In both 2008 and 2012, I was proud to be President Barack Obama's delegate to Ohio. So I was shocked to hear what former President Obama had to say as he spoke to black men during a surprise visit to Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign office in Pittsburgh.

My jaw dropped to the floor at his words. In fact, they made my blood boil.

President Obama had some good words for Vice President Harris' enthusiasm, particularly when it comes to black men. “I understand, based on reports I'm getting from campaigns and communities, that we have not yet seen the same kind of energy and turnout in all areas of our neighborhoods and communities as we did when I was a candidate,” President Obama said, driving then proceeded to lecture black men about their lack of support for Harris. “Part of it makes me think – and I speak directly to men – part of it makes me think that you're just not keen on the idea of ​​having a woman as president and are coming up with other alternatives and others Reasons for this.

I was angry when I heard these comments. No other group of voters is spoken to as if they were children. But it's not just the paternalistic tone that made me angry. That's the message underlying his words: Black men are misogynistic and can't bring themselves to vote for a woman.

This denigration of our men is inappropriate. First of all, it's wrong. Black men are socialized in the same patriarchal society as every other American man, yet when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016, 81 percent of black men voted for her, while only 32 percent of white men did the same.

As for black men who are reportedly reluctant to vote for Vice President Harris, their lowest numbers are among black men under 50 – 72 percent of them support Harris.

If white men supported Harris at 72 percent, they would be held up as an example of how men can support women. So why do Democratic Party leaders like former President Obama denigrate black men?

It's simple: The Democratic Party is preparing black men to take the fall if Vice President Harris fails to defeat former President Trump in November. It's that simple.

And it's an outrage that they're trying to blame this on black men. If Harris loses, it won't be because of black men or any other group of voters. The blame clearly lies with the candidate and the party she represents.

It's their job to appeal to black men – not to lecture those who don't feel it.

I have spoken to some of them personally. In recent years, following my time as an Ohio state senator and engagement chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, I have traveled around our country speaking to voters—particularly working-class black people. I have spent the past year in rooms with Black union leaders and rank-and-file members, with Black-led organizations organizing for reparations, and with Black elected officials. Just this week, my organization, We Are Somebody Fund, announced a significant investment in outreach to Black voters this election.

I have spoken extensively with black men who vote. My father is a black man who votes. My son is a black man who votes. My brother is a black man who votes. Most black men in my life vote.

The black men I talk to who are not excited about Vice President Harris are also not excited about the Democratic Party as a whole. You feel left behind and ignored. Black men worry about the economy, jobs, the criminal justice system and wages – issues they say the Democratic Party is not addressing forcefully enough.

They should not be blamed for the failures of the Democratic Party. They should be given the dignity to vote on their interests because they perceive them like everyone else. And if the Democratic Party fails to win their support, perhaps the party should ask what it is doing wrong instead of blaming black men.

We are experiencing something of a historic development in this election cycle. On May 22, 1962, Secretary Malcolm X spoke to a group of black people in Los Angeles, California about the plight of black women. He said: “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The least protected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”

He was right, and unfortunately this is still true today. But I think if Secretary Malcolm X were alive today, he might see things a little more broadly. These days it feels like the most vilified person in America is the black man.

When Vice President Harris was named the Democratic nominee, it was widely accepted that in order to appeal to white voters, she had to choose a white man as her running mate. To appeal to Republicans who never support Trump, the Harris-Walz campaign is hosting events with former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney. They have invited several Republicans to speak at the DNC, and Vice President Harris has even committed to appointing a Republican to her Cabinet if elected.

Yet black men, who already feel pushed out of the party, are insulted and portrayed as misogynistic when they feel rejected or ignored. Black men overwhelmingly vote Democratic. Black men overwhelmingly support the woman running for president. Black men support women. I am a witness. I am blessed to have black men in my life who support me.

Of all groups of men, black men are the backbone of men in the Democratic Party. It's time for them to be treated with the respect and dignity they deserve and not addressed like children who need to be told what to do.

It makes black men scapegoats in the event of a Trump victory. This black woman will not tolerate this.

Nina Turner is a former Ohio state senator, senior fellow at the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at the New School, and founder of We Are Somebody.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own.