Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is currently polling at 0.3 percent in the Real Clear Politics average of polls, and desperate times call for desperate measures.
Patrick announced a new initiative on Monday which includes a plan to provide slavery reparations.
Rebecca Klar reports at The Hill:
Patrick backs reparations in unveiling ‘Equity Agenda for Black Americans’Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick on Monday announced support for developing a reparations program as part of his “Equity Agenda for Black Americans.”The agenda released on Martin Luther King Jr. Day also draws on Patrick’s previously released proposals with aims to limit the barriers to wealth and opportunities for black Americans.“The American Dream remains further out of reach of Black Americans than other Americans, and because of that, America has not fulfilled her promise,” the former Massachusetts governor said in a statement. “In addition to having personally lived the American Dream as an African-American man, what distinguishes me is my demonstrated ability to convert policy proposals into results. That is what I did in Massachusetts as Governor, and that is what I will do as President.”Patrick said he supports a plan in which the federal government would provide reparations to living descendants of enslaved African Americans, but added that “reparations without reconciliation are incomplete.”
Given Patrick’s late entry in the race and his miserable polling, this gesture comes across as a cynical ploy for attention from the left. It’s also worth noting that this is the first time in weeks that the media has given him any notice.
Brad Polumbo of the Washington Examiner offers a frank estimation of Patrick’s plan:
Deval Patrick’s sad embrace of slavery reparations reeks of political desperationOn Monday, the public celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a holiday commemorating the late civil rights icon whose legacy is revered by both Left and Right.Newspapers invoked King’s memory in commentary and editorials, while politicians tended to use it to discuss issues of race relations. 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, for instance, is using the holiday to try and make a splash by coming out in full support of race-based reparations, meaning financial compensation for the black descendants of slaves.It’s perhaps understandable that Patrick, having no clear constituency and drawing almost no support in primary polling, is looking to call attention to his campaign on Martin Luther King Jr. Day — seeing as he is the only black candidate left in the race. Yet it’s disappointing nonetheless to see Patrick endorse such a foolish and divisive policy as slavery reparations, and his shift is emblematic of the Democratic Party’s toxic turn toward identity politics and economic illiteracy.
Patrick’s campaign is running on fumes. One has to wonder if he would even be on anyone’s list for a possible running mate.
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