A while back I wrote a newspaper column criticizing something Nancy Pelosi had done. I can’t remember which of many awful policies she was pushing at the time.

It doesn’t matter.

I immediately received an indignant message from a friend of mine - a man - who remonstrated with me. It went something like this:

Kerry, I can’t believe you say the things you do about Speaker Pelosi. As a woman you should support her. 

That slice of paternalistic mansplaining sent me into orbit.

“Seriously?” I replied. “You’re telling me I have a duty to support Nancy Pelosi because of her vagina? Do you support every politician with a penis? Asking for a friend.”

I never heard back.

I was reminded of that guy’s unbridled arrogance when I heard Barack Obama lecturing black men on Thursday.

Yep, this Ivy League educated elitist disembarked from his private plane to tell the “brothers” that they should support Kamala Harris because she’s a black woman. 

When did Barack Obama completely lose his common sense? His common decency?

I remember when Obama spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and began his path to the White House with these inspiring words:

“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America. There’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.”

Looks like he didn’t mean a word of it.

Now he’s yammering about “our” neighborhoods and “our” communities. Call me cynical, but I don’t think he’s talking about his community in Martha’s Vineyard.

Listen to the song he’s singing today as polls indicate that Kamala Harris has a problem with male voters. That’s ALL male voters, even black men.

“I’m here to go ahead and speak some truths if you don’t mind. Because my understanding based on reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities is that we have not yet seen the same kind of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running. Now, I also want to say that that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers..”

“And you’re thinking about sitting out? And you’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses? I’ve got a problem with that. Because, because part of it makes me think – and I’m speaking to men directly – part of it makes me think that well, you just aren’t “feeling” the idea of having a woman as president. And you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for it. And I think anybody you’re talking to in a barbershop, anybody you’re talking to in your house, in your family, at church who is coming with that kind of attitude? I think you have to ask them, “Well how could that be?” because the women in our lives have been getting our backs this entire time. They’ve been raising us and working and having our backs and when we get in trouble and the system’s not working for us they’re the ones who’re out there marching and protesting, and so now you’re thinking about sitting out, or even supporting somebody? “

Where does this millionaire, this owner of multiple mansions, get off scolding working men who don’t share his political views? Black men - like the rest of us - are American citizens who want to vote for a president who will improve their lives rather than one who reminds them of their mothers and grandmothers. 

I’ll bet if you asked Barack and Michelle if they’re better off now than they were in 2019, they’d say yes.

With all their investments and tax write-offs, I have no doubt they’re doing just fine. Likewise, I bet they have no idea how much a dozen eggs costs or a half gallon of milk.

But the men Obama was haranguing on Friday know. And they know they are not better off.

The 21% increase in the cost of food since the Biden/Harris administration took office is crippling ALL working and middle class families.

Hard.

The families who have seen their car insurance jump about 47% since 2020 are hurting.

So are ordinary Americans who will be trying to heat their homes this winter.

“Electricity costs surged over 18%, while natural gas, the most common winter fuel, jumped nearly 27% from winter 2019–2020 to winter 2023–2024. Propane and heating oil followed suit, with significant inflation in recent years.”

I can’t speak for black man. I’m not sure how they feel about this elitist alternately insulting them and demanding they vote for HIS candidate.

But I can tell you that when I was scolded for not supporting someone who was a woman like me, I became defiant.

In a few weeks we’ll find out if an unenthusiastic voting bloc can be insulted into voting for a specific candidate.

I doubt it.