Kamala Harris has a political problem winning the support of young black men

Will more pot smoking and forgivable loans peel them from Trump?

The Editorial Board - Wall Street Journal

N n, and on Monday she issued a last minute S.O.S. by unveiling an “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men.” At least she’s not accusing them of sexism as Barack Obama did last week, but her grab-bag of policies isn’t likely to pull many from Donald Trump .

Her plan calls for $20,000 in forgivable government loans for one million minorities to start businesses. These are de facto grants because nearly all are likely to be forgiven. It’s better that she’s focusing on wealth creation rather than solely income redistribution. But allocating government loan forgiveness on the basis of race is unconstitutional.

Democrats attempted something similar with a loan forgiveness program in the March 2021 Covid bill for “socially disadvantaged farmers,” which were defined as those who are black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander. Several judges enjoined the program, and the Justice Department declined to appeal.

Ms. Harris also wants to legalize marijuana and help minorities with drug convictions benefit from the drug’s commercial business potential. Her model appears to be New York state, which gave first priority for pot retail licenses to “those most impacted by the enforcement of the prohibition of cannabis or non-profit organizations whose services include support for the formerly incarcerated.”

The New York rollout has been a fiasco, as illegal pot shops crowded out those that were licensed. The Vice President claims to follow the science, but she ignores the growing evidence about marijuana’s mental, physical and social harms. It is especially damaging to young people whose brains are still developing. Many black communities in California have opposed pot dispensaries in their neighborhoods because they don’t want their young people on dope.

In 2019 Ms. Harris said marijuana should be legalized because it “gives a lot of people joy.” But does she really believe that encouraging more pot smoking is the route to lifelong success? More young people today use pot than cigarettes, but Mr. Obama tried to discourage smoking weed. Alas, Ms. Harris won’t follow that good example.

The Veep is also promoting apprenticeships to help black men acquire skills in trade professions. This is a good idea in theory, depending on the kind of apprenticeship and who is doing the training. Most government training programs have poor outcomes.

The Biden Administration has tied green energy subsidies to companies supporting union apprenticeships, but these can restrict employment opportunities at non-union contractors. Private businesses working with community colleges or even high schools provide the best apprenticeship path upward.

Ms. Harris also pitches more government “investment” in black male teachers on the identity-politics theory that minorities learn better when they are taught by people who look like them. Black male mentors for young people are important, but the better way to help black boys would be to break union control over public schools, which disproportionately harms low-income and black students. How about expanding charter schools?

It’s good news that Ms. Harris and Democrats are being forced to compete for black voters, who look fondly on Mr. Trump’s first-term economy. But she may need a better pitch.