With polling showing that President Donald Trump is making gains in support from African-Americans, the progressive left is really stepping up their game to pander to a voting bloc that is critical to the success of the Democratic Party.
But will the pandering, which amounts to giving away free stuff on steroids, do more harm than good for the party’s hopes of making Trump a one-term president?
The New York Times reported Thursday that presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren supports reparations for black Americans for slavery and discrimination.
The Massachusetts lawmaker joins fellow progressive traveler Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who recently endorsed an idea that’s expected to cost the country trillions of dollars, if enacted.
NEWS: Elizabeth Warren backs reparations for black Americans for slavery and discrimination. She follows Kamala Harris’s recent endorsement of idea. @AsteadWesley notes in his scoop that Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Prez Obama do not support. https://t.co/hc92BM0zXl
— Patrick Healy (@patrickhealynyt) February 21, 2019
Calling for “systemic, structural changes,” Warren told the newspaper, “We must confront the dark history of slavery and government-sanctioned discrimination in this country that has had many consequences, including undermining the ability of black families to build wealth in America for generations. ”
Reparations is a central tenet of the hard left’s radical “critical race theory,” which now directs the Democratic Party’s views on race.
Naturally, Warren was short on details, to include how reparations would be paid for.
More from the New York Times:
Ms. Warren also said she supported reparations for black Americans impacted by slavery — a policy that experts say could cost several trillion dollars, and one that Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and many top Democrats have not supported.
The Warren campaign declined to give further details on that backing, but it came amid her calls for the federal government to provide special home-buying assistance to residents of communities that were adversely affected by “redlining,” the discriminatory practice of denying mortgages, usually in poor and nonwhite areas. She also announced a sweeping universal child-care proposal that could strongly benefit minority communities that often have limited early childhood services.
As for the Universal Child Care Plan backed by Warren, it alone is estimated to cost taxpayers about $70 billion annually.
Julian Castro, who served as HUD secretary under Obama and is also running for the White House, told The Root this week he would be open to supporting reparations.
Sen. Cory Booker, yet another Democratic candidate for president, was more direct in his attempt to buy votes — he wants to give away free money, introducing legislation late last year to give lower-income kids a sizable nest egg of up to $50,000.
There were two persistent themes in the reaction online, the first being that this is all but certain to reelect President Trump, and the second being that administering such a program would be fraught with challenges on who is eligible to receive benefits and who has to pay.
The whole mess is very confusing to the Rachel Dolezals of the country:
I self identify as an AA, can I collect $$
— Abu Reid (@abureid1) February 22, 2019
Here’s a sampling of other responses from Twitter:
Mmmm…that’s good pandering.
— Bob Loblaw (@mrgregshields) February 21, 2019
I consider myself pretty progressive, but this is crazy, who pays, white people? Hispanics? People who’s ancestors owned slaves? Should we be like north Korea and punish the son for sins of the father, or in this case the father of the father of the father. Bad 4 2020 election
— unfortunate tree (@wtfiamme) February 21, 2019
So is @ewarren going to create a tax only on white people? Or are Hispanics, Asians, etc also going to have to pay?
— Samuel Stone (@SamThePol) February 21, 2019
How? If she were the nominee, she'd get 100% of the black vote and 50% of whites. There are a lot of pathetic guilty white liberals out there. It's a numbers game and demographics matter. Guaranteed victory.
— Dr. Jimothy Eagle (@Velcro108) February 22, 2019
And Dems wonder why they lose to Trump
— John Gilbert (@john_gils) February 21, 2019
Do reparations go to folks,like Harris, who identify as black, but don’t have descendants who suffered under US slavery or segregation(their beef is with Brits)? Will genealogy tests need to be given to folks like Warren who claim direct heritage to repression wo adequate proof?
— Andrew Schwartz (@BigAndjSchwartz) February 21, 2019
Wow. This is what happens when you begin pandering to the extreme fringes of the party.
— Sam Culper Jr (@culpersamjr) February 21, 2019
The Dems must really love Trump and want to throw the election to him…
— Jay (@magikspecs) February 21, 2019
My great-great-grandfather was killed in action fighting for the Union at the battle of Chickamaga. Can I get in on this racket or do I have to pay? If it’s the latter that hardly seem fair considering.
— Don’t Start (@nivlag2018) February 21, 2019
How much is the entire Democrat agenda going to cost? Holy cow.
— FVB (@fvbirder) February 21, 2019
Democrats are in the early stages of handing Trump a second term without much of a fight. After all of these crazy proposals are debated and a new platform is agreeded upon, Trump will look absolutely great compared to what the Democratic Party is starting to look like!
— Terry Herber (@TerryHerber1) February 22, 2019
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
Tom@bizpacreview.com
The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
