamala and the powers that be — her campaign, whoever — needs to get in the face of these young Black men and tell them that all that stuff they’re hearing about Kamala locking the wrong folks up is just BS,” White told HuffPost shortly after the poll came out, adding he fears the campaign and other groups will be “a day late and a dollar short.” So far, however, Harris’ pitch has focused more on economics than on justice issues.