538: Black voters are so loyal their issues get ignored

[Scoop]

How does our population barely grow?

Asians about to catch up to us in a few decades

#RepatriationTime

Black people aren't immigrating here. Asians and Hispanics are.

 

[Scoop]

I think a lot of you are missing the point of what needs to happen. Black people don't need to "switch to the Republican Party" but we do need to be perceived as swing voters.

 

[King Kreole]

some of you just don't get it. even if blacks voted republican it wouldn't help us where it matters most...at the local and state level.

republican voters and their communities are segregated from black voters and our communities. that was the purpose of all the gerrymandering and redistricting they've been doing since obama got elected. it consolidates their votes and any benefits that come from having republicans in power. they would have no incentive to do what we demand because it wouldn't change their way of life or jeopardize the people they have in power where they live even if they had all our vote.

not to mention the judicial, legal, and economic impact it would have on us on a national level if they controlled congress, executive, and supreme Court.

for example take mississippi. they have all white fed judges. why? because they have state wide voting that dilutes the votes of minorities. all of those judges are republicans. have any of checked out how difficult a time black folks have there? you think if we all voted republican in that state it would improve our lives??

some of you are too emotional about hating the dem party. i can't blame you but we have to think about this logically. the history and platform of republicans are not for us. we would have more economic and political power if we voted more consistently in larger numbers. black people have numbers in urban and metro areas. if we could control more in those state capitals and surrounding areas we would have more pull. we just don't use our numbers well unless it's a presidential election. at midterms and local elections we don't show up. that's why our voting strength isn't as powerful as it could be. both sides know that, but the republicans dgaf because as long as they hold the governor's office and keep our voting power low they can do what they want.

Good post.

But it wouldn't matter if blacks voted in larger numbers as long as the black vote keeps going to the Democrats at current rates. The threshold has already been reached. In fact, if anything, less black votes would threaten the Democratic electoral strategy and prompt some sort of action on their behalf.

But yeah, the local level voting strategies are totally different because the demographics of those communities are radically different from the nationwide demographics. You have some constituencies that are so white that all other racial demographics are more or less irrelevant.

I can see your point about the history of the Republican party, but I don't think the platform is necessarily contrary to the ideals of the black community. Many blacks are conservative and voting for Democrats because of the historical connotations. If we were to start from scratch today, you wouldn't be seeing 90+% of the black vote going to Democrats.

Mid-terms voting is also a killer, cuz right-wing nutjobs always vote in mid-terms and school boards and all those unsexy elections. Go to your city council or state government and I guarantee you'll see some 60 year old cac talking about fluoride in the water and Obama's muslim heritage.

 

[151_Pr00f]

We need to be building either a nationalist party or a left alternative. Accepting the choice between terrible (Democrats) and the worst (Republicans) is not a formula for success or liberation.

Home

 

[JahFocus CS]

Black people aren't immigrating here. Asians and Hispanics are.

Of course, but that's not what I was asking or getting at.

 

[KingofthePenguins]

some of you just don't get it. even if blacks voted republican it wouldn't help us where it matters most...at the local and state level.

So, it does not matter if Trump is president since state elections are what matter most, right? In addition, it is not a partisan issue. Everyone needs to assess each candidate by their opinions, not by their party as you suggest.

 

[NERO]

People really acting like the racist nature of the Republican Party isn't an inherent part of who they are

You really think the party that caters to elites only would win elections without dogwhistling and appealing to religious retards

If 50% of black people switched over to the Republican Party tomorrow they wouldn't change one thing, because the 25-30% of racist white America they would lose by being sane is more valuable demographically

It would change things immediately because the Ds would be bending over backwards to win our vote back. Not saying that 50 percent of black people should vote R but explain to me how being a sure D voter is smart. Even if the R's didn't change at least the D's would have to really go out on a limb to earn our vote. Your post is just more of the "alternative is unacceptable so you must fall in line or face the repercussions" line of reasoning in other words. Thinking people don't go for shyt like that bro

 

[VegasCAC]

It would change things immediately because the Ds would be bending over backwards to win our vote back. Not saying that 50 percent of black people should vote R but explain to me how being a sure D voter is smart. Even if the R's didn't change at least the D's would have to really go out on a limb to earn our vote. Your post is just more of the "alternative is unacceptable so you must fall in line or face the repercussions" line of reasoning in other words. Thinking people don't go for shyt like that bro

3rd party or not voting for president but voting Democrats locally is the best strategy, not voting for people who hate you

 

[TTT]

The Republicans are a cultural party, their road to the White House runs through uneducated whites. There is a zero-sum conceptualization with respects to voting practiced by the lower class whites that prevents Republicans from seriously appealing to groups that their base does not like. It's historical in nature and has been a strong feature in American politics, why else could Republicans run on demonizing welfare recipients when some of their voters also rely on it. Back when Democrats had support of the Dixiecrats they also made concessions to that group.The New Deal excluded professions dominated by blacks then and the FHA did not help stop the redlining, FDR also refused to support an anti-lynching bill because he wanted to keep support of his party. One of the reasons some white people keep saying the Democrats don't represent them is because they perceive that the Democrats represent the interests of blacks. The entire strategy of splitting the vote won't work as long as the Republicans still see themselves as defenders of white christian culture that is being taken over by outsiders.

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

I think a lot of you are missing the point of what needs to happen. Black people don't need to "switch to the Republican Party" but we do need to be perceived as swing voters.

You're black?

 

[Formerly Black Trash]

Not loyalty...only game in town

 

[hashmander]

yeah black people need to stop being "loyal" to the corner store.

 

[NERO]

Bloods v. Crips is the wrong way to look at this. The Ds are are interest group. They need our support. We give it to them lockstep. Since they have our support no matter how little the deliver, they know they don't have to work for us. They own us. If they had to work for our support then we could get more out of them. If we held them to their promises then we all win. They continue to get reelected and our people benefit from their increased work-rate and the successes resulting from their kept promises. This isn't brain surgery folks.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Of course Republicans would trade that 10% of racially intolerant white voters for black voters. Black voters are far more valuable per capita because they serve the dual purpose of reducing Democratic votes. Those racist whites won't be voting Democrat, they'd just disengage from the political process.

You apparently don't understand Southern politics. There are a lot of racist Whites who are willing to vote for Southern Democrats, though that number is shrinking every year, especially with Obama's election.

And how are the Republicans going to make a trade before they know what they can win? You think they'll give up the racist Whites that they already have, for a smaller share of Black voters which they "hope" to get?

The black vote is 18 million strong. Romney got 6% and lost to Obama by 5 million total votes. If we give Romney 12%, which would drop Obama by 6%, that's a shift of 2 million votes. Not enough to close the 5 million gap that Obama beat Romney by. In order to make a difference, blacks would need to start voting like Hispanics. Romney got 27% of the Hispanic vote. If he got a similar share of the black vote, that'd be a shift of around 9 million votes, more than enough to win the election. The magic number for Romney would have been around 17% of the black vote. If they saw a feasible way to get to 17%, I suspect you would see them fighting for the black vote.

Your weird assumption here is that Romney could have courted the Black vote while losing NONE of the White vote. Do you really think that's possible?

If Romney made the enormous changes in message he would have needed to make to get 17% of the Black vote, how much of the racist and/or ultra-conservative White vote would he have lost?

Even if it was only 5%, he would have to add another 25% of the Black vote to make up for losing 5% of the White vote....so now he's up to needing 42% of the Black vote.

But then if he makes the message changes necessary to win 42% of the Black vote....how much more of the White vote is he going to lose?

You see the problem here?

republicans just want votes, and in return, they'll give us what we want <<that's how it's SUPPOSE to work

any type of reaction on some "they'll lie!, they ain't gonna do it!, they'll trick us!" is speculative and for lack of better term, emotional.

....hypothetically if the black community gives republicans the votes, and then they fukk us - jump ship!! it's that simple, go back to voting democrat or look at third party.

political parties are not suppose to "care" or "feel" for us...this is a business partnership. We vote for you, give us what we want that helps our community

this boogie man shyt is getting old man. how is a whole race of people afraid of a political party?

Why the hell did you respond to my post with this? This has nothing to do with what I said at all.

I didn't say that the Republicans would "lie". They don't even want to be perceived as catering to the black vote. They have too big a core constituency which is overtly against that to risk it.


Why is Donald Trump Jr. making a campaign appearance at the Neshoba County Fair?

Why is Donald Trump retweeting 100+ messages from White Supremacists, including blatantly false lies about White victims of Black murderers?

Keven Phillips, strategist for Richard Nixon:

From now on, the Republicans are never going to get more than 10 to 20 percent of the Negro vote and they don't need any more than that...but Republicans would be shortsighted if they weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. The more Negroes who register as Democrats in the South, the sooner the Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans. That's where the votes are. Without that prodding from the blacks, the whites will backslide into their old comfortable arrangement with the local Democrats.

From Wikipedia's article on the Southern Strategy:

Nixon's advisers recognized that they could not appeal directly to voters on issues of white supremacy or racism. White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman noted that Nixon "emphasized that you have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the blacks. The key is to devise a system that recognized this while not appearing to."

Interview with Lee Atwater, long-time Republican stategist, in the 1980s:

Atwater: As to the whole Southern strategy that Harry Dent and others put together in 1968, opposition to the Voting Rights Act would have been a central part of keeping the South. Now [Reagan] doesn't have to do that. All you have to do to keep the South is for Reagan to run in place on the issues he's campaigned on since 1964 . . . and that's fiscal conservatism, balancing the budget, cut taxes, you know, the whole cluster...

Questioner: But the fact is, isn't it, that Reagan does get to the Wallace voter and to the racist side of the Wallace voter by doing away with legal services, by cutting down on food stamps?

Atwater: You start out in 1954 by saying, "******, ******, ******." By 1968 you can't say "******" — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "******, ******."

The Republicans don't want the Black vote unless they can get it without doing anything to risk their share of the racist White vote. If you want to play the fool and give them your vote while they keep courting the White supremacists and laughing at you, go ahead.

some of you just don't get it. even if blacks voted republican it wouldn't help us where it matters most...at the local and state level.

republican voters and their communities are segregated from black voters and our communities. that was the purpose of all the gerrymandering and redistricting they've been doing since obama got elected. it consolidates their votes and any benefits that come from having republicans in power. they would have no incentive to do what we demand because it wouldn't change their way of life or jeopardize the people they have in power where they live even if they had all our vote.

not to mention the judicial, legal, and economic impact it would have on us on a national level if they controlled congress, executive, and supreme Court.

for example take mississippi. they have all white fed judges. why? because they have state wide voting that dilutes the votes of minorities. all of those judges are republicans. have any of checked out how difficult a time black folks have there? you think if we all voted republican in that state it would improve our lives?

This is a really good point. I'm not a stan for the Democrats, but it's worth pointing out the complete disconnect that the Republican base and leadership have with the Black community.

It would change things immediately because the Ds would be bending over backwards to win our vote back. Not saying that 50 percent of black people should vote R but explain to me how being a sure D voter is smart. Even if the R's didn't change at least the D's would have to really go out on a limb to earn our vote. Your post is just more of the "alternative is unacceptable so you must fall in line or face the repercussions" line of reasoning in other words. Thinking people don't go for shyt like that bro

There's an option beyond "vote for the Republicans" and "sure Democratic voter".


It's called, "Withhold your vote or vote 3rd party". That's what I'm doing this year.

The Democrats still suffer, they still have to try to win the Black vote back because it's too important to their overall numbers....and you're not inexplicably stanning for the party appealing to overt racists in the process.

 

[ⒶⓁⒾⒶⓈ]

I think a lot of you are missing the point of what needs to happen. Black people don't need to "switch to the Republican Party" but we do need to be perceived as swing voters.

and how does one do that without "swinging" to another party