Black conservatives slam 'bait and switch' reparations initiatives that 'deliver nothing'

On May 18, Representative Cori Bush (D-MO) and several progressive lawmakers said the United States has a moral obligation to pay out reparations to black people to the tune of $14 trillion in their Reparations NOW resolution while several cities, including Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Asheville, North Carolina have commissioned reparations pilot programs, prompting Conservatives to say these efforts range from a "bait and switch" to "dig in to the history." 

According to Fox News, Princeton professor Dr. Carol Swain said, "I would tell every Black American who believes that the Democrats will come up with a policy that will solve all their problems, and that money will solve all of their problems, to dig into the history. Look at the people who are making those promises. Have they come through in the past? Why do you believe them now?" 

"The Democrats — this is what they do. They see this as a way to get Black Americans all excited about 2024, believing that if they elect a Democrat president, that somehow that person will push it through Congress," Swain said. "They promise the moon, they deliver nothing, and it's more of the same."

"These blue cities are going to throw away money, do whatever they can, because they cannot be trusted with the purse. It would be so much better if they focused on improving the lives of the citizens, the Black citizens they pretend to care about," Swain told Fox News Digital.

In 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom commissioned a reparations task force but then declined to endorse reparations payments, which the task force said could be as high as $1.2 million per person, for black residents.

Deroy Murdock, a Fox News contributor, said, "We're just going to create one giant machete to chop this country in half, and the last thing we need is one more way to divide the American people."

"It’s a cynical bait and switch designed to manipulate Black voters for the betterment of the Democrat Party," Murdock added.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson told Fox News Digital, "Once the vote is over, they'll say, 'We're still working on it.' The next vote will come around, and they’ll say, 'Oh, we're almost there.' It's just simply a scheme to gain votes from voters. That's all it is."

"It's a foolish idea. It’s not going to be possible to pay for these programs, and quite frankly, I don't believe the people who are talking about it want to pay," Robinson added.

A proposed reparations coming out of San Francisco is currently estimated to cost $100 billion.