Obama tells Black men it’s ‘not acceptable’ to sit out election

In a recording of the meeting obtained by CNN, he made the case for Harris in strong terms.

“Remember you were raised by a strong Black woman, a strong Black woman took care of you, fed you, gave you an opportunity in life,” West told the NAACP audience, urging those in attendance to take the message home.

At the rally, Obama delivered his most personal, furious indictment yet of Trump and a Republican Party he said was in thrall to a man who he believes had, over the last week, violated the trust of Americans devastated by a pair of catastrophic hurricanes.

“The idea of intentionally trying to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments – my question is, when did that become OK?” Obama said, pointing to Trump’s lies about the federal government withholding assistance to hard-hit “Republican areas” or “siphoning off aid to give to undocumented immigrants.”

When a cheer rose up, he sharply quieted the room.

“I’m not looking for applause right now!” Obama said, his voice vibrating with emotion, before he asked Republicans and conservatives allied with Trump, “When did that become OK? Why would we go along with that?”

Obama, addressing a buzzing crowd, drew sharp contrasts on policy and character – ripping Trump and talking up Harris on both fronts – and cast his successor as the mascot for a dangerous and increasingly nasty version of the country. Obama in past campaigns has relished mocking and criticizing Trump, but his speech and delivery on Thursday were stinging and unusually visceral.

“If you had a family member who acted like (Trump), you might still love them, but you’d tell ‘em, ‘You got a problem,’ and you wouldn’t put him in charge of anything,” Obama said. “And yet, when Donald Trump lies or cheats, or shows utter disregard for our Constitution, when he calls POWs ‘losers’ or fellow citizens ‘vermin,’ people make excuses for it.”

Turning his attention to voters who have expressed concern about Trump’s potential return to the White House and others who might not be paying close attention to the campaign, Obama issued a blunt call to action.

“Whether this election is making you feel excited or scared, or hopeful or frustrated, or anything in between, do not just sit back and hope for the best. Get off your couch and vote. Put down your phone and vote. Grab your friends and family and vote,” Obama said. “Vote for Kamala Harris.”

Good for him.

Yeah, lecturing people for their failings is such a good idea. I remember how well deplorables went down.

The insult was a bad call. He could have made the point without diminishing the audience.

They might vote Trump. Nah I’m just kidding, most won’t. But so many of them have become jaded, they want to both sides this fucked up society.

Our ancestors didn’t get the water hose sprayed on them, dogs unleashed, BEAT for the right to vote only for black men today to think life is so peachy just cause they can slide in some white pussy, drive around in their Lexus, and have a nice size home. But function completely indifferent to the issues affecting our community and the racism affecting themselves. Thank you Obama. It needed to be addressed.

Barry was 20 minutes into his speech before he uttered the words Kamala Harris. Not to mention Joe Biden. He didn't.

R5? Your point?

R5, who the fuck cares?

StupiderThanThou fixed for R6

[quote]“Remember you were raised by a strong Black woman, a strong Black woman took care of you, fed you, gave you an opportunity in life,” West told the NAACP audience, urging those in attendance to take the message home.

I appreciate the effort they’re going to in order to bring out the vote, but it won’t work. The Mom Card doesn’t work on black men. They’re all way too eager to leave their black baby mamas high and dry any time a fat white girl looks twice at them.

R9 stats please. Most black men who date and procreated black women don’t leave them for a fat Becky. Those guys generally only date fat Becky’s or use her for housing. The mom card most definitely works for working class black men who grew up in single mom household. Mama is queen.

[quote]The Mom Card doesn’t work on black men.

Most of the black men I know revere their mothers.

Do you think black men actually view Harris as black?

The Mom card doesn’t help them respect other women.

Ordinarily, I'd be cautious about shaming voters to get them to do the right thing, but in this case, Obama is very popular and as the first black president speaking to other black men, I can see it being effective.

[Quote] They might vote Trump. Nah I’m just kidding, most won’t. But so many of them have become jaded, they want to both sides this fucked up society.

This is one of the reasons Defacto cosplays as a black man here. He’s basically saying it ok to feel jaded and not vote.

It would be like if I went to an anon rightwing forum and cosplayed a Michigan militia man and said I wasn’t going to vote for Trump because he’s in the pocket of “the deep state” just like Harris. It’s a flavor of concern trolling.

R15 Omg you are so fucking annnoying. Get a life. I AM NOT DEFACTO. I am talking real world experience. I am black. Most black men ain’t voting Trump but he has more support from them than any GOP candidate in my lifetime. Some of my friends who don’t vote, very few, think Trump is better because of the gay stuff, anti-machismo of the Democratic Party. You need to stop coming for me. I don’t know if you are trolling or what. Get a life.

Furthermore you seem to lack critical thinking skills. Read the rest of my post idiot. Mafuckin goddam turd. So fucking annoying.

How is making a joke regarding Obama telling black men to vote and they might vote Trump. Have you seen the mafuckin polls. You are a complete fool. Btw it was a joke. Fkin goddam loser idiot.

[quote] Ordinarily, I'd be cautious about shaming voters to get them to do the right thing, but in this case, Obama is very popular and as the first black president speaking to other black men, I can see it being effective.

I think that this year, they're just trying to cover ALL the bases.

Every single vote will count, so if they can change even just a few minds in a few key states, then that might help.

I like this strategy of not taking even one vote for granted.

Most especially in the black community. They need to know that the candidates are thinking about them.

And Obama is the perfect surrogate for Harris, because black men respect Obama.

A recent poll from the  AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 7 in 10 Black voters have a somewhat or very favorable view of Harris, with few differences between Black male and female voters on how they view the Democratic candidate.

Black voters’ opinions of Trump, by contrast, were overwhelmingly negative, according to the poll, but the former president believes his message on the economy, immigration and traditional values can make inroads into the Democrats’ traditional base of support among Black voters, especially younger Black men.

In that context, I don't know why the hell they thought it was a good idea to scold black men. Sounds like their heads are in the right place, they just needed a respectful nudge, not a shaming. The only explanation I can come up with is the internal polling shows drift, but the poll in the story above was mid September so it's not old data.

[Quote] Most black men ain’t voting Trump but he has more support from them than any GOP candidate in my lifetime.

I love that a white, fat-faced rightwinger in flyover is telling us how black men love Donald Trump

The issue isn't even whites versus everyone else. It's basically whites with degress and everyone else vs whites without college degrees. The latter group is really holding this country back.

I love Obama, the best president of my lifetime. Love that he’s involved in this election.

But I was distracted by the photo of him at OP. At first glance, the shadows on Obama’s blue shirt look like perspiration stains.

Otherwise carry on.

I don’t agree with him singling out black men. Especially since white men and women as well as Hispanics are/have voted for Trump in much bigger majorities. He could have simply made a general comment and been much more effective.

Many staunch black democratic supporters on social media are not happy with his comments either. There are some interesting discussions happening on Black Twitter in particular.

R25 How involved is he? Compared to the Clintons and especially the Carters, they really don’t do much aside from coming out right before election time to lecture.. He was a great president but his post presidency has honestly been a big disappointment.

When did we become a nation of brats? Whatever demographic you belong to (EVEN WHITE MALES) will suffer under a Dump administration. There is not a single demographic whose members will not suffer under the Bafoon trump, who is merely a delivery system for fascism in America. Even the billionaire class will suffer but they are too dumb and self-interested to know it.

I am talking about the fucking absurdity of bitching about the menu on the Titanic as the fucking ship is about to hit ice.

So I say to any demographic who has "problems" with electing Kamala Harris because they don't fucking understand that the fucking President DOES NOT CONTROL INFLATION, and who WON'T LEARN or UNDERSTAND that we have had the strongest inflation response than any other western country: To you I say, stop being a fucking brat and acting like an entitled bitch by asking the ALREADY ANSWERED question of "What will Kamala Harris do to me" and START ASKING "what will that fetid hunk of orange goo Donald Trump DO TO MIE" DO TO YOU

[quote] The issue isn't even whites versus everyone else. It's basically whites with degress

Oh, dear.

[quote]When did we become a nation of brats?

I think faith in government is broken, in the real world. Most people aren't like here or Twitter or Daily Kos or any of it. They're not online debating politics. They're not partisan. They are living their lives and their lives kinda don't feel great. Paradoxically, most of this is Republicans fault, but if you think government is broken it logically makes sense if you even bother to vote, you might vote for the party that at least is going to cost you the least. I'm not saying it makes any sense. It doesn't. But, it's reality.

good for him

Misogyny and homophobia are rampant amongst black men in America.

R24 This is a little reductionist. There are idiots of all races. My boss is Mexican American and he told me that all his relatives in the Central Valley in California are Trumpers. Are they not dumb just because they aren’t white? It’s ALL the dumb people holding us back.

I won't presume to speak for or even about Black voters, but boy has [R27] nailed it. There are so few people who will experience material gains should Trump get elected that it boggles the mind. OK, there are the cultists (I've become deeply suspicious of most mid-50s+ bleached blonde women), but who could ever look themselves in the mirror and be proud of that vote? I (62 yo WM) like Harris more than most but this whole idea that a woman will not be "strong" enough is ridiculous. First and foremost, POTUS relies heavily on the advice of experienced and high-ranking service personnel. POTUS doesn't just go into the office and decide to bomb a place or raise gas prices or hike up the cost of eggs. The president is the executive.

In 10 years this country is going to mirror Germany in 1946 ("Who me? A Nazi sympathizer?") or Russia in 2000 ("I didn't know any apparatchiks.") or even the US in 1960 ("I fought the Communist witch hunts."). May Trump be an eternal stain on his supporters' moral characters.

I ♥ Obama!

He’s speaking to a general problem that many black men have when issues of masculinity come up. I know lots of black men and I had some tell me they don’t wash their ass crack because to run around your asshole is possibly too gay. Another example is the whole black man in a dress conversation. When a black actor is asked to put on a dress it’s society emasculating them, but when a white man puts on a dress it’s a career opportunity resulting in a hit film like Mrs. Doubtfire or a career like Milton Berle’s.

Black men have got to let go of the idea that their value is tied to how masculine they are, or perhaps refocus what masculinity means. It’s not something you lose by appearing feminine, it’s something you gain by being a moral person who cares for their family, their communities, and the wider world.

R3 is completely right. The war criminal Obama is being sent out to condescendingly hector the plebeian scum because the Democrats have been making promises and then, behaving like hardcore Republicans for decades. Harris is extremely unpopular and her history as a prosecutor who was particularly harsh on minorities hasn't been forgotten, so the election looks uncertain. The only thing that is giving Democrats some respite is the fact that Trump is managing his own campaign in an exceptionally incompetent manner, but his victory looks increasingly likely after the disastrous way in which the Biden/Harris administration has handled Ukraine, the Palestinian genocide, inflation, East Palestine, Lahaina and hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The crazy thing is that neither branch of the uniparty has anything to fear from Trump, because he is easily manipulated by neocons and has implemented and supported policies that have consistently protected the 1%, to which all the Repucrats in government belong. Their panic is unwarranted and the only explanation for it is that they don't want to make the effort of finding ways to manipulate Trump, as opposed to being able to completely control Kamala Harris.

Finally, it would be be important to remember that under Obama, the level of wealth held by black people dramatically decreased, he expanded war efforts to the detriment of basic infrastructure and services in the US, and protected the banks that nearly destroyed the economy and condemned millions upon millions of people to lives of abject poverty. He has A LOT OF NERVE to lecture anyone about anything at all, when he ought to be very much aware of the fact that they see him for what he is, and his nefarious political legacy is what has driven many black people to reject the Democrats.

R36, you sound fun.

[quote] The insult was a bad call. He could have made the point without diminishing the audience.

He insulted no one. He just told them to get off their asses and think about their mothers, wives, girlfriends and daughters. Trump despises all women and especially Black.women.

[quote] The issue isn't even whites versus everyone else. It's basically whites with degress and everyone else vs whites without college degrees. The latter group is really holding this country back.

Then what about Latinos?

A significant proportion of them adore Trump

I'm seeing what looks like a backlash on social media from black men regarding Obama's speech. Anyone else seeing that?

R32, But it IS mostly white people without college degrees holding us back. They are the ones who vote for trump in large numbers and they far outnumber Latinos., Asians and Blacks for Trump. It's not even close.

pretty much. but 21st century elections are now being decided by those who do NOT vote, whether from apathy, or prevention

R42, the good news is that the last election had the highest voter participation in the past few decades. This one will have even more participation.

Can you depend on a black man to do anything? How many non black women with half black kids are single moms?

Sunny Hostin on "The View" (10/11) in response to Obama's speech to Black Men:

"Black men aren't the problem. They are used to a matriarchy and will vote for a woman president."

(In other words, WHITE men are the problem.)

Despite all the stats showing more and more black men from age 18 - 80 are turning to Trump, Hostin says they're not the problem.

[quote]her history as a prosecutor who was particularly harsh on minorities hasn't been forgotten,

Blacks commit most of the crime. As a a prosecutor, was she just supposed to ignore that fact?

[quote]Despite all the stats showing more and more black men from age 18 - 80 are turning to Trump, Hostin says they're not the problem.

Those stars are bullshit. Black men are not turning to Trump in droves, and even if they did, or even if they stayed home, black men are ultimately not the electorate that makes or breaks an election — white men and white women are, particularly white women, who are the biggest voting block in the US. They betrayed Hillary and under-voted for Biden. Thankfully, the fact that their uteruses and freedoms are or the line may finally wake them up.

Those *stats.*

[quote] Black men are not turning to Trump in droves

And that doesn't even make any sense. How can black men "return" to Trump when they never supported him in large numbers in the first place?

R49 No one said 'returning'.

Anyhow, the most recent poll numbers released today (reported by MSNBC) shows the number has ticked up from 26% to 30%, among Black Men aged 18-50 who say they will vote for Trump. The poll was taken last weekend (Fri - Sunday).

In 2020, 18% of Black Men (18-30) supported Trump with Biden running on the Dem ticket (according to the poll).

In 2016, it was less than 10% supporting Trump with Hilary running on the Dem ticket (according to the poll).

[quote] No one said 'returning'.

R47 did which is why I assumed somebody else said it.

R50, my bad. I am very tired today and read R47's "turning" as "returning".

R46 kill yourself and put us out of your misery. Generalizing cunt.

Unfortunately, there are many men like this guy

Would it have killed him to wear a sports coat?

Polls, shmolls. Black people, men included, are not now and never will drift in large numbers to Dump. R50, you need to watch this.

Did anyone else notice Obama (love him) seemed, well, a bit drunk?

Obama's biracial ass can fuck off. We are not voting for Kamala BECAUSE WE LEARNED FROM YOU!

R58 Shouldn't you be out yelling at clouds, dear?

[quote] Those stars are bullshit. Black men are not turning to Trump in droves, and even if they did, or even if they stayed home, black men are ultimately not the electorate that makes or breaks an election —

Let's hope not. This race is uncomfortably close. Obama's whole point is that Black men cannot sit this one out. Women vote more than men. Black women even more so than Black men. Getting Black men to the polls to vote for Harris CAN make a difference..

I don't like this shaming aspect. Democrats should lecture Republican voters for supporting human garbage. Most democrats will vote democrat.

Flipping through all the weekend cable news talk shows today, and everyone is talking about the male black voter and their importance in this election - probably because of Obama's speech to the male black voters the other day. All these shows that I'm flipping through are bringing up Sunny's comment on 'The View' yesterday, and they are all saying (in a rather nice way) she's an idiot. No one - but no one - is agreeing with her defense that 'black men are not the problem'.

[Quote] Have you seen the mafuckin polls.

Hr doesn’t even try. It’s like he enjoys rubbing our noses in the shabbiness of his own cosplay.

And somehow it’s not amongst Straight, religious white men R31?

Too bad that when the televised riots occurred in cities nationwide during his Presidency, he didn’t speak up and tell them that vandalizing and looting business and stores also was unacceptable, but yeah ok…

Maybe the Democrats shouldn’t have spent 8 years telling everyone that “black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party”. And then now wondering why they have a male problem.

Obama's biracial ass can fuck off. We are not voting for Kamala BECAUSE WE LEARNED FROM YOU!