ATLANTA -- Last week, former President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to a field office for the Kamala Harris presidential campaign located in Pittsburgh. While there, he chose to “speak some truths” regarding the difference in energy and turnout from what he saw when he was running for president in 2008. As with nearly any public appearance of Obama’s, cameras were rolling.

In short, Obama placed most of the blame for the reduced energy and turnout at the feet of Black men. “The brothas” was the phrase he used. Speaking to us “directly,” he said the choice was clear for Black men between Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump. On the one hand, Harris is concerned with issues that we care about, like housing, health care costs, and education. On the other hand, Trump had consistently shown a disregard for our community and us personally.

He marveled at how Black men could consider sitting this election out. A Black man in the room said he was not going to sit out. Obama replied, “But, you know, cousin Pookie might be.”

Obama went on to conclude that “part of it” might be that Black men just “aren’t feeling” the idea of having a woman as the president. He noted that women have “had our backs this entire time.” He grew incredulous as he ended, proclaiming that it was “unacceptable” for Black men to consider sitting the election out, or possibly voting for Trump, as “a sign of strength” or because “that’s what being a man is … putting a woman down.”