A former Bernie Sanders campaign adviser slammed former President Barack Obama Thursday for calling out Black men who do not support Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Why are Black men being lectured to?” former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner said on CNN. “Why are Black men being belittled?”
The former national co-chair of the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign said that Obama was “wrong.”
“Now, a lot of love for former President Obama, but for him to single out Black men is wrong, and some of the Black men that I have talked to have their reasons why they want to vote a different way, and even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect it,” she said.
Turner explained further, “So unless President Barack Obama is gonna go out and lecture every other group of men from other identity groups, my message for Democrats is don’t bring it here to Black men who, by and large, don’t vote much differently from Black women.”
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Turner added that politicians should strive to court all voters, and in the process, garner support from the “few good men out there who do care about the stripping away of some of women’s bodily autonomy.”
Turner concluded, “But this is wrong for President Obama. It is a wrong course for the Harris-Walz campaign to lay at the feet of Black men when they have their reasons.”
Turner’s comments came after Obama ripped into Black men who have not been as enthusiastic about Harris’ presidential bid as they were for his 2008 and 2012 political campaigns.
“We have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all corners of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running,” Obama said during a pre-campaign rally stop in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
The prominent Democrat said he had noticed a difference in the excitement surrounding Harris, particularly among African-Americans.
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Obama said, “Now, I also want to say that that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers. So if you don’t mind — just for a second, I’ve got to speak to y’all and say that when you have a choice, that is this clean: When on the one hand, you have somebody who grew up like you, went to college with you, understands the struggles [and the] pain and joy that comes from those experiences…” He went on to contrast this with Trump.
“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses,” he continued. “I’ve got a problem with that.”
“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 said.
Many Democrats have expressed fear of a repeat of 2016 when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.
Recent reports show a small gap between Harris and Trump in the polls.
