US presidential candidate Kamala Harris was roundly criticized after she proudly tweeted a list of campaign promises targeted squarely at black male voters. As one of her five promises, she swore to ‘protect cryptocurrency investments so black men who make them know their money is safe.’
The problems were immediately obvious and her post went viral for all the wrong reasons. Almost without exception, comments were negative.
“Pandering to Black American men is disgusting and degrading,” wrote one observer. “Buying votes should be criminal,” posted another. Many noted, “This is overt racial discrimination.”
Thousands of people also liked comments calling her policy racist, confused, wild, absurd, and desperate. Almost no one posted a positive reaction to her announcement.
Read more: Crypto runs with fake Kamala Harris-Gary Gensler news
Harris crafted her announcement to appeal to a large voting population ahead of the November 5 election, but it’s unclear whether her initiative will have any positive impact. Indeed, the black demographic has been a source of concern for Democratic polling amid questions over Harris’ role in that community.
Some polls by pro-crypto groups have indicated that black men disproportionately invest in crypto assets. Although there are important reasons to question this statistic and the pollsters behind it, Harris’ campaign might have issued this promise as a way to respond to pressure from groups that cite this statistic.
Indeed, it’s not clear which black men asked for such protection nor is it clear that any person of any race expects a president to divert their attention away from national matters to somehow ‘protect’ voluntary, self-directed investments within one of the most obviously risky categories of speculation.
But if the initial reaction to her announcement is any indication, the bizarre move could actually cause voters to question her discernment and priorities altogether.
