The Political Strings That Bind: Can Kamala Harris’ Economic Policies Benefit Black America?

The entire nation and world are swept up in the dramatic runup to the November 5, 2024 Presidential Election. We began receiving clear signals concerning Kamala Harris’s economic policies last week.[i] Of course, Donald Trump has his “2025 Project,” which presents its own distinct economic plan. For most Black Americans, there is no expectation that Trump would seek to support the “Black Cause” economically. Expectations are quite the contrary with Harris. Hence, this analysis brief that interprets Harris’ first policy salvo on the economic front from a Black American economic perspective. As you consider the analysis, recall BlackEconomics.org’s admonition that Black Americans should use a “report card” when assessing the candidates.[ii] This analysis brief can serve as input for Black Americans’ report cards. Table 1 presents in shorthand the major tenets of Harris’s proposed economic policies, brief analysis of them, and/or questions about these policies from a Black economic perspective. In our view, almost all these policy proposals are aimed at benefiting industry most, with benefits to voters being of secondary importance. Implementation of these proposals would serve as another wave of the US Government spending to prop up the economy, which will create the need for more borrowing and...