Black people should blame no one but themselves for the dire circumstances of their community.
Structural racism and systematic racism are nonsense peddled by white left-wing Ideologues who are too craven to call spade a spade and race baiting black politicos to gain power.
Various Asian (Chinese,Vietnamese,Korean, Indian etc.) immigrants that came to these shores dirt poor and in even more dire circumstances managed to lift themselves out of poverty and into middle/upper middle class in a generation not through government handouts but through sheer hard work, a commitment to education, respect for family and raising children in wedlock/traditional family structure.
The author should look in the mirror and ask some hard/uncomfortable questions about the corrosion of the moral center of black society since the civil rights bill was passed.
17
So long as the majority of blacks vote blindly for the Democrats that is exactly how they will be treated. Give the Rebublicans a chance and both parties will start to really address your desires.
7
Structural racism has been ignored mostly by our Government. President Obama had a chance to do more, but he was checked in every way by the Republican Congress. Reparations need to be implemented. Higher Social Security for Black Seniors where needed, free job training and College education for black youths. Housing vouchers! Commitment from Publicly traded Corporations to hire and train more Blacks. This is the least we can do to right the wrongs of past and current institutional racism. Our goal should be a perspective where we see each other as equal Americans. One day hopefully we all identify as Americans and not this type of American or that type of Americans. Just Americans.
3
Based on the first chart about politicians priorities and the reality of the issues we all face listed in the article there are two candidates best addressing (not perfectly of course) the highest number of concerns listed. Warren and Sanders. This article suggests that black voters are done with corporatist candidates. IE candidates who have taken campaign money from corporate and Big Money donors are are perceived, correctly, to "owe" those donors policy positions that favor them against the voting public or more specifically in this case, black voters. Thank God for that!
It should be a very centrist position. Who thinks corruption is a good way to operate a representative democracy? Clearly defaulting to a passive 'that's just how it is' kind of acceptance of the ineffective status quo with regard to money in politics is not going to get us where we want to go. Which candidates take that on in policy and more importantly in actual action? The Answer should be clear to anyone paying attention.
At first glance it might seem ironic that this same position regarding corruption is what switched a lot of blue collar white voters to Trump. Clinton was the poster girl of Limousine Liberal corrupt democrats while Trump at least said anti-establishment words. Clinton's pandering to the Black community was grotesque in it's hollowness. Obama proved to be a corporatist as well and didn't move the ball forward.
Don't vote Party. Vote Candidate. Genuine progressives will win.
4
Here is the big takeaway... if/when you say, "as a (insert identity demographic),....." YOU are part of the problem. We are individuals and even evil white males think differently from one another. Treat me like and individual or don't bother with me at all. I reject Intersectionality and Identity Politic to the core. As a life long Democrat voter, if the party can not or will not shuck this form of "ism" they will never get another vote from me.
11
Now that the BCP report is out, I strongly recommend taking the time to read through it, regardless of your political leanings. Every presidential hopeful as well as every citizen who cares about the outcome of the next election should study it carefully.
6
Awesome article, way overdue. The pandering is worth a vomit.
It may be a bit late. As folk start to research the history of the Democratic party, the initiation of the KKK, the incarceration and breakup of families, not to mention this mentality that everyone wants a handout is all wrong.
Was a Democrat, it's been freeing to get out of the dark hole and know that I deserve representation in this government just like everyone else.
3
Don't expect anything out of the GOP if you are black or anything but lily white. They don't see you as a human being like they are. They see you as more animal, and that's no surprise, since that's the way we white people have been treating you for hundreds of years. Your ONLY chance is to vote democratic and keep at the democrats no matter what their color is, after they are elected, because they at least will admit you are there and are human. Keep talking. Keep getting all the education you can get and keep demanding better. And please keep voting.
8
Ask what your country can do for you, ask not what you can do for your country.(2020)
Democratic Party identity political philosophy bastardizing John F. Kennedy's New Frontier.
7
$15 minimum wage, making college affordable, requiring the government to provide health care and adequate housing for everyone, wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
Hmmm...which current candidate fits these ideals the best?!
Which candidate has been fighting for these things her/his whole career? Which candidate has succeeded in realizing many of these?
NotMeUs
8
i long for a world where we stop identity politics and start treating people the same
9
@Andre When did this "longing" begin, Andre? After you read the title of the article and decided that it was unfair to white people, without bothering to see what the article was about?
5
Read up! Listen up! Change up! Voters pay attention. Politicians pay attention. Bankers pay attention. That is, all humans who know you are privileged just based on your apparent ethnicity, pay attention to where your attention goes. Stop complaining, stop being afraid. Participate and be inclusive. You got us into this mess. Can you get us out without help? Doubtful, so ask for help. And be honorable in the asking. Can you do that?
3
Warren/Sanders/Biden is not the panacea for your woes. Neither is affirmative action which holds back gifted students to advance mediocrity.
The New Deal and Great Society programs have been a utter disaster for all Americans and only grow future generations to suckle off it.
I highly suggest dropping the " - American" from your mantle and replace it with the one word, American, if you ever want a truly race free society.
11
@Tony As long as white people define the simple term, _American_, as redundantly meaning "white" and a single glance lets Americans segregate those who are "[...]-Americans" from those who are simply "Americans," there is no way that non-white people are ever going to live in a "truly" race-free society in the United States, unless the laws require it.
6
This article caused me to look up information about where black populations are concentrated (SC south and west to LA) and the state governments that represent them. One that really stood out was South Carolina. Nearly 1/3 of the population is black, yet they have white male Republicans holding virtually ALL Federal and state elected office. The one exception is a black male Republican as jr. senator. The most prominent is Lindsey Graham, who strikes me as caring not one iota about black Americans. Where is any concentrated movement for those SC black citizens to start something in their state? It truly puzzles me.
11
@Eve Waterhouse: "Where is any concentrated movement for those SC black citizens to start something in their state?" Ask that question of the two-thirds of the population who are not black. As you point out, "they have white male Republicans holding virtually ALL Federal and state elected office," after all.
2
I hope all voters will pick the right candidate, no matter what they identify as. I do not care if the candidate is male, female, white, black, gay or straight. And if this means voting for another white man (I am neither white or male), as long as he displays the right qualities, then so be it. Anyone but Trump.
11
Most definitely the greatest way to overcoming inequities based upon longstanding disparate opportunities and racial stereotyping is listening to people not talking to them. People who know people typically lumped into stereotypes do not accept the stereotypes, they know better. We will never overcome the effects of long lasting racial prejudices until we engage with each other with open minds.
But the Democratic Party must give the impression that it represents people's interests that cover the most crucial interests of everyone or it will not unify the country if it does achieve political power. That means that it may not satisfy all of the demands of it's important constituencies. It may have to gain the support of groups that others perceive as adversaries.
1
Talking with people of all colors on my community here in the Columbia SC area, I agree with these poll results. I also see some of these same items of concern affect all of us - politicians don't listen, regardless of the color of our skin. The last time I felt anyone listened was when Rep Floyd Spence represented my district. Every few years (maybe it was more often, maybe less) he sent out a multi-page survey to the households he represented. One thing I really appreciated about the survey is he had a place for both husband and spouse/other to answer. Spence followed up with results of the survey. Even better, he tried to vote reflecting his constituents desires or explained why he didn't. I didn't always agree with the results but at least I believed he listened.
4
It seems to me, most politicians & commenters here are missing the point by Alicia Garza.
There are two major take-a-ways from this column.
1) Black people are diverse & engaged in their communities.
2) Black people want leaders who will engage them instead of talking past them.
In a sense, Black voters not much different than the white voters from "fly over" communities. No one wants to be ignored.
The simple fact is white people don't engage black people on the same level as they do with other white people. This is because white people in general don't recognize they have much in common with black people.
I work 2 jobs. My 2nd job is for a Big Box Retailer, where I engage customers to help them buy items they're looking for.
Many white associates simply ignore black or other minority shoppers.
Many white shoppers interrupt black & other minority shoppers to get help from a store rep. It is blatant racism at work, but for the most part, both the white employees & shoppers are oblivious of what they are doing.
In order to give all shoppers the same high level of attention, I make sure I help all. I even seek out those who are ignored.
My efforts are always appreciated. At the same time I get a deeper appreciation for the needs of my customers, when it comes to being treated with respect. That respect is always mutual.
Politicians seeking votes need to put their beliefs aside & listen to voters. Making policy begins with listening, no matter who the voter is.
9
@Lester Arditty
White people fearing any innocuous comment turning into specious “microaggression” accusation or worse “racist” designation retreating into safe bland phony conversations.
9
@Lester Arditty: I always welcome any chance for an open dialog about race.
I mention that my father was partially disabled in an attack by two African-American youths in our near east side Detroit neighborhood. This was a rather poor neighborhood in which my family had lived for over 50 years. There was privileged ill-gotten real estate wealth passed on in our family. That generally ends the conversation.
Why is that?
2
Telling us what "Black People want" is just as bogus and racist as telling us what "White People want."
16
The author says: "Nearly three in four respondents said they voted in the 2016 presidential election. . . . These responses debunk the myth that black communities don’t show up to vote — we do . . . " But the Pew Rearch Center says that "The black voter turnout rate declined for the first time in 20 years in a presidential election, falling to 59.6% in 2016 after reaching a record-high 66.6% in 2012." https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/12/black-voter-turnout-fell-in-2016-even-as-a-record-number-of-americans-cast-ballots/
So while I won't quibble with author's basic points, I have serious questions about the representative nature of her"survey", and thus its usefulness.
8
@Arthur I have serious questions about the representative nature of the Pew Research Center "survey" and, hence, its usefulness.
"In California, where I live, the Democratic Party reportedly raised $30 million in the last election cycle but spent only about $50,000 on black voter engagement."
Simple: why spend money on voters who are going to vote for you [or stay home] anyway? it's called "one-party rule."
8
After decades in the northeast, I, a white woman, moved back to Coastal SC several years ago. I have begged black people to attend Democratic Club meetings and otherwise get involved. Some do, but too many do not. I'm told by a reliable (black) source that it is because they were disrespected by Democrats in the past. I believe that.
I also believe that some if not many of those people are gone now and most of the white people I deal with would welcome black people, just as we welcome other minorities.
I learned decades ago that the best way to get what you want is to get involved and effect change from the inside. I hope black people from all walks of life will do so.
8
I wonder if African-Americans prefer permissive immigration policies that significantly expand the labor pool and create more overcrowding or if they prefer the opposite.
13
@Victor Wong I have no intention of working as anybody's maid--like both my grandmothers had to--even if they don't have some poor undocumented immigrant to exploit into doing it.
You want to stop immigration--go after the employers.
7
“But what surprised us the most was how few candidates treat us as if our differences and experiences matter.”
Hmm. Ninety-six percent of black voters voted for Obama in 2008. Perhaps that’s where candidates got the idea that black people are a monolith.
13
Unteresting of this piece notes the difference in black voter turnout between 2014 and 18, but says nothing about 2016. Would that be because black voter turnout tanked that year? And why would that be, because both choices were **equally** heinous? Really?
How many black voters will only turn out if the 2018 presidential candidate is also black?
How many black people are willing to admit the influence of bad actors such as the Russians in their overall decisions to not vote in 2016? Or are only white people susceptible to misinformation and propaganda?
4
@rbyteme "How many black people are willing to admit the influence of bad actors such as the Russians in their overall decisions to not vote in 2016?" How many are you going to ask, in order to find out?
1
What seems to be really ironic and unfortunate is that far left white liberal elites and now younger ones with nothing to do have always thought they know what black people want and need. I suspect the largest share of those supporting an end to stop and frisk and "mass incarceration", are white liberals, not the hard working black woman living in a high crime neighborhood. I suspect she would have no problem putting away the thugs that terrorize her neighborhood as well as supporting demanding schools and a strong work ethic. So why dont we actually reach out and form a base of support with those women who do the work and run the families in so many dispossessed neighborhoods, they probably have a lot more in common with the average conservative white male than anyone thinks - now that would be a powerful coalition!
15
@ST
Yet they haven't have they.
Seems you might have many ironic thoughts completely wrong about many people.
4
@ST: "So why don't we actually reach out and form a base of support with those women...?" Because that would require integration?
1
Matt. 11:15: "Let anyone with ears listen!"
As an aging white voter who has voted since 1972, I say RIGHT ON. Maybe if democratic candidates for president and congress and the senate get out and engage with the voters, AND ACT ON WHAT THEY HEAR, we'd get somewhere.
5
Reparations or bust! Democrats demand candidates that won't just study the issue, but will actually get that money! Politicians don't need to front about white issues, they just need to deliver on what matters.
@TL -- reparations? If we start that, you'll have to get in line as first we have to pay the Indians whose land we took.
Reparations are not the answer.
Try to improve your life by doing the right thing. If you don't know what this entails then you are really beyond help.
6
I applaud this project. They have produced the data that tells a story that we've known for a long time.
The Republican party could care less about the black vote, especially in the very Red state south. Ever since Nixon's Southern strategy The GOP in the south has been 96% white and between that and active gerrymandering they know the black vote is unlikely to affect presidential races.
One the other hand the Democrats take us for granted because they ask "where else is the black vote going to go?" The GOP is as bad as the old Dixiecrats so black votes are funneled into the Democratic party whether they deliver for us our not.
No example stands out greater than Obama bailing out the banks while allowing black wealth to literally disappear when the housing bubble burst. Democrats controlled Washington in those days and they made their priorities clear.
I think two crucial questions were missing from this survey. One is "do you think the current system is willing or able to meet your needs?"
The other is "if there were another political party that stood for making the New Deal work for you would you vote for them?"
I think we would be surprised by the answers.
7
While Black Lives Matter is an important movement, it is time to get serious. Politicians don't listen to most of us. They don't visit my town (Dover NJ) and national politicians don't even visit my state. A dose of reality is required right now. If the US were all like NJ and Connecticut, we would be in HRCs third year as president. But we have states from Missouri to Utah that won't vote for a Democrat.
So this piece is a distraction.
2
@Terry McKenna,
There is a small fix for that; when my local politicians text me to vote for them, I tell them what I think; sometimes I reach the candidate sometimes I reach the candidates surrogate, (even Bernie's team) some times they respond to tell me they will speak to candidate and sometimes the candidate texts me back.
1
In the end, we all have to cast our ballot. I would not sit out just because no candidate met each and every criteria I demanded or wished for. That just ain't gonna happen. A perfect candidate is an illusion. I would try and find who I thought would be the best candidate for me, my family and my country and cast my ballot accordingly. But casting a ballot is a must for everyone.
5
Based on the way this data is presented, I suspect the survey was designed to prime the respondents toward racial sensitivity (specifically on a black-white divide as those are the only two races or colors or ethnicities mentioned).
Were the only options for "politicians' priorities" those listed in the graph? If so, why ask blacks how politicians rank those and only those priorities?
It basically boils down to "do politicians care more about white or black people? Poor or rich people? Do they care about women?" And it almost presumes that there is no overlap between these groups.
6
This is what I've been calling for: I call it A Better Way Forward:
1-Education: K-12 and beyond. Free and low cost options for post K-12 education and training will power the economy for the remainder of this century.
2-An entire redesign of our national infrastructure which includes our energy grid and energy production along with transportation and public buildings. Focus on renewables. #1 above goes hand in hand with this plank.
3-Healthcare for all at an easily affordable price. There's lots of existing models. Let's examine them all and come with a hybrid of the best that works for us.
4-A complete overhaul of taxation and banking which provides more transparency and places the burden of taxation where it belongs--on those who profit the most.
5-Term limits and campaign finance reform. 3 term limit for Senate. 16 year limit on SC justices. End Citizens United.
6-Election reform: Secure elections, end of gerrymandering, remove electoral college.
Whether it's seen as bipartisan or not I believe it is a much better way forward and should appeal to a vast majority of Americans of all groups--black, white, brown; gay, straight, or hybrid; poor, working class, middle class, small business owners, hope to be wealthy. What's so funny about Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness with Liberty and Justice For All?
8
Black--or white or red or yellow--person: "Hello."
"Hi, this is Temp Caller from the Acme Polling Co. We're conducting a poll. Can I as you a few questions?"
Black--or white or red or yellow--person: "Sure, go ahead."
"What's your life like?"
Black--or white or red or yellow--person: Click. Then once disconnected...
"Hey, Martha, can you believe this? Some fool taking a poll just asked me what my life is like. Haven't heard a question like that since last time I watched Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
And NYT is publishing this article that purports to be about presidential polling. Black folks have it bad, sure, but the solution isn't this kind of nonsense.
8
@August West Indeed, I am so tired of hearing other people claim to know what I want. "the american people want", "black people want", " "women want", etc.
The only poll I participate in , is on election day.
5
The alternative to the identity politics of race and sex is an identity politics of class. We could try a politics of interest groups, accepting each interest group as valid and not looking at how it arises or maintains itself; in that system, money talks. We could try a politics of virtue and honesty, but we do not agree on what these are or who is and isnt (many people see the Donald as virtuous and honest, and in a paradoxical way, he is).
In the identity politics of race or sex, blacks and women have organizations that promote their identity and many members of each of these groups are aware of this identity and its consequences. In the identity politics of class, the identity of investors and paycheck-receivers is murky. Paycheck-receivers who own houses or retirement savings are also investors and can identify with investors more than with paycheck-receivers who are living paycheck to paycheck. Entrepreneurs these days generally seek to grow their businesses until the businesses are investments rather than seeking a stable business size that produces a comfortable income year after year.
A modern politics of class would not promote the state capitalism of the USSR or whatever China has. It would just try to make investors behave themselves, but to do this the power of the investor class must be broken.
3
I appreciate her general sentiment here. But her example of the small amount spent in California on black voter engagement is not convincing: california is 6.5 percent black. Black voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections in CA hit an all-time of 50 percent. So, we are talking about three percent of the state's population (and, moreover, a blue state, where voter turnout for presidential races is not a concern). If you divide the total democratic party budget of 30 million by 3 percent, you get 90 thousand dollars. They spent 50 thousand on voter turnout, as Garza states. Given that they are probably also devoting money to other types of campaigns, and to overhead, her point diminishes to nothing. Three percent of voters in california are black. And black people will vote on party lines. Funds should go to latino voter turnout, which is lower, and a much higher percentage of the state's population, and also: one third of latino voters voted for Trump. Black voters basically don't matter in California, when it comes to attempts to defeat Trump in 2020.
4
Unless you become an elected official, you will never achieve as much through politics as you would, with equal potential and effort, through private enterprise. Those who promote political solutions are only promoting their own gig.
6
To win elections Dems must build a winning coalition that actually delivers a better life to the members of that coalition. This is not identity politics, it is plain old fashioned democracy.
3
"It is illogical to extend resources to soothe the fears of an aging group"--What if a politician were to say that about any other demographic? I'm East-Indian; what if a politician were to say we were too small a voting block to allocate time and resources to? I guess I would have to vote for the party whose platform I supported--without considering race. I'd love to!
11
I want voters who I can depend on to show up to vote no matter the color of the candidate as I have done my whole life.
5
@JJ
If the candidate isn't offering anything, why should the voters show up? Do you vote as a reflex? Probably not. Why should anyone else?
2
I found this very interesting, and the data is probably the best insight there is to the interests of black Americans. If the list of "demands" ($15 minimum wage, making college affordable, requiring the government to provide health care and adequate housing for everyone, wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes), then I think there is a lot of support in many communities.
6
Thank you, Ms. Garza, for sharing this critical information and insight about the views of black people. I agree that politicians - among others - need to listen more and engage in conversation instead of assuming what they think people want and need, or what they should do. After all, we’re all in this together.
2
@JMC.
Would you trust any white individual to speak for the views of white people?
5
@Allen Yes, that does happen although I would acknowledge those who are speaking for white people may have their own agenda in mind and not those of white people. This is what I believe may also lie behind what 'polls' of black people show. We should be very leery of anyone who claims to know blacks, or whites, or any group actually want. They probably don't.
Alicia,
The NYT did not publish my earlier letter where I explained why I left the Democratic Party (they don’t seem to like Republican points of view).
I agree with you that I felt I was being taken for granted by politicians, but especially by the Democrats. I am now an independent leaning toward the Republican Party.
As an observant Christian and a former navy wife whose husband spent his entire career defending this country, I cannot agree with some aggressive liberal and anti-American policies.
The USA might not have been kind to my ancestors, but thanks to their sacrifices and those of the people who helped them, my family is thriving now. My kids and grandkids are excelling in their non-military careers or in school. I live a comfortable and free life.
I will therefore say many times over, God bless America.
24
I felt excited when I read the head line, but was disappointed by the content. I still don't know what diverse black groups want. Instead the text keeps repeating that there needs to be special outreach. I read this as an attempt to influence party leaders to in general give black party leaders more influence in decision making, and in particular the new Black Futures Lab group. Legitimate, but uninteresting.
By the way, here is a reminder that a majority minority America in 2050 is a myth. By the standards of the one-drop rule non-hispanic whites will be a minority in 2045. But whites still be over 70% when the hispanics are counted. And how the growing Asian population aligns is still to be decided. In particular East-Asians might rather align with white voters for cultural and economic reasons.
11
It is not "identity politics" to address the concerns of black voters and work to get black voters to the polls, any more than it is to address the concerns of white voters and get them to the poles. We all need better access to health care, better and more affordable education, more affordable housing, jobs that offer a reasonable wage and benefits, etc etc. Everyone would benefit from a democracy that represents everyone, not just the rich, and a political system that curbs the excesses of corporate greed. Democrats need to be the party they used to be - the party that stands up for ordinary Americans.
12
Really good stuff here.
Having seen this data, one thing that I come back to (which I felt in 2016 as well), is why black voters vote in such numbers for more moderate democrats.
Lack of trust in big business, government, and feelings that the system is tipped in favor of the rich. That screams Bernie or Warren to me, but black voters went strong for Hilary in 2016 and Biden is leading now.
I know Bernie has taken rightful criticism for a lack of specific ideas for minority communities, but this politics on a whole clearly, in my eyes, address more of the key issues in black voters eyes than Hilary or Biden do
7
The Democratic Party leadership, including the last two Democratic presidents and the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, have taken quite a few different voting groups for granted, including black people. This column should be required reading for every member of the DNC.
Now let's have a similar column from organized labor.
6
I read this article as a white man, trying to learn and understand what I might be missing, because I sincerely want to understand my fellow citizens' POV.
But as I was reading, I came upon statistics that said 75% of those surveyed voted in 2016 election, and more to the point, 40% volunteered on the campaign. The Pew Research center put out very detailed statistics on the 2016 voter turnout, and they say 59.6% of blacks voted nationwide.
So what I got from these claims in this article was not "these statistics debunk the myth that black communities do no show up" as stated, but rather that the way they gathered these statistics must be strongly biased/flawed. Not to mention that it glosses right over that this 59.6% voting rate was a full 7.0% drop from 2012 (from 66.6%), and according to Pew is one of the biggest % drops in voting by a racial/ethnic group in history!
Even if the 75% were not questionable, the claim that 40% volunteered for the campaign surely must be -- I don't know where to find statistics on campaign volunteers, but this suggest that over 11 million African Americans worked on the campaign!
It's disappointing how seemingly obvious flaws in the survey method -- discernible using only common sense --were not questioned by editors, let alone allowed by them to promote the idea that these statistics "debunk myths." Note I am not criticizing blacks, just this article. Indeed blacks still voted at rates 10-12% higher than hispanics and asians, per Pew.
25
"The Democrats’ approach hurts everyone — including the working- and middle-class white voters who want to see change."
This is the reason why there is no contradiction between focusing on the economic needs of the middle, working and poor classes and calling out racial disparities and the need to correct them -- which is the heart and soul of Bernie Sanders' campaign. The corporate Democrats and press -- like this very newspaper -- that tar him with the racism brush because he talks about economic issues completely ignore his message of racial and social justice. Bernie says we not only should address class, race (and gender) -- doing so together is the only way to effectively address each of them.
6
Never mind how the world should be; the world is what it is. If you think the rich and big business get the most attention they also pay the most tax. If you want more attention get rich, pay a lot of tax, and/or get associated with big business. Did any government every focus more on the needs of the poor than ours does today? In the past the poor were completely ignored everywhere by every government; in the U.S. today they get a lot of attention and funding, try being glad instead of sad. The poor in America today would have been considered comfortably-off at any other time in history. The key to material happiness is to have money, the key to getting money is self-responsibility and hard work. Have I said something here that's not true?
11
Yes, you said something that isn’t true. Big business doesn’t always pay the most tax. Last year Amazon got a tax refund. Astonishing, no?
The world is what it is, you’re right about that.
8
@Ronald B. Duke You were also inaccurate in saying that the key to getting money is self-responsibility and hard work. Those are two possible means, of many; and also, it is perfectly possible-- and depressingly common-- to have/do both of those things and still end up broke...
3
I can respect Alicia's energy in promoting her organization and their step of taking a survey. If one takes the time to read her emotional laden words for what they represent one could not be shocked at her findings. It is sad that she spends so much energy worrying about white voters that she forgets she seems to be part of the problem. What would happen if communities of color were not tied so blindly to one party that they may earn the respect of politicians that this woman points out is lacking for her community. The respect comes in the form of attention, so Alicia you can continue your work but until there is opportunity for both parties to earn the vote of the community you seem to say you represent, it just comes off as lazy as identity politics no matter who is spinning it. I am a firm believer in the need for a third party to bring both parties back in the middle and people have votes that really matter. I find it is funny that blue states have the same problem as red states, if you belong in the middle you are ignored for 3 1/2 years and given token words with no addressing of your concerns. Welcome to the problem of the average American voter!
3
Everyone is speaking of identity politics but the only identity I've read is that our black brothers and sisters want to be treated fairly and that they want someone to listen to their voices - which are not all the same - and to what their community needs to improve its overall health. A healthier and more prosperous America helps all and lifting barriers for our minority communities is an investment that pays dividends for all Americans.
6
I'd have no problem with much of what you write, if it wasn't impossible to reconcile your numbers.
You claim "Nearly three in four respondents said they voted in the 2016 presidential election". Who are these respondents? It’s essential to ask because if this had actually been true considering that Trump received 8 percent of the black vote, it would have had a dramatic impact on the election in 2106 as 75 percent of blacks would had voted.
All other polls and surveys, including that conducted by the NAACP after the 2016 election, showed that black voting fell dramatically. The highest number reported by a poll was 61 percent. Many showed less. Your discrepancy of 15 percent, means your survey shows at least 25 percent more blacks voted in 2016 than every other study and poll. It is impossible to reconcile with all polls and with the election results. Therefore, contending that 75 percent of blacks voted in 2016 is objectively wrong.
Finally, every other current poll shows support of Trump keeps rising dramatically among blacks since 2016. Numerous polls show his support currently over 30 percent among blacks, however even the NAACP poll just showed Trump with an approval rating of 22 percent among blacks. Are you saying, again, that groups like the NAACP are plainly wrong? If we are to believe all polls, including the NAACP’s, when asking "Dear Candidates: Here Is What Black People Want", the only answer is that Trump is increasingly giving Black People What They Want.
8
I don’t disagree with anything Ms. Garza says. Blacks make up a big, vital and loyal Democratic constituency, and may hold the key to Pennsylvania, which is a must-win state for Democrats.
But other groups vital for Democratic electoral success are also pressing for attention, such as the elderly, suburban women and urban liberals, to name a few. This vast country embraces many affinity groups, with different life experiences, all clamoring for attention to their most deeply held concerns.
I don't want to sound dismissive, but I do recognize that Democratic strategists will have to focus disproportionately on reaching 270 votes in the Electoral College. That outcome will turn on moderate and swing voters not only in Pennsylvania, but in five other states, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire and Nevada. These six are the states the DNC regards as "battleground" in 2020.
It will be a balancing act for the Democratic Party to meet the many, varied concerns of its loyal base, while pursuing the hard-nosed politics of Electoral College success. It’s something we all need to keep in mind.
12
You heard it here first:
Who the US President is makes no difference in the day to day lives of Blacks or anyone else.
Stay in school, study hard, get to college or learn a vocation, don’t start a family until you can afford it, work hard, marry, and encourage your children to do the same.
22
Listen up, democrats! This is the truth. Start attending to your voters and stop listening to the corporate interests that have purchased your attention span.
131
I'm black and I'll tell you what black people should want: education for yourself, education for the kids, self discipline, compassion for others, willing to hear what another has to say without yelling and interrupting; follow the law, follow instructions; unconditional respect for strangers.
Any black person who doesn't have these qualities, learn them.
18
Have fun with Trump 2020
3
The more you focus on your black identity the more I focus on mine as a white man.
21
Next up should be an article on what white men want, then white women, then the various Asian groups, Hispanics, etc. We can then move on to the groups that base themselves on their sexual preferences, that would be interesting, though of course in reading this each group doesn't care about the other groups. It sometimes shocks me how racist and sexist this paper is, there's no such thing as We the People, the the various parties and their various grievances.
19
Gleeful blacks naively relishing eventual white minority status (numbers wise but absolutely not regarding power, wealth) won't be receiving any Asian, Hispanic deference particularly regarding third rail politically dead on arrival wedge issues especially regarding reparations.
16
“Yet white voters are declining in numbers and advancing in age, while communities of color get bigger and younger. It is illogical to overextend resources to soothe the fears of an aging group, shrinking in size,”
Interesting political advise from the author. He argues for ignoring white voters, who make up 70 percent of the overall electorate and 60 percent of Democratic voters. Instead, he suggests focusing concerns on black women who form the base of the Democratic Party; i.e. around 10 percent of Democratic voters and around 5 percent of the electorate.
This makes for fun reading, but may not be the best roadmap for winning the elections in 2020. The number of older white votes will actually increase the next few years as the baby boomers hit retirement age. The Democratic Party has always been a coalition, which means taking into account the concerns of all groups (and maybe even the concerns of your largest voting block).
15
Wonderful article, very helpful. I keep telling my friends, women and black voters can win this election. This is why I favor a woman candidate for president. Even better, a candidate that black/minority an also a woman. We can do it! We must do it! We have let old, white men screw around with our government long enough. Time for a change, a big change. Just for the record, I am a 66 yr-old white woman.
3
A+ !!
This explains Sanders popularity w voters, and the Dems disgust with him:
**The most important issues for respondents were also the most important issues facing the rest of the country — low wages, lack of quality health care, substandard housing, rising college costs and different sets of rules for the wealthy and the poor. Of course, a majority of Americans face these difficulties. But black communities experience them more acutely.**
5
After noting that black people are not a monolith, the first question asks about "politicians". Isn't that a broad category itself? A wide spectrum of fundamental beliefs and positions from conservative to liberal?
3
In all my 70 years as political junkie, I have never once seen a picture of a political candidate eating fried chicken in Harlem, let alone next to a bottle of hot sauce. I wonder why this author saw fit to begin her diatribe with reference to a hyperbolic racist construct?
And, how does one tell if candidate photographs containing black leaders are "staged"? Do they have to be on a stage? Or prearranged in some mannr as in being at the same place at the same time? Gosh darn those candidates who arrange to have their photo taken with unaware black leaders as props. Shame on them.
I cast a jaded and wary eye on such rhetorical bomb-throwing.
12
I was a white, Democratic county elected official for a decade. It may come as a shock to Ms. Garza, but most politicians rarely speak "at" any group; they mostly listen and answer questions in group settings. The only group I ever spoke "at" were gay Democrats - because I'm one of em'. Only in retrospect have I come to see it as profoundly arrogant. It's not that white politicians are speaking "at" black voters - it's black politicians speaking "at" black people, and it is the resentment of that Ms. Garza is picking up. After all, how is it that only 24% of respondents have any meaningful trust in black elected officials?
Just a note: black and white birth rates have converged much lower than replacement level, so both groups are declining as a proportion of the population. Ms. Garza should specify who she includes in "communities of color." If she's referring to non-Anglo people, then she's talking about a diverse pastiche of different groups who have little in common, politically, with each other and often more in common with Anglos. Take Fort Bend County, Texas, where Asian voters split evenly between Dems and Reps because ethnic Chinese/Filipino vote the former and ethnic Vietnamese the latter. Or consider the growing Republican trend among ethnic Mexican/Mestizos in Texas relative to Central Americans and non-Cuban Caribbean people who are firmly Democratic. Mestizos are often just as hostile to immigrants (Central American) as many whites.
12
The author says that Black women are the base of the Democratic Party. Reality check. Black women comprise 6 per cent of the US population. 6. That's not a base, that’s a tiptoe. If the Democrats expect to win, they need a base that includes a whole lot more of the other 94%.
18
It works both ways. The more black candidates who run for and win office, the more influence they will have in government.
The more black people who vote and work in the campaigns of candidates that reflect their concerns, the more influence they will have in government.
Racism is America's original sin. First by the genocide and stealing of Native American's land. Secondly by the system of slavery that exploited much of that stolen land.
By fits and starts the United States is an on-going struggle to form a more perfect union.
2
"Yet white voters are declining in numbers and advancing in age, while communities of color get bigger and younger. .."
The premise, if I understand it correctly, is that white voters vote on the basis of their philosophical/political conviction whereas black voters vote solely on the basis of their "color". It is amazing that Garza does not see this as a problem as she instrumentalizes blacks through her racial lens.
Why should a poor black factory worker feel more solidarity with a rich black industrialist than a fellow white labor union member? It makes no sense to me. Yet the propaganda to separate people on the basis of their race is relentless.
14
all hopeful candidates should pay close attention to these findings.
1
3 in 4 voted? This is clearly not a representative survey.
5
This survey just says what we already know, America is still racist. Black voters just want equal opportunities, but this cannot be done until the root causes of inequality are stamped out. The women candidates for President know this. Let's give them a chance.
3
We had a black president for 8 straight years. Did he not care about and work for rights and benefits for blacks? When will the complaining stop and acceptance of individual personal responsibility for oneself begin?
9
Who, exactly, is complaining? This was an effort to gather and report on real world data. Nobody sought out the NYT to complain.
1
@Liz
Stating what I want and am not getting is a form of complaining.
The "real world data" cited here is not in agreement with the data from the Pew Research Center, the Gallup Poll, od the US Census Bureau. Not an impressive effort.
3
I have a real problem with the title of this opinion piece. I think the author has confused the meaning of I and they. She neither has the omniscience or the right to speak for a whole group of people. Why can't opinion writer own up to the fact that they are speaking only their own opinion? Wouldnt she have to speak with most black people to know what the majority want?
7
"I live in the ghetto
You just come to visit me 'round election time."
Stevie Wonder, 1972
"Now, the man on the stand, he wants my vote
He’s a-running for office on the ballot note
He’s out there preaching in front of the steeple
Telling me he loves all kinds of people
He’s eatin' bagels
He’s eatin' pizza
He’s eatin' chitlins."
Bob Dylan, 1962
2
Sorry, but this continued attempt to separate people between black and white is really not productive.
P.S. White people can also enjoy the occasional fried chicken dinner, no?
9
I eat my fried chicken with hot sauce. I never thought it was a black thing.
Dear candidates:
Please disregard editorials that tell you what black people supposedly think. We are not a monolith, but rather a motley crew whose interests and desires are as varied as any other racial group. Dollars to donuts, a poverty-stricken white person has many of the same dreams as a poverty-stricken black person. Conversely, an upper middle-class black person would have little in common with a poor black person. Work for the greater good of humanity; it really as simple as that.
Best,
A person who is not deemed worthy of a NYT editorial
10
@Jared
If class is all that matters, why is Bill Cosby in prison yet the criminal charges against Harvey Weinstein are slowly being dropped? Soon Weinstein will have no criminal charges and be free to resume his ways, and that will be because of class issues. Right.
@Lynn in DC Cosby ,America's Dad, was charged with systemic abuse of women. Weinstin should follow suit, one hopes. Meanwhile, Dershevitz and Clinton skate free
This was written for inclusion in an episode of VEEP.
3
Just a question and I don’t mean to be ‘snarky’ has continuing to support the Democratic Party brought the Black Community any progress? Is this community being taken for granted at election time? Thank you.
6
Black people represent a sizable minority of American voters, but they are spread out across the nation and concentrated in America’s cities. Even if they were not all over the nation, their status as a large minority ensures that they will only be “heard” in bits and pieces. American women represent more than 50% of America’s voters and THEY can scarcely be heard on the intensely personal and important issues (healthcare, childcare, equal protection) that are the rock bottom of their lives!
The fact is that so long as America’s voters are gerrymandered, hypnotized and motivated by fear Republican legislators have a road cleared of the “debris” that blocks the way so that millionaires can continue to suck the life out of the economy and keep moving the money made to move back and forth amongst themselves.
“The fault is not in our stars that we are underlings” . . . The fault is in our generally low voter turnout that has allowed one Party to advantage the top 5% of the population to the disadvantage of everyone else. As a minority, even a sizable minority, blacks simply have it that much worse than everyone else — but it is enough to show the immorality of the Republican Party over the past forty years. Justice for blacks only comes, sadly, when white people feel or see (via video clips of police violence, for example) the same oppression.
1
This article says that "black" people just want the same things as everybody else. That sounds like a good idea, and something we can all support.
The article also says "We set out to prove that black people are not a monolith" which of course is true; everybody is different, and it's a good thing, too. The great diversity of people of the USA is a very positive thing.
But then the article talks about black people this, black people that, as if black people were fundamentally different from everybody else, which is nonsense. Why would you segregate yourselves into a special-interest group? You know that "race" isn't even a real thing, don't you?
Ta-Nehisi's (Tana's) autobiographical work "The Beautiful Struggle" is about growing up in Baltimore, and he speaks of violence, early motherhood, broken families, and even Tana's racism including the Black Panther group and the drive for revolution and separation from the larger US society. All these things work against people who "want the same things as everybody else," so please cut it out.
Here's what you can do:
Vote, every time!
Don't segregate yourselves.
Participate in the larger society.
Work for better health care, public education, and affordable college for everybody, not just "black" people.
Please, forget the "Black Lives Matter!" thing; it's fundamentally racist and divisive. This is not in anybody's best interest (excepting people who are professional racists...)
14
So, black people are not monolithic, but they all vote Democrat?
Substitute "white" for every instance of "black" in this article and ask yourself, "Is this racist?"
So pointless and divisive. Articles like this do not move the conversation forward. They entrench positions. And, that's not good for anybody.
12
Dear black people. Dear all people. If you want things to change.
Run for office. Or organize. Or at least vote for change.
Don’t wait for some pollster to ask you questions
4
You haven't even decided whether you like King's (unity) or Garvey's (your own thing) messge yet.
1
The left’s undue focus on “identity politics” DID send moderate white voters to the Republican side. That is established fact. If the Democrats pursue the same failed strategy in 2020 then all is lost. The impending white-minority status is also a myth. The left's bizarre, gleeful, & premature rush to proclaim the end of white America, is fueling racial backlash politics. It's as if being white is somehow evil so let's pop the champagne corks & celebrate its demise. This is racist. The Census Bureau has estimated that by 2044 whites won’t be a majority. But that same census report projects that by 2060, 68.5% of the population will be white. It’s just that a reasonably large share of the white population will be partially descended from Latin American immigrants. Many of these people will be of predominantly European ancestry, have skin tone & other facial features that fit comfortably within the conventional boundaries of whiteness whatever that is. If you use these facts then America remains majority white indefinitely. Reflecting these hysterical opinion pieces, many whites have been led to believe they will soon become a minority group. This is only true in the numeric sense. Whites will continue to be the majority in terms of wealth & power. The "browning" of the US isn't going to change our politics dramatically. Sen Cruz has Latin DNA but no one would call him a liberal. The author has it completely backwards. The white population is not declining; it’s flourishing.
11
@Bill Brown They think this way because they have roped off hispanics as a separate distinct group. A portion of them may be separatists, but Hispanics intermarry freely with whites; many of them already have European features and complexions.
Race mixing is the future.
"White" people are not going anywhere. This whole tack just shows how poorly the Dems think.
3
The reason is obvious: blacks nearly always vote for the Democratic candidate. If your vote is automatic, then the politicians don't care about you.
If blacks made a credible threat to vote for Republicans, then politicians would rush to their neighborhoods and ask what they could do for them. Until then, they will cheerfully accept your votes, and do nothing.
6
Black voters will decide everything like it or not. Personally, this fact alone speaks highly for the future of humanity. So, the Democratic Party needs to wakeup and kiss the feet of black voters, today tomorrow forever.
@terry brady
So a population that comprises 13% of America, is going to 'decide everything?'.
4
As so many of the comments disgustingly demonstrate, the true source of identity politics is among whites (especially white men).
As the comments also demonstrate, you can always rely on white bigots to quote Martin Luther king on "character."
4
The fallacy here is that politicians can simply take orders and deliver to people whatever they say they want, like some giant open kitchen with an infinite menu of all possible foods. Any politician can say yes, lets have free medical care, free education, fair wages, employment for all, etc, and the voters can say yes, we want that, lets vote for him/her. But the reality is that the politicians cannot deliver when elected,and the reason is that it is a zero sum game: a benefit conferred on one group is a take-away from another. During the political rally the voters say yes we want this and the candidate says yes, you should have it, the cheers ring out, there is no-one the to rain on the parade. When the election is over and the proposals face real opposition, the impossibility of it all becomes clear.
Bernie Sanders wants Walmart to pay higher wages. Okay, fair enough. But surely it is not just Walmart, surely it would be all similar employers as well, including all of Walmart's competitors, and to be fair it would have to be all other employers too. So that is a minimum wage hike on a national basis. Of course states have rights too, and would all states want this? And if it did happen, the increased costs incurred by every employer are passed through to customers, which include most of the people who benefit from the wage hike. Is there a net benefit in the end? Does it reduce employment? Does it kill businesses and lessen competition? Does it work?
3
@gbc1
Sorry. Why can't at least some of the costs be not passed to consumers but passed to top management, boards, and shareholders. I'm tired or hearing how costs need to be passed to consumers while shareholders have record "earnings" and CEO make multimillions.
Corporations have their employees making wages that qualify them for food stamps while they rake in the profits. What kind of a system is that? It helps no one but the 1 percent.
6
America is still a diverse country. There is no reason why more voices and the stories those voices have to say can't be heard.
The problem comes in that when I'm listening to you, it doesn't mean I can't listen to her or him. If everyone would just calm down a bit we can better settle the issues that confront us.
Politics is not a zero-sum game unless we make it one. There is certainly nothing unreasonable in this article, and something needs to be done to end institutional racism and the resultant poverty and oppression it creates.
1
The most equitable tax is the one on land value, as all other taxes are reduced to zero - not in addition to other taxes. There's enough to fund what all Americans need in terms of healthcare and education and infrastructure. The problem is that social reformers put all wealthy people in the same box, when a special box for speculative land owners should be set aside for a 100% tax. Why isn't wealth equitably distributed? Why do we allow speculative ground rents to be pocketed by a few and we turn around and ask what just hit us? Thievery is not rocket science.
1
“Here is what black people want.”
Seriously? It’s possible to determine this? I though one of the few advances we had made in treating people of color with dignity and respect was to not lump them all in together, to not define their wants, needs and desires as a class but to acknowledge each person’s humanity and individuality. Really, are we still doing this? Is it even feasible that everyone in any group all want the same thing?
9
lt strikes me that a fair number of comments come from people who did not truly read the piece. lt is nuanced while a batch of comments seem entrenched in the writers' racial fears and confusions. The Democratic party reflects similar limitations. You people are exhausting, but we are stuck with you.
1
To me, and that is limiting. Black people have the whites in this country by the tail. There is affirmative action, my god, still and for people that are not black or are you referring to all of Africa, also. Second, if you want to have less incarceration, then quit committing so many crimes, it is just that simple. Let me ask you when was the last time (or first time) you heard a black person refer to a part of town as the black part, like china town, or china town. We know to avoid MLK Boulevards in all cities. This would make changes, and it is what "white people want".
4
"We lonh for the same things as everyone else..."
Then why is the "black vote" even a thing?
6
@Celeste why is the jewish vote a thing? Probably because Trump can get more jewish votes siding with Israel while saying that Obama did not.
* Sorry but I have been polled many times and have never been asked me what my life was like.
* I volunteered for Obama, first time that I did this for any candidate and have been voting since 1978
* Thats great!
* We are on the same page.
Most white people I know agree with the minimum wage increase just as I do, more than $15 would be even better. Why not let kids earn their own money to save for college.
Ok so the last part of this article is the reason that some of the white middle class voted for trump. Black people seem to not have understood what President Obama was preaching and trying to govern by. I voted for and campaigned for change, that change to me meant what Obama stated in his 2004 speech. We are not red or blue Americans, We are Americans. He tried to unite all Americans. Any talk about special treatment for anyone is a dead end for the people who believe in All of Americans. Special treatment for ANY one group is a dividing issue, period!!
10
You missed your time era Ms. Garza. You should have started this group anywhere from 1776 to the 1960s where black lives truly didn't matter.
Don't me wrong, minorities will always have to be on the lookout for pockets of discrimination. The issue of unequal treatment must always be addressed whenever it comes up.
Where you are wrong is separating the above from our cultural gun abuse sickness which the black community deeply suffers from. App. 50% of all gun deaths and injuries are in minority communities, minority on minority, not white on minority.
If you address this issue, you would have police roughing up minority suspects not killing or injuring them.
There is a fine line between discrimination and playing a card in this case the black card.
Blacks have shown they can be just as good, want the same thing but also just as bad as whites.
10
If Pew reports that a little less than 60% of black people voted in 2016, and your survey shows almost 75%, where is the disparity in the data?
2
Missing the obvious and well-documented point that Black votes have already been bought and paid for by the Dems
In the 2018 midterms: Blacks voted overwhelmingly (90%) for the Democratic candidate, including comparable shares of black men (88%) and black women (92%).
I am not sure how naive the author is but the only lever that POC have is their turnout and in 2018: voter turnout rates for whites (57.5%) and blacks (51.4%) increased by 11.7 and 10.8 percentage points, respectively, since 2014.
POC have a losing hand in a losing game if they want to hold the Dem's feet to the fire.
And just in passing - the Black Census Project needs to ask better questions and explore more 'difficult' areas of the black experience if they truly want to drive the Dem agenda.
7
The headline says "Dear Candidates: Here Is What Black People Want." The body of the story says this: "We set out to prove that black people are not a monolith — we are diverse and have a range of experiences."
Huh?
If someone can reconcile this, please do. Otherwise, why is NYT wasting ink and pixels on on this sort of claptrap?
"The most common response among people who were politically engaged was that no politician or pollster has ever asked them what their lives were like. Fifty-two percent of respondents said that politicians do not care about black people, and one in three said they care only a little."
Whoa, stop the presses: Respondents say politicians don't really care about them! Then there's the silly notion that pollsters should ask "Hello, what's your life like?" Heck, folks of all colors and political stripes, and across the globe, have been saying politicians don't care since before, during and after the American Revolution. One colonist's King George is a modern day voter's Trump, or Pelosi, for that matter. Frankly, I'm amazed that 48 percent didn't say that politicians don't care about them.
Black people have it bad in this country--there's no denying that. But articles like this accomplish zero. In checking boxes, NYT caters to interest groups that spout simple concepts with no real substance. Dissatisfaction with government crosses all racial and political lines. Please, NYT: Publish pieces that matter. This one does not.
9
I suspect that at least 52% of white voters would respond in exactly the same way as black people when it comes to whether politicians ever asked them what their lives are like and/or care about them.
11
Thank you for writing this.
Declining white demographics absolutely not panacea optimistic, but naive blacks expecting via tribal favoring political outcomes. Example: most Asians, Latinos not favoring reparations, both groups though mostly Democratic more receptive to same moderate Republican Candidate, both groups, Asians sooner, will eventually attain “white” identity labeling.
8
..."I see candidates eating fried chicken next to a bottle of hot sauce in Harlem or taking staged photos with black leaders. These shallow symbolic gestures are not a substitute for meaningful engagement with black voters."....
Those same candidates eat grinders or hot dogs in New England diners and take staged photos with white leaders. They are no more engaged with those potential votes than the scenario you describe Ms. Garza so please don't feel targeted by vapid political 'grip and grins'.
6
@B Dawson - and who could forget the priceless photos of Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann trying to eat corn dogs in Iowa? Pretty sure their attempts didn't convince many voters either.
1
The primary reason candidates do not spend as much time addressing black voters is simple: Black voters cast ballots as a near-bloc for Democrats. Democrats already have the black vote. Republicans cannot get it.
4
Black, white ,latino, or whatever , Americans of all creeds and races need to concentrate on one thing and one thing only, the Defeat of Donald Trump Period. My side needs this or no politicians listen to us yadda yadda yadda. Its all Trivial in comparison to what 4 more years of DJT will do to this nation.
3
@Rich g.
As David Duke famously or infamously tweeted, white Americans put Trump in the White House. No other group overwhelmingly voted FOR Trump so don't tell other groups that they have to focus on his defeat. Restrict your advice to the people who put Trump in office - white people.
1
@Lynn in DC. And poor voter turnout by AfricanAmericans,regardless of what is said in article, helped a great deal.
1
"Candidates and their campaigns are comfortable talking at black people, but few want to talk to us."
And even fewer are comfortable listening to you.
4
By giving “platform “ to this group and it’s report, the NYT has bestowed upon it a high profile and inferred authenticity. It would have been nice for a NYT vetting paragraph about the group’s mission, other accomplishments, officers, size, and major funders. Give the readers a view of the inherent advocacy biases that may be included. Also it would be helpful for a critical comment by the NYT experts on the survey’s methodology. Readers need a frame of reference.
When reading these surveys, be aware who the questions are asked of (selection bias in the data), and that the questions do shape the answer. It would be useful to compare this survey’s answers with that from other identity groups, a calibrating mechanism. The questions focus on fairness, trust in justice, and income. I suspect all people want more income and wealth. And that the fiscal wants within any identity group are in inverse proportion to educational attainment in the productive parts of the economy.
The questions are focused on the individual and federal remedies. Maybe that’s were we have gotten to in our concept of federal government.
5
It looks like black Americans, like Americans generally, are a progressive group, but nevertheless, Dem Party bosses will claim that a centrist is more electable.
1
Be aware of the candidate who speaks favourably for anyone. That is the epitome of discrimination.
4
It's always illuminating--and cringe-inducing--to read an essay by a black writer, then the comments of white readers who prove over and over that they didn't learn a thing. Instead, they pile on to explain why the black writer is wrong.
Ms. Garza went to an enormous amount of effort to tell us something we need to know about black voters. Instead of digesting the data and her analysis, Hopeful Libertarian told her not to bother with politics and "focus on building their human capital"--as if black Americans haven't spent centuries doing just that, and not getting very far because--wait for it--they lack political power!
Robert Howard thinks we should all pretend we don't see skin color. Joshua Schwartz wants Ms. Garza to understand that there's nothing special about black people's needs and opinions--as if being brought here as slaves, then living under de facto apartheid for 100 years, is every ethnic group's experience. Jack Stroker is troubled because black people trust black journalists and politicians the most. In so doing, Stroker reveals that he has never questioned his own preference for white journalists and politicians.
When men talk this way to women, sharing male-flavored wisdom and eternal truths instead of listening to what we're saying, we call it "mansplaining." We need a word for when white people do it to people of color. How about "whitesplaining"?
2
@Bystander
"Male-flavored wisdom and eternal truths"? Please....
So Garza can tell the "white people" what she thinks they need to hear but a white person has not right to respond? Because whitesplaining?
This attitude is the disastrous outcome of cultural marxism that has gripped the humanities departments across universities (and mainstream journalism).
9
@Kai: You have a low bar for what constitutes a disaster.
Note that no one said white people don't have a right to respond. I said the responses here are condescending and clueless. See? I have a right to respond, too!
White men have been sharing their opinions about everything, including matters they can't possibly know much about, for thousands of years. Now that women and people of color are getting a little leverage, we'd like to have the floor for a while to talk about our own needs and vision for this country. If I were a white man, I'd shut my mouth and listen carefully.
2
@Bystander
If you want to find an audience for your preaching, find a church. Pushing guilt on white people will only takes you so far... the leverage you think you are getting by propagating racial tension you will lose it at the elections.
3
A noble and necessary attempt, Ms. Garza, to shed a harsh light on perhaps the Democratic Party’s longest-cherished and ugliest secrets: black people don’t really matter to those who run the party—the donors and the masthead names—until it comes time to harvest the rows of votes every two years—seeds that they never bothered to plant because it simply wasn’t in their interest to do so.
In 2018, Andrew Gillum in Florida; and Stacey Abrams in Georgia, were narrowly defeated in large part because white Democratic power brokers didn’t want to offend “moderate” whites. Yet these white Democrats—especially the score or more now in the mix to unseat Donald Trump—haven’t ever fought for black peoples’ rights.
I don’t want to hear about promises for equality—even John F. Kennedy made a lukewarm attempt to mollify black folks but feared to offend white folks. The respondents in this survey minced no words when identifying where Democrats’ priorities lie: with the white and the rich. Democrats are a timid bunch; not bold and necessarily unscrupulously resourceful like Republicans. They always campaign as though they have something to win; Democrats, on the other hand, campaign as they have something to lose. People see through this just like black folks do when white Democrats show up for chicken, barbecue and photo ops; then they disappear until the next election cycle.
Will Joe Biden or Amy Klobuchar, for example, do something more than just talk about hope? Can they just do it?
3
Unless and until we recognize African Americans and other people of color as human beings, the distance between white and non white will exist.
Can it be a surprise that black people want the same things as white folks? How silly that is.
When you look back in our history, there has never been a time when Blacks have been considered the equal of whites. They were three fifths of a person for more than 100 years and then, when they won the war and freedom, they were deprived of liberty by Jim Crowe laws.
Segregation, unfit schools, ghettos....the list goes on and on and still we have people thinking all they need do is "pull themselves up by their boot straps."
In many places, there are no boots.
This is an important project and I hope it leads to some real progress, not just a lot breast beating by our dysfunctional president.
1
Reads to me like the Black voter demographic is being ignored in the same way working class whites are, or at least in very similar ways. My party better get it's stuff together or the next time might be much worse than Trump.
6
If I were black, brown, red, yellow or white, a Jew, Catholic, Protestant or atheist, a fancier of women or men, rich or poor or somewhere-in-between, a friend or foe of gun rights, abortion or daylight savings time, a believer in letting immigrants in or keeping them out, a capitalist, socialist, communist or Zionist -- and I am a member in good standing of several of these groups -- I’d vote for ABT (Anybody But Trump).
This way you still have a chance of surviving the next four years.
And none of us should be looking for or expecting more than that.
4
@A. Stanton, Trump has some very abhorrent personal and professional qualities but what he did was stir the pot; he expressed concerns about illegal immigration, abuse of trade policy by China, loss of jobs to foreign countries; yeah, I believe he goes about things in the wrong way but it is the idea of overt fairness that some find appealing; he tells us to do as he says, sort of, but he personally does the opposite in his personal life.
Democrats, on the other hand seem to have loss the ability to have connection to the needs of the middle class blue collar workers in those particular areas.
Democrats have their head in the sand when it come to immigration; not even pleas from Immigration and Border Control will make Nancy act; those people who control the borders are voters too, they are frustrated with Congress's (Nancy's) failure to act.
3
Let's be sure that black voters have safe and equal access to polling places and that these polling places have enough equipment to handle the number of voters in the precinct. The systematic denial of voting rights orchestrated by white people in power, in mostly black neighborhoods is a travesty.
3
How do 77% of the respondents see politicians caring about white people a lot but see only 3% of politicians caring about poor people?
Are the respondents to the poll unaware that there are more white people on food stamps than black people?
Are they unaware that there is significant overlap between rich people, white people, women, people like you, black people, immigrants, and poor people? Or was the survey just very poorly worded and presented?
3
Dear Candidates,
Simply watch Wanda Sykes's recent stand-up special, it's all there.
43
77% of blacks believe the government cares about about white people a lot, but only 4% believe it cares about blacks a lot. If you polled white voters, unfortunately, I believe the results would be close to the opposite.
The majority of white voters are Republicans and most of them claim the Dems are focused on helping blacks and other minorities, at the expense of whites!
Both privilege and victimhood distorts perceptions, of course, but racial relations in this country are like a failed marriage where neither side properly respects the viewpoint of the other.
Of course, our sympathy here should primarily lie with the victims and not the ones whose brains process reality to continue their undeserved advantages.
But they are the majority- so what do you do? Even liberal Dem whites can't be counted on to have backs blacks when push comes to shove. It's always been that way.
When U.S. Grant was president he did everything in his power to give ex-slaves equal rights to whites, but many abolitionists failed to sustain the same conviction because of the expense of enforcement (and their own brands of racism) and other whites were happy to push back blacks any way they could, especially in the South, where economic conditions took a century to rebound from the Civil War.
2
Who are 'black people'?
There is only one biological DNA genetic evolutionary fit human race species that began in Africa 300,000 years ago.
What we call race aka color is an evolutionary fit pigmented response to varying levels of solar radiation at altitudes and latitudes primarily related to the production of Vitamin D and protecting genes from damaging mutations in ecologically isolated human populations over time and space.
What we call race aka color is a malign white European American socioeconomic political educational demographic historical myth meant to legally and morally justify black African enslavement and separate and unequal Jim Crow.
Neither condescending paternalistic liberal white pity nor condescending paternalistic conservative white contempt accepts or recognizes the individually diverse accountable reality of black Africans in America.
Africans came to the America as physically identifiable enslaved property of white European Judeo-Christians. After having had their humanity as divinely naturally created equal persons with certain unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness they were "freed' to being separate and unequal to any white European American Judeo-Christian.
Despite my paper and genetic documented black African, brown Native, white European and yellow Asian heritage I am all and only black in America. No amount of education nor money nor military service ever made my ancestors or their heirs as white as Melania.
1
Mass media and social media are winning as the source of education, thought, and degree of critical thinking in the U.S.
31,000 of 37,000,000 population.
0.0008% sample chosen by BLM.
1
I'm sorry, but "Everyone else" does NOT want $15 min wage, college for all, free health care for all, free government housing, or taxing corps to the hilt. What on earth makes you think that "everyone else" or even most black people want such terrible socialist principles applied to the best economy?
9
Black people get so little attention from politicians because they are the most monolithic voting bloc in the country.
Republican candidates have little chance of winning their votes, and Democratic candidates have little chance of losing it.
74
@Anthony Knox; True, but by staying home in droves because there was no black on the ticket, they gave us Trump. Ironically, Hillary's policies would have helped black people more than Obama's. But she failed to communicate. Maybe this year's Democrats will learn from that. Progressives like Elizabeth Warren need to broadcast the message that leveling the playing field will help all minorities disproportionately
20
Sure, Democratic candidates may not lose the black vote. But if their turnout dips because they feel ignored, then Democratic candidates will lose. As Hillary discovered. It should be a lesson learned.
21
@John Heenehan
It should be a lesson learned on both sides - staying home because you feel a candidate isn't enough for you - when running against an outright and convicted racist - that hurts everyone. Cut off your nose to spite your face is not a good idea.
12
The author begins by saying black Americans are not a monolith, but the article reads as if they are.
Wonder what these survey results would look like if, instead of just interviewing black Americans, the researchers interviewed an ethnically diverse group of urban/suburban/rural economically disadvantaged Americans.
7
if black people were judged on the content of their character, more young black men would be living
2
Why not summarize?
Jobs
Good jobs and a paycheck.
Money to move out of big city crime infested neighborhoods so children can go to good suburban schools.
Get Good education.
Get Good job.
And the better cycle will continue.
There are more black people working today with good jobs than ever before.
Thank you.
3
First, this project was long overdue, and it provides factual basis for those who wish to create change for the black community.
And I find a couple of things interesting.
First, the complaint that no one asks what their lives are like. The organizers might be surprised to know that this is true of white voters. For decades white working and middle class, as well as poor, voters have seen their wealth and security sucked upwards with the tacit approval of politicians in both parties. If those politicians were asking, and reacting to, white people's concerns do you think this would be happening?
What this proves is that regardless of color, we all share a great deal of common concerns, and the focus on identity politics has only served to divide us. Certainly there are issues that are more central to blacks than whites, like continued racial discrimination, and a "justice" system that is heavily tilted against minorities and the poor to name two big ones, but racial equality (not to mention all forms) is facilitated by addressing economic equality.
Which brings me to the question of why so many black voters ignored Bernie Sanders' message in favor of Hilary's? Sanders spoke of restoring jobs and wages taken from the working and middle class by a rapacious corporate class; justice and sentencing reform; MFA; childcare subsidies; free college tuition; all things that this study says blacks want. So why didn't they support him? That's a question needing an answer.
7
Blacks are supposed to sit down, be quiet and vote for the democrat. No one ever said anything about getting anything for that vote.
2
Doesn't Buttigeig already know what black people want? He's a gay white man who went to Harvard who claims to have a shared history of oppression. Shouldn't we trust that claim? Biden fought for school re-segregation and mass-incarceration. Surely, he must know after being stripped of power and put on a shelf by Obama?
2
Dems pay attention- along with black politicians, the military, churches, and small business are most trusted entities named here.
Dems, help black folk vote!! what's good for black people is good for 99% of Americans.
1
Want to know how to get politicians to pay attention to what blacks want? Get out and vote even when there isn’t a black candidate on the ballot.
1
Two reactions.
First, any effort, let alone one as comprehensive as this one to gather better data about and insights into the thinking about what's important to African Americans is welcome. The Black Census Project is to be commended for that effort.
Reading the referenced summary on the Black Census Project is worthwhile. Informational, but leaving you wanting a little more. It is normal practice to include the questions and their answer options when publishing important findings. I could not find those on the website. As anyone who has conducted research knows, the questions are the keys to the insights. Hopefully, the BCP will provide that context.
Second, Ms Garza's cry to the democratic party to forego efforts to cater to aging and oblivious white folks neither follows from the data cited by Ms Garza, nor does it make any political sense at all.
Ms Garza is a leading proponent of identity politics and perhaps her most damning statement is that those "moderate white voters who are already fickle about politicians and political parties" are not as important to the democratic party than African American voters.
Well, numbers matter. Should any political party follow the advice of Ms Garza, it invites certain electoral defeat.
Which, ironically, would worsen the prospects for turning around the quality of life issues that plague racial relations in our country.
6
Don't the graphs show that blacks are a monolith group?
4
Dear Alicia,
I grew up listening to Rhythm & Blues, Willie Mays was pasted only walls .I admired the Great Martin Luther King & supported my Black brothers during their fight for Civil rights.I took issue with those that thought they could share their racist views with me.I come from a long line of Jewish liberal Democrats. I was brought up during the Holocaust which left me with a huge persecution complex, so it was no wonder that i sympathized & supported Black America, who were also suffering from persecution.
You ask that we white people & candidates should know what Black people want.
I would like you to know what this white person wants. As a Jew I would like Black people to stop using Israel & Jewish people as scapegoats. If African Americans were concerned with Black people in Darfur who were being slaughtered by the Arabs of the Sudan, as they are about the Palestinian Arabs, perhaps more of the Black people of Darfur would have survived.
Based on this analogy I cannot accept the outrage of those that claim they only take issue with the Israeli Government & not the Jews. This smells of hypocrisy. Rev.Martin Luther King, said it best, when he said You can’t hate Israel without hating Jews.
When the Black Caucus came to the defense of Congress Woman Omar, after her Anti semitic comments. I no longer care what Black people want .
5
Bravo !
No..No...No.
What you want is rich progressive white people governing your cities so they can explain to everyone what black people want.
4
Actually here is what the non-black population wants from blacks:
(Data is from the US Census & FBI & HUD)
Stop having kids to single mothers. It causes poverty. Birth rate to single mothers is
blacks 77.3%
hispanic 49%
white 29.2%
Stop dropping out of high school -causes poverty. Dropout rate (no high school degree) is
blacks 15.1%
hispanics 33.3%
white 7.7%
Stop ignoring college. Without it incomes are lower. Blacks get favored admission status but the percentage that have a college degree is
blacks 20.6%
hispanic 15.2%
white 34.5%
Maybe the lack of education would explain why black women make less than white women?
Stop committing crimes
Blacks are 12%+ of the population and commit 53.1% of all murders and 37.5% of all violent crime and 29.3% of all property crime
Whites are 71% of the population and commit 23.4% of murders and 35% of all violent crime and 51.6% of property crime
Get off welfare - Of all Black households vs all hispanic households vs all white households , the percentage on assistance is
On housing assistance 13% of all black 7% of all hispanic 2% of all white households
On food stamps 27.61% of black 14% of hispanics 5.2% whites
On Medicaid 38% of blacks 43% of hispanics 12% of whites
The black community chooses dropping out of high school, not going to college, having kids to single mothers & committing crime
Not exactly what the rest of us want
Stop doing that stuff
11
@AnnS
It's a crisis of culture not of opportunity. Thanks for sharing.
Did the poll ask black voters about their views on homosexuality?
6
More "identity politics" and "groupthink" to keep the flames of anger, resentment and victimization alive and well. "Here's What Black People Want"??? Woe is me!
This is SAD...very sad, indeed!
4
Blacks make up 12% of the population.
5
Don't whine. Get more black people elected.
1
Thank you for helping explain how the Democrats keep screwing up (it's my party, and I'll cry if I want to). Thanks also for letting us know that it's okay to say "black" instead of the prim, cumbersome "African American." "Black" has worked well since it supplanted "Negro" in the sixties, and I'm glad to see it making a comeback.
2
The problem is black people only vote Democrat therefore their vote is not competed for. Black people have been marketed to, to not vote Republican, as they branded them racists and black people have no where else to go. The Democrats outsmarted black people to scare them into voting for Democrats and Democrats know this and never do a thing for black people, because they don't need to!!! Dems want to keep black people right where they are , which is reliant on government and Democrats
4
Walking around with a racial chip on your shoulder accomplishes nothing except to blame others for your own failure to achieve what you want in life. Stop whining. Stop this ridiculous renewed call for reparations. Stop demanding even higher levels of affirmative action. Stop believing that the police have it out for all black people. Get over your distrust of white people. And stop demanding that presidential candidates kowtow to you as the most special of all special interest groups.
12
2008 enough bigoted but economically distessed white working class--some idle--Obama voting. 2016 too many apathetic though justifiably proud Obama supporting blacks staying home underenthusiastic regarding white Clinton even though arguably more liberal, progressive--whatever other euphemism--than Obama.
3
Like Trump is listening
1
Am I the only one that feels like the author of this piece is racist? Substitute the word “white” for any other race and it’ll be more apparent to you.
11
This is an anti white diatribe.
9
Anyone reading this op-ed needs to download the full report and go to page 4, "Who are the Black Respondents?" The authors emphasize that this is not a representative sample like the American census long-form, it oversamples certain groups on purpose to achieve a political result (they say that!), and it does not reflect the American Black population. By the report's own admittance, for example, African-American Republicans comprise only 2% of their sample, as compared to 8-10% of the general population. Bottom line: Take and discuss the results with ten barrels of statistical salt.
6
You want what everyone else wants and the candidates are addressing what we all want of course.
I’m privileged by that same accident of fate that afflicts people of color. I’m white, blonde, and born into the upper middle class.
But, if I were born to economically afflicted class and of color, aside from raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour and equal access to medical help, I would demand better grade schools for all, especially in cities and towns where both poor whites and people of color suffer from terrible grade and high schools.
I think it is more difficult electorally to hive off people by the color of our skin. We need to look, instead, at poverty. It’s easier in that it will find more approval to seek remedies at the class level instead of by the color of our skins.
3
I find myself not willing to contribute to the Dem party anymore. I have no trust that they have any interest in serving anyone but the rich. The 2016 cycle and this current cycle are showing their clear willingness to ignore "The People" along with their oath to the Constitution. I agree that minorities have born the brunt of the lack of representation in our government and in the rules and economics that define our society. The author is right to make the statement that addressing the gaps in representation by minorities help us all. Until we demand equal representation from our civil servants that we vote for that provides them the privilege to serve, we will never have the freedoms and prosperity that we all deserve as citizens of the once greatest Democracy in the world. This is about minorities and this is about all of us. Their should be no "minorities". There should only be Americans.
5
@JDH
To clarify:
I do support those Dems I believe have earned my trust that they are committed to serve us with honor.
I have rules.
Rule Number 1: No big money contributions/ involvement, only small contributions up to nomination. Then it depends on who they are willing to take money from.
Rule Number 2. A willingness to confront policies that fix our broken capitalism without fear of angering those who have the power and have bought the best representation that their money can buy.
Rule number 3. I don't care what color, sex, sexual orientation or how much money they have or don't have.
Rule number 4. Show me your policy ideas in detail. Inspiring words have no value. History proves that personality and likability have nothing to do with effective a true commitment to representation for all.
Rule Number 5. Don't lie. One or two mistakes can be forgiven, depending on the motivation and the willingness to own your mistakes. Humility and Grace are just as easy to see as your motivation, as your dishonesty and dis-ingenuousness are.
Rule Number 6. Challenge your fellow politicians to join with your candidacy or provide policy ideas of their own that reflects a commitment to serve "The People."
Rule Number 7. Be open to changing your ideas if you learn something that would better serve the people than your own.
3
I think it’s very helpful to list the findings of the survey mentioned. But the author doesn’t mention what the most important priorities for the Black community are. Because despite what the author says about Blacks not being a monolithic group, they behave as one. Blacks vote 90+% Democrat. The community has to decide its priorities and push for them
Another important point the author overlooks: Whites are going to remain a majority in America for the foreseeable future. Relying on higher birth rates to change that dynamic in the near term is unwise.
And finally, the Democratic coalition has more disparate groups than the Republican one. Despite the author’s dismissal of identity politics, it’s important to remember that the largest identity group in the US is Whites. The emergence of Whites as a voting bloc that defines itself primarily on the basis of race is relatively recent (and it’s reasonable to conclude that it’s a reaction to the identity politics of the left).
The only group large enough to counteract the Republican White bloc - which is mainly non-college educated White males - is White women. And they are going to demand primacy in the party. Which is undoubtedly galling and deeply frustrating for Blacks, who have been the strongest supporters of the Democratic Party for decades. But without White women, the Democrats will remain in the political wilderness for a very long time.
The coming struggle for primacy in the Democratic Party will be interesting.
3
@me
Yeah. Some of us like white men. Some of us want our grandchildren, whether male, female, white or multi-race, to grow up being proud of who they are. It isn't fair to ask little white boys to be ashamed of themselves.
6
I’m privileged by that same accident of fate that afflicts people of color. I’m white, blonde, and born into the upper middle class.
But, if I were born to economically afflicted class and of color, aside from raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour and equal access to medical help, I would demand better grade schools for all, especially in cities and towns where both poor whites and people of color suffer from terrible grade and high schools.
I think it is more difficult electorally to hive off people by the color of our skin. We need to look, instead, at poverty. It’s easier in that it will find more approval to seek remedies at the class level instead of by the color of our skins.
1
To all the commenters criticizing the author, Alicia Garza, for "practicing identity politics," I have some questions:
Can you read English? And if so, do you bother to do so?
For instance, did you read the sub-title? "We long for the same things as everyone else, and yet few campaigns treat us as if our experiences matter." In other words, Ms. Garza is in fact pointing out that it's the candidates and politicians who are practicing "identity politics," not Black people who are asking to be separately identified. Black people want to be INCLUDED, like everyone else. And if they were actually treated equally, you wouldn't be hearing from Black people.
The only thing Black Americans want to be identified as by candidates and politicians, is as Americans.
1
Why is there no black-centric political party? Recruiting it's own candidates, running in selected districts where victory is possible and advocating for the important concerns of African-Americans? Forming alliances with the major parties when it suits our agenda, going our own way when not. Where was our fat cat leadership all these years feathering their nests instead of building a real movement? Sharpton, Jackson, Waters, Conyers -- self-satisfied, content to hurl invective, never stepping onto the big stage of actual responsibility. Comics are laughed with; fools are laughed at.
5
Black Lives Matter- Thank you!! Please keep up the amazing work.
NYT- this is not an opinion piece. This shows hard data on what people of color are saying and expressing. This should be a headline rather than in Opinions.
Candidates- LISTEN!! Read this and follow through!! Black people are VOTERS and are important. Black people influence their white and non-black friends.
White allys- READ THIS AND FOLLOW UP WITH THE CANDIDATES!!! Your privilege needs to be used to change the agenda and make them hear what POC are saying.
Black folk are either American black, or black. Your survey, while interesting, seems to imply that Americans are the definition of "black" rather than Africans, which is nonsense. Africa south of the Sahara is black. I am pretty sure if I were to meet you in person my first thought would be that you are American, and secondly that you are black (more likely a shade of brown). but I would do that only because the peculiarity of my experiences has provided me with a wide data base -- sample size -- of human behaviors from different cultures. I really have grown tired of hearing things pushed on the basis of being "black." You have legitimate beefs and should push them forward on the basis you are American, through and through. American black culture is a huge part of American culture and trying to separate it out through identity politics is no longer helpful for Democrats.
You are American. Demand your piece of the pie as an Americans first, and as a black people, second, or not at all. People accepting other people is optional. We are tribal in nature. As part of the American tribe you don't need acceptance, you need -- as Abraham Lincoln said -- an equal chance to get rich along with everybody else.
So-called "white privilege" is situational -- I know because of the numerous times and places in America where being white meant I was the target. I endured, and so have American black folk. The road is hard and long.
btw, I have Viking roots. We went everywhere.
8
As a white male my use of the term Identity Politics is narrowly restricted to Democratic politicians using marginalized groups as convenient props for election purposes and then abandoning them when it’s time to govern and be their advocates .
It has nothing to do with recognizing and valuing a wide array of people from all walks of life .
I see this misconstrued on a regular basis and I can tell you from the Left that denigrating cynical Establishment deployment of Identity Politics is wholly separate from the importance of identity.
4
This type of identity politics is the primary reason that the democrats lost, and will lose, the next presidential election. It is time we moved beyond race and, as Mr. King said, judged others solely by "the content of their character."
383
@Robert Howard-Agreed...In Hillary's case, identity or Neo feminist female identity politics. She handed us the ego maniac demagogue Trump on a silver platter to us by co depending and enabling him just like she did with her husband.
Her main selling point? I am not Trump and I am a woman so vote for me, the era of the white man is over.
It not only ticked off men, also many white women, a majority did not vote for her.
69
@Robert Howard....While I agree that identity politics is a trap for Democrats, and this article makes instructive points, the identity stuff doesn’t really need to be pointed out re this excellent article.
46
@Robert Howard
In democracy, the experience of the individual matters. In problem solving, experience matters. American Pragmatism is based on the idea that the self and conscience is the voice of the inner problem solver. I agree, identity politics is about pretending that a group matters as much as the individual conscience does, however, the point of this essay is to show that the experiences of a very important and even powerful brand of people is a resource that has been largely under valued. Dr. King was speaking of how white people judge by race, rather than character, and the columnist is saying that white politicians are determining the content of their politics based on excluding the content of the experience and character of those of other races. You seem to have missed the point.
43
I am a seventy-seven year old white guy and I find nothing to quibble with in this straightforward and concise essay. I am tired of white voters who think that if a candidate acknowledges the broken promises to women and people of color, this denotes an ignoring of the grievances of the white majority. This essay spells out strongly how addressing the concerns of various groups means benefits for all groups, the same as saying it benefits society as a whole. Stop the knee-jerk cliches about identity politics and political correctness.
292
@arp
I'm with @arp, same age, but a white woman who will be eligible for subsidized housing after my mate dies, and I completely agree with Ms. Garza's essay points. What other demographic votes 75% for the Democratic candidates? Whichever one of you candidates reaches out and asks groups of black people what they think of your policies, you move to the top of my list.
9
The divisions of black, brown and white have become intense since the election of Trump. His racists attitudes have given permission to hateful people to speak and act out.
If you want to have a conversation with a politician invite them to your group meeting or church meetings. They want to hear what your concerns are.
I think it is important for people to know that the federal government only effects at 15% of your daily life, the state government about 40% and the local government is about 80%, yet so many people do not vote locally. Most think that federal government is running everything because of all media attention given to federal government.
Your state government provides affordable housing, medical coverage, schools, state or county policing. The local government provides affordable housing, schools, street lights, water and local policing.
If you want change you must first understand which government body is responsible for the change you want or need, and then support and vote for the candidates who will work to make that change. There is not one presidential candidate who can stop police violence against black and brown people, that can only happen on the state, county and local level.
The Democrats approach is to include every one, the party has a wide umbrella get under it. Women are successfully taking over several state governments, it’s a good place for black and brown people to also work towards.
10
@Truscha I haven't seen any proof that women are better than men. They can take bribes and participate in corruption that drive cities and states to ruin just like men.
To all those commentators here who complain that Ms. Garza is promoting identity politics,
What do you think Trump and the GOP's straight-white-male-America-First rhetoric and policies are?
Today's GOP is the home and apex of modern identity politics, and its birthplace, as well, thanks to Nixon's Southern strategy.
"Identity politics" isn't a label just for the interests of those "other people." It's about YOU, too.
540
@Brian Haley Thanks for flashing your headlights with an early warning. Identity politics as retort is the go-to for the privileged, whose identities secure them daily.
40
@Brian Haley Please do not generalize and include this white man with anything associated with Trump and the GOP. I'll have none of it. It is your identity politics answering another's identity politics that causing all the trouble.
42
Conservatives view white heterosexual male as the ‘standard’. To then, it’s only identity politics when talking about women, gay people, and people of color.
55
America comes first, Ms Garza... not individuals or advocacy groups.
2
Those of us on the left who are put off by identity politics are put off by all forms of it. I lament that Democrats target resources to an aging white demographic.
But the solution can't be to redirect funds to cater specifically black voters, either. It should be to mobilize voters regardless of their skin color, to promote policies for the betterment of all, to offer an inspiring vision of unity to all Americans - as opposed to offering a collection of fragmented, targeted advertisements to various groups of folks.
3
It is certainly true that black voters have a history of showing up for white, Democratic candidates who don't always address their needs. But some of that is driven by numbers. Obama was interested in the black community, but he had a political reality to face. It is hard to push through policies in this country that only serve 13% of the country, although if you include Latinx voters, the number of people of color is larger than that, and growing. This is why smart political leaders (including Martin Luther King and Bernie Sanders) have focused their policies around things that would serve both the working-class white and working-class black voters. More gets accomplished for black people by looking across class lines without creating a sense of grievance in the majority of voters who aren't black (and deserved or not, that sense of grievances is very real. Just look at the comments from white men complaining about "identity politics" when anyone dares to mention their race or gender.)
In America today, you still have to work around white male anxiety to get anything meaningful done for any other group. That may be changing with demographics, but it remains true. And Trump's support is pretty clearly the last grasp at power from the group that is about to get outvoted as people of color become the majority -- and knows it.
The takeaway for me from this poll is that progressive politics are winning politics. If only the Democratic party would take notice.
1
I suppose I should not have been surprised by the attack on Ms. Garza as promoting identity politics. And I was definitely not surprised by the response that the modern GOP is “home and apex of modern identity politics.” But isn’t “identity politics” more broadly—not necessarily by race but by some identifiable characteristic—what both parties do in order to fashion winning coalitions?
There is the “Catholic vote,” the “Evangelical vote,” the “suburban women’s vote.” I could go on and on. How is what Ms. Garza has done any different? More to the point, how is trying to ascertain the interests and concerns of any identifiable constituency somehow wrong?
The whole issue of “identity politics” is not the ascertainment of interests/concerns broadly held by groups identified by one characteristic or other. It comes when that interest is exclusionary—or when it is portrayed as zero-sum, even when it is not—and when a political party caters to that exclusionary interest. The GOP, for example, has fingered the fear of loss of white privilege, white “purity,” as a concern held by a broad segment of Evangelicals, and so they have responded with border walls and increased efforts to suppress minority voting.
This is not to say no Dems has ever engaged in exclusionary “identity politics.” But taken as a whole the Democratic Party appears to be trying to bring everybody into the fold, on a level field, rather than working to keep large segments out.
1
3 in 4 survey respondents say they voted in the last election. Yet Pew Research says less than 60% of eligible black voters turned out. This suggests that the survey is perhaps highly unrepresentative, and should be taken with a huge grain of salt.
1
This is an interesting and informative look at a group of Americans and their views. Some decry it and dismiss this as identity politics. But understanding what groups of people in different settings believe and experience has value. If this had been done entirely in a representative and diverse group of white people the results would be different. So controlling for factors such as a race as this study did has methodological and statistical advantages and the results have value. Note: any time we do not control for or weight for race in sampling, whites will dominate any survey responses due to chance and it becomes in essence a poll of white Americans. But no one decries that as identity politics. Probably because white is assumed to be the default and not often explicitly stated. Doesn’t make it any less of an identity, political or otherwise.
1
An important ingredient to win is to win the electoral vote in presidential elections. It’s probably money poorly spent to bring more blacks out in the south or on the coasts. The south is hopeless so far except I’m Va and Md, and on the coasts there are already plenty of democrats. That leave the rust belt.
3
A telling snapshot of America: black voters want what everyone else: health care, a living wage, a chance to go to college; unlike everyone else these things are more desperately needed by many black voters (and it seems, the typical Trump voter who instead votes for huge tax breaks for the super rich, more corporate welfare, and dirty air, no workplace protections, out-of reach health care and education.)
A very interesting and telling article but a bit myopic, which is understanding. It makes the same mistakes toward us white people that they complain about politicians making about blacks. The core of white, middle class whites are being ignored.
My concerns as a retired, white, middle class man (socially liberal, fiscally conservative )are:
> Repeal the GOP tax on social security income - pander to me as well as students.
> Interest on credit cards say prime plus %
> Cost of prescription drugs - government to negotiate prices, allow imports.
No one is addressing what I consider concerns of a large block of voters.
This campaign I'm going with "Absolutely anyone else" but that anyone needs to convince me that are just as concerned about me as they are blacks or students.
3
This reminds me of the surveys the Joint Center For Political Studies would do, over the years!
I have always admired politicians who have tried to unite people, rather than divide them. Ms. Garza's all-in commitment to identity politics is disappointing if understandable.
I do suspect her harsh words about "aging white voters" makes it easier for some whites to vote Republican even if their economic interests align more closely with democrats.
I don't ever expect to see post-racial elections, but I don't see how articles like these really serve anyone's interests.
6
When I was around 8 years old my father bought a pharmacy in a predominantly black neighborhood. Being white, he wrongfully assumed that black people liked to shop and make purchases like he did. His business was in trouble almost immediately. Black customers filled prescriptions but spent little else in his store. He hired a middle-aged black woman from the neighborhood who completely turned the buisiness around in a matter of two or three months by simply gearing the products he sold to his customer base. Business boomed and he eventually sold the store to this incredibly warm woman, who in turn sold out to CVS, retiring with a nice nest egg. My lesson from all of this? I viewed black people as an economic force ( and a market) to be respected and pursued. I'm not a politician and I don't know much about political theory, but to ignore or marginalize the needs and thoughts of such a massive part of our population means, at a minimum, risking votes and money.
5
Black people need to vote if they want all this stuff. They need to learn about candidates and parties and show up at the voting booth.
What won't work is not voting because they wish a candidate could be better. Vote for the best candidate that also has a chance of winning.
Voting for a perfect candidate that has no chance of winning won't work either. It may make a starment but it won't get you what you want unless you only want to make a statement.
4
I find it bizarre that the reparations question wasn't asked to ADOS citizens. Reparations is the debt owed to ADOS by the United States of America, not a HANDOUT like The New Deal which excluded Black Americans as it created the White middle class and the wealth they have today. Dr King spoke about reparations shortly before his assassination .
It's ridiculous to think a group of people who are still oppressed can "work their way" out of generational poverty w/o reparations from the government who placed them into that situation thru laws, practices and policies that still keep us as the underclass of all Americans. IDK if Ms Garza is ADOS or not but she did a huge injustice to Blacks and America by not asking about reparations which will help level the inequality that has plagued Black Americans since the 18th century to modern days. I suggest Ms Garza speak with Dr Darity, Antonio Moore and Yvette Carnell who has the Data to show why the time for reparations is now. Please Do your Work before attempting to speak about ADOS and our plight. We are different ADOS (American Descendant of Slaves) are not the same as our Black immigrant brother & sisters either.
Unfortunately race is how the 1 percent divide us regular folks up.
Black voters don’t feel listened to?
Let me tell you, white voters aren’t feeling particularly listened to either.
We all know who really gets listened to. It’s the rich people, the campaign donors and corporations. If you are black and show up with a wad of cash, you’ll get listened to. If you are white and you don’t have cash? Ha. Black voters who think whites people are listened to should know that.
The problems facing so many Americans, such as poor health care, failing schools, colleges out of reach, a shrinking middle class, non-responsive governance, disenfranchisement, never ending debt, these are problems all of us non-rich people share. To the extent there is a difference among races, it’s a difference of degree.
Is there racism? Yes. Are there structural biases facing black people that whites don’t face? Yes.
But we wont solve these issues if the white working and middle class feels threatened. Fear enhances tribalism.
Find a politician that will address the economic problems of the middle and working classes of every color and that will create a far more conducive environment to fight racism than our current precarious, every man for himself economy.
Emphasizing our differences rather than our common interests is exactly what rich people want us to do.
8
@serrated - "Emphasizing our differences rather than our common interests is exactly what rich people want us to do."
And it's working. :(
3
"To solve these challenges, respondents propose raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour; making college affordable for anyone who wants to attend; and requiring the government to provide health care and adequate housing for everyone. A vast majority of them want to see the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes."
OK. Of the current candidates for president, which platform most strongly agrees with the above? This reminds me of Stacey Abram's campaign - simple, focused and deliberate. Here are the priority needs of not just Black America, but most of America. This is not complicated in expressing needs and ways to address them. Let's get to it. We need leaders who can deliver, period. Are they running for office today? If yes, vote them in.
Revive Malcolm X's message of self-reliance. Why depend on politicians (even black politicians) to get you what you want?
5
Ok, I think I've got this...black people want the same things that other Americans want, but the problem is that politicians aren't specifically asking black people what they want.
5
"In California, where I live, the Democratic Party reportedly raised $30 million in the last election cycle but spent only about $50,000 on black voter engagement."
Black voters in California are 77% Democrat registered vs. 4% Republican registered. The 2016 vote, black voters went for Clinton over Trump 88%/9% (+79%). Exactly how much are you suggesting the Democrats invest in chasing down that last 9%?
The Democrats already have a strong platform to help minorities and those with limited wealth (progressive taxation, healthcare reform, AFDC, jobs training, education reforms, consumer protection, social safety net). On the other side, Republicans are apologetically racially hostile in their rhetoric and their policies, nominating a guy who openly uses racist terms and gleefully stomps on every racial issue he can think of.
The argument has already been won and most every black person knows who is one their side.
4
This study is an excellent first step -- a focus on how lives are lived has never been more relevant to good government. There is the "taken for granted" issue that acts like a stumbling block for many minority voters' relationship with their favorite political party. If your group votes 90% for one party all he time, your loyalty, instead of becoming a source of power, leads to a complacent attitude by both parties. The one you vote for takes you for granted, and the one you don't vote for has little to lose by ignoring you.
Political parties are like the service at a restaurant. If you keep coming back and leave the same tip every time, the service will quickly learn to make you a low priority (unless it's a very big tip.) Entree cold, can't get the bill so you can make the start of the movie, forgot the soup spoon? No matter to the wait staff.
If you never go to the other restaurant on the block, they'll never have a nice table or recommend what the chef is best at cooking -- unless you become a "regular."
To get maximum good service, you leave a better tip when the service is better, and you go to both restaurants -- or eat at home more -- without picking a favorite.
You can't make them compete for your "Vote" if only one of them can expect you to show up.
The only way to get more attention seems to be to adopt a very fickle pattern of behavior. If black voters were consistently 60-40 or 40-60, both parties would jump to respond.
4
I urge the young and blacks to vote in numbers in 2020 like they did in 2018 as opposed to 2016. If they don’t vote in large numbers good things will not happen for them and for our country.
2
If black voters had turned out at 2012 numbers in 2016, Hillary Clinton would be president. If Trump can't motivate a high turnout, what can?
4
Both parties are beholden to their donors; they throw crumbs and rhetoric to attract voters. Nothing substantial happens. We have been dead in the water for many years now. Maybe we need a parliamentary system.
Democrats ignore the homeless on their doorsteps while they warble about reparations. Many jobs have not paid a living wage for years.
You really think Biden is going to do anything about all this?
3
How can "black communities" be instumental in deciding the next president" when gerrymandering is so strong especially in the south. There has been a concerted effort to diminish the black peoples' vote and the attempt to suppress votes in general in this country is another hideous example of what was once a democracy. If there is a chance for any change this would more likely come from the democrats.
2
What I find cringe worthy is a single African American left wing political activist purports to speak for all American blacks. As if it is a monolithic group with a single political outlook. The very premise of which is preposterous on its face.
9
The worst thing to come out of Pres. Obama's terms was the an expansion of the idea that race trumps character, truth, fairness, the law . . . or defines them. He (and Michelle) are somewhat to blame. Occasionally, he takes the right approach, reminding people of the improvement in his own lifetime and that here and now is the best time ever for minorities (little covered by the press), but at times he threw logs on the fire, like by saying had he a son, he would have looked like Trayvon Martin would have (there was a good reason the jury found George Zimmerman innocent - the evidence was overwhelming in his favor) or reflexively leaping into the Henry Louis Gates fracas, or engaging with BLM (I can't get past the "death to cops" chants which sometimes inspired murder, the insistence that "all lives matter" is wrong, the interruption of political meetings, their working with the fascistic Antifa, etc.).
Instead of embracing MLK, Jr.'s message that we should judge each other by our character and not by skin color, the current leadership (with some exceptions) has encouraged feelings of victimization, unequal rights and one-sided media, often racism against whites, and to seek the change they want through violence and intimidation.
Of course, racism still exists. Of course, there is still work to be done and it is hard going. But, we will not return to the downward trend until we go back to King's dream. Campaigns, like all of us, should focus on character, not color.
7
I like the concept but I'm not sure the author and her survey are telling me a whole lot. First, there's way to much rhetoric. Most politicians don't ask most voters (regardless of color) what they want. This is a ridiculous standard. And saying that the candidates are talking "at" Black voters instead of "to" them. is just more rhetoric.
Also, you have to wonder about the author's data when she reports that: "Nearly three in four respondents said they voted in the 2016 presidential election ...."
I am assuming that's what her study shows but what that indicates is that this is a skewed survey. National data shows that Black participation dropped sharply in 2016 coming in at under 60% (which was significantly lower than white participation).
I like when candidates in the Democratic party connect with Black voters and it is disappointing when they don't. But, it's just off-putting when the author moves from in effect saying: "pay attention to Black voters" to "don't pay attention to White voters."
3
Blacks don't think politicians care about them?
Excellent reality testing, that.
They don't care about poor whites, either. It's all about pandering to the on-the-fence voters during election season and then doing what the wealthy want them to do once the election is over. The best way for a black person to get politicians to listen to him or her is to become a billionaire.
It's pretty much always been this way, except for perhaps a few decades after WWII.
We've always lived in a plutocracy with a democratic facade.
5
Great article! Thank you for publishing this piece!
According to the graphs, there are only two ‘races’ in the US, Black and white. That’s not the way the country looks today.
We all elected Obama. Some of us sat out the race in 2016. If ‘we’ do that in 2020, Trump stays in the Whitehouse.
One of the biggest challenges afflicting poor Blacks is single parent households. Why no questions about holding fathers financially responsible for their children? I think whoever put this ‘survey’ together had their answers figured out before they asked the questions.
4
White people who think identity politics is a problem, have totally missed the boat, and are doomed to losing electoral strategies.
As long as Republicans see identity politics as their solution, white Democrats must find a way to meaningfully partner with voters of color to fight this immoral and destructive approach that nevertheless wins elections for the actual minority.
Would love to find out the methodology behind this study.The numbers do not make sense.Did the responders disappointment was the same for Democrats and Republicans?The Black Community is the most racially cohesive group electing people because of their race.Unfortunately we get people like the Mayor of Baltimore and DA Foxx.
Obama was supported by the vast majority of Blacks and his actions were the most detrimental for the community.
Under Trump we got prison reform,fewer food stamp receivers ,low unemployment, in public housing priority is given to citizens over illegals.Secure borders will raise wages for the poorest among us.
2
Black people need to vote in order for their interests and concerns to be heard. Unfortunately those numbers are declining.
Get out the vote!
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2017/05/18/census-shows-pervasive-decline-in-2016-minority-voter-turnout/
Among minority groups, black Americans showed the sharpest decline in voter turnout– 7.1 percent since 2012. At 59.6 percent, it was the lowest black turnout rate since 2000. This is notable because 2012 was the first year since records were kept that black turnout eclipsed white turnout nationally. The 2016 black turnout rate lies nearly six points behind that of the white turnout rate.
4
Yesss! This is a game-changer. I hope it changes the national dialogue TODAY! Information rich, no one deny the power of a well-executed national survey of 33,000 black Americans.
I cannot wait to read. it. Way to go, Black Census Project. Change is going to come.
1
I have been writing about American and European politics and policy for 50 years. I have come to one conclusion that may help - the labeling people by their color, religion, natal nation, creed, or any moniker akin to race as race does not exist at all save for perhaps the "human" race the word raceand was invented simply to one against the other.As a post-abolition abolitionist and bearing the scars I believe that all the terms like Black, White, Yellow, Christian, Jew, Quaker, Moslem, African and even American unless in a gerneral sense. Without that I wouls be a White Agnostic, Activist Edittor, Blonde and Blue Eyed who shuns neonazi policy and politics and any harmful attacks on anyone, and in my case - as an adopted child and pro feminist - Pro Life of all people, animals, plants, as well as a vital combatant against all Bigotry which is capitalized in many western and developing nations in a frightening large sense. Forget the labels everyone - they exist only to pit one against another - study that!
3
Black Americans make up about 13% of the population according to the most recent census. While I believe everyone should be treated equally, do black Americans think they should be courted by politicians more than 13% of the time?
6
I am white,male and a retired septuagenarian.Add me to the doesn’t care about people like me totals
5
Of course the politicians ignore the black voter, the republicans know that they will never get the black vote and the democrats know that the black voter will continue to vote for them no matter what. Not rocket science here.
1
Crisis of culture not of opportunity. It's a bit infuriating to again hear this narrative that black people have it so hard in the United States. People risk life and limb to come to America so that they can take advantage of the bountiful opportunities here. And they do, repeatedly come here and realize the American dream. To rid themselves of the victim mentality, work hard, pursue further/higher education, keep families intact, etc., would go a long way in helping get 'What Black People Want'.
3
Black Americans vote overwhelmingly for Democrats no matter who they are or what they say. And you wonder why politicians don't really care about what blacks think? I guarantee you if the voting was closer to 60/40 or 50/50 there would be a huge amount of attention paid to black voters. Democrats don't care since the votes are taken for granted and Republicans figure there is nothing they can do to get black votes.
the best thing black voters could do would be show a willingness to change their voting habits. If they did both Republicans and Democrats would change their attitudes towards them.
1
Anyone who claims to know what an entire segment of society "wants", and in this case, a segment with tens of millions of people, is delusional.
7
What your analysis shows is that white folks matter to white folks, and their money. An important data set to collect would be how white supremacy is hurting white folks and the ways that white folks are completely ignorant of the harm it is causing white folks. If you want to change white folks and their political attention to black folks, you must change their perceptions of what white supremacy is doing to white folks, you must hit white folks where the live. Some of us may feel sorry for black folks, but we must personally feel the damage of our actions to ourselves before we’re going to change how we appreciate and treat black folks.
It's difficult to reconcile this analysis with the results of recent presidential elections.
"The most important issues for respondents were also the most important issues facing the rest of the country — low wages, lack of quality health care, substandard housing, rising college costs and different sets of rules for the wealthy and the poor."
This sounds like a pitch for Bernie Sanders, because it actually is precisely his agenda. But despite the efforts of (most notably) Erica Garner (the daughter of Eric Garner), the black primary electorate voted in incredibly disproportionate numbers for Clinton, a rich candidate known for referring to urban black men as super-predators, and who promised to govern as a moderate rather than progressive on these issues.
Meanwhile, in mid-western urban areas like Detroit, Cleveland, and Milwaukee, the general election turnout of people of color dropped dramatically from the Obama years.
And today, we see the same dynamic - the black primary electorate is embracing Joe Biden, of all people. Another moderate, who treated Anita Hill with disrespect and helped birth mass incarceration.
So, while I agree that Democrats should take the advice offered herein, the black community needs to put its money where its mouth is, too. Actually support candidates that support the community's agenda, not just the best-known candidate. And don't let up for the general election, no matter what barriers to the polls the Republicans erect.
4
Lots of defensive comments on here, which falls into what the author said is representative of America. There are still a lot of white people thinking that equity is pie and if someone different gets more attention it's a threat. This is the kind of thinking that hurts us, and until those folks can get on board with equity (everyone getting what they need to be successful) - not equality (everyone getting the same thing) - we'll stay in this same boat forever.
1
This is most sensible analysis I've seen from Alicia Garza on black voters, and you could also make the case to extend this analysis to other minority groups. I'd love to see a Latino Census Project for example, pls continue with this work, Alicia.
2
If three quarters of the people you talked to had voted in the 2016 election, then that was a skewed sample. The overall black turnout rate in 2016 was just under 60%. You talked to a population that was significantly more politically engaged than the general population, and this likely skews your other results as well.
5
As long as I can remember, politicians have talked about the unemployment rate among African Americans and particularly their youth. Everything bad in their lives was generated by the lack of job opportunity. One side blamed the trouble on the lack of government support. The other side claimed that there was too much government support that just sustains a welfare state. I knew a lady who was head of child protection services for the county I live in. She said that most of the problems of alcoholism, spousal abuse, and child neglect came from not being able to provide basic necessities like food, clothing, or even warmth in the winter. Then Trump came along and promised jobs. Once elected, he did what most politicians never think of doing, he kept his promise. In two years, the overall unemployment rate dropped to the lowest level in fifty years. But the unemployment rate for African Americans, their youth, Hispanics and women dropped to the lowest rate ever. The handicapped, who were losing jobs before Trump, increased jobs by 7-11%. In the two years Trump has been president, 4.8 million jobs were created. All of this was accomplished with Mueller over his head. Some complained that wages were stagnant but they cannot make that claim now. Most people want a job, have someone to love, have a family, own a home. Those hopes are color blind. Trump has worked so those hopes can be fulfilled. and his opponents will do anything to keep him off the ballot in 2020. Can they?
3
As an African American man with a graduate degree, what bothers me a lot is the failure to mention what black men earn vis-a-vis white men, white woman and black women. Black men and Latino men are never mentioned when this subject arises.
My suspicion is that black men may make less than white men, white women and black women. Another issue that disturbs me is that black women are always mentioned as the backbone of the Democratic Party, while blackmen are rarely or never mentioned.
We know that in slavery black men were relegated below black women by slave holders to better control their chattel. Additionally, most African societies were matriarchal in nature, so the this policy was easier to implement in slave society.
During reconstruction black men were imprisoned in great numbers in the south, so they would not be allowed to vote, once they were Freedmen. Hence, a convicted felon to this day cannot vote, insuring a lower number of black voters.
In Hirst v United Kingdom (2005)The European Court of Human Rights ruled that a blanket ban on prisoners voting was contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights.
Until research is published on the earnings of black men in relation to others in the American population and the consequences of "Mass Incarceration" of black and latino men in this country this survey while informative, is incomplete.
95
@Hal Skinner This article may address some of your comments: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/01/racial-gender-wage-gaps-persist-in-u-s-despite-some-progress/
"In 2015, average hourly wages for black and Hispanic men were $15 and $14, respectively, compared with $21 for white men. Only the hourly earnings of Asian men ($24) outpaced those of white men.
Among women across all races and ethnicities, hourly earnings lag behind those of white men and men in their own racial or ethnic group. But the hourly earnings of Asian and white women ($18 and $17, respectively) are higher than those of black and Hispanic women ($13 and $12, respectively) – and also higher than those of black and Hispanic men."
17
@Hal Skinner
@Judith Scarl beat me to sharing the article.
I'll give the percentages versus the dollar values. It comes out to 73% of white men wages for black men and, the article notes, that percentage hasn't changed in nearly 40 YEARS. Talk about stalled progress. Black women have narrowed from 56% to 65% in the same span. White women went from 60% to 82% in the same span.
I would hazard a guess that black women are used so often in articles like these because of the significant disparity between political engagement and wage disparity. They are one of, if not the most, engaged politically yet reap fewer economic benefits than other demographics.
8
@Hal Skinner
You are incorrect. Black men make more than black women. https://iwpr.org/publications/gender-wage-gap-2017/
9
If you want "the same things as everyone else," why do the experiences of citizens have to be sliced by color, gender, gender preference, race, ethnicity, etc? Why can't we look for candidates who support voting rights, affordable health care, decent jobs and good educations for all?
8
The survey results are interesting. Blacks are in many ways just like the rest of America. They criticize the elites that speak at them but not to them. They complain about low incomes, inadequate health care, poor housing, etc. They also want fairness in taxes. There are no mentions of climate change, immigration or Islamophobia that are central Democratic politics.
The author recommends some redistribution of wealth. Redistribution is merely a palliative. Increasing wages to $15.00 will drive automation and loss of jobs that can pay this wage. The solution is in the problem of growth, not redistribution.
The author recommends that the Democrats should return to the politics of identity and invest more money in mobilizing blacks. The politics of identity delivered the defeat for the Democrats in 2016. Why would it give them victory in 2020? Incidentally, the author puts her finger on a real problem. There is not enough money to go around. Democrats have to make choices. The author’s critique of these choices is at odds with her main point that politicians should talk to not at the people. If you talk to people why do you need to spend money to bring them your message? That’s how elites operate because they make decisions and then they have to convince their potential voters; they have to talk at, not to. It seems that in this respect President Trump who, however amateurishly, maintains direct contact with his voters is way ahead of the Democrats.
6
YES. That’s it. Just Yes.
Businesses focus on those w/ money. Of course.
Who speaks for those w/ little money & less power? Government is the vehicle for action to address our _common_ needs. While these needs are seldom exclusive to minority communities, they experience them more profoundly. Address common needs from the bottom up, and _everyone_ benefits.
1
Just had one ,well,but not really ,only ,kind of looked the part.Instead of taking care of Americans ,he brought more outsiders here ,millions for US taxpayers to attend to ,put the burden on.Now they only want more burden on the working taxpayer,nobody else pays taxes ,the wealthy only contribute to the donations to politicians who in turn look for programs to give away taxpayers hard working dollars in order to attract votes. It's called a vicious circle.
2
Great project. And it wouldn't surprise anyone to hear that most voters agree with the poll results.
The fix is to get the money out of politics. Elections are a multi-billion dollar enterprise, supported by government, the media and the entertainment industry. There is so much money floating around that no one ever talks about getting rid of it.
We need mandatory public campaign financing so our elected officials in government represent the people, and not the money.
2
The two ways to get money out of politics is to get politics out of money — or abolish the First Amendment.
When politics through government determine how vast sums of money are moved using government power over people freely deciding what to do with their money, those having their money taken and those receiving will want a say in politics. If government compels people to move their money to only a small degree or not at all, the need to spend money on politics becomes much smaller.
Freedom of speech requires that people can use resources (which frequently requires spending money) and people forming groups to effectively communicate their speech to a wide audience. The First Amendment protects these rights through freedom of the press, which we all have - not just giant corporations like the NY Times, and freedom of assembly.
1
Taking the race card out of campaigns would be a refreshing first step. Voters should reject any politician that caters to group identity and focus on the candidates that have the Country's best interests, and it's citizens interests at heart.
16
To paraphrase Johnny Cochran, "Time to play the Race Card!" Even if there is nothing to indicate racism or bias, saying there is will make people cower and drive a portion of them away.
1
It's so difficult for white people to accept the simple fact that politicians (and most others in power) do not ask and do not listen to the particular concerns of black people, who from the birth of our nation were slaves, were disenfranchised and defrauded for a hundred+ years after emancipation, and only in the last 50 years have achieved equal rights under the law? And *still* live in segregated neighborhoods and experience differential application of justice/incarceration? While *some* of the issues are the same that poor whites experience, is it really so difficult for white readers to recognize and acknowledge that racism DOES still exist, and the black community does have some unique concerns that should be listened to and understood by leaders expecting their vote?
Instead, commenters quibble with the author's stats or the way they worded a statement, or stump for their preferred candidate/party, or say it's the same for all people in poverty. Proving the author's primary point.
20
@Mary Fitzpatrick Well, Mary, I’m a middle class white and no one has ever asked me what I wanted either. So maybe it isn’t always about racism.
4
The problem with the article and the media, is referring to some 'invisible' black community. The article/author points out the diversity of black interests, views and opinions, then later refers to some ONE black community. There is no black community, there are some black communities, but black American are not some group think band of individuals. The usage of "black community" is misleading, and a misnomer. Where is a so called 'white community'? Gee, a consistent and redundant application of a misnomer does not magically turn it into a fact.
11
Black Americans are Americans. Addressing the needs of the 99 percent of Americans is in the best interests of all Americans. We need to be together on this and not fractured.
The author laments that no politician had asked most politically engaged black people what their lives were like. Surprise! Independent voter here. White. Nobody has asked me either, despite volunteering and contributing to campaigns.
Anything that fractures the 99.9 percent is not helpful. We are all in this together. The donor class wants us to fight with each other. Don’t let them keep winning.
14
@JK This is a transparent attempt to ignore and erase the experience of black Americans.
Wouldn't you have thought that with the election of the first black President, who's term ran for eight consecutive years, that black Americans would have a higher opinion of government? Black unemployment is at an all time low, wages have risen. That's a positive. Government isn't the cure all for unfortunate circumstances and bad life choices. Throwing up that politicians talk at blacks, not to them, is a cop out. People talk at you when you don't agree with, or don't particularily want to hear what they're saying. When they're singing your song, they're talking to you. White Americans get talked at a lot also.
For things to change people have to engage and be part of the process. Sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to bring it to you never fulfills your desires. The great equalizer in politics is the vote. It cost nothing for a person to cast a ballot and the poor man's vote is just as valuable as any resident of Park Avenue.
9
@Kurt Pickard
How about working end the gerrymandering and voter suppression in the right wing states? Then may be you would have a point; otherwise not.
6
@Kurt Pickard. Read the article, which includes statistics on the high percentage of black women involved in the political process.
4
@Kurt Pickard
Surely you are aware of voter suppression laws? The dismantling of the Voting Rights Act? You understand the history of the USA?
8 years of a black president should lead folks to have a higher opinion of government?!
Do working class white men have a high opinion of government? They've had 44 presidents who look like them.
1
The two tables in this article are very telling, and very depressing. They show how few African Americans feel as though they can trust the American Government to do what is right for their communities. They show how many African Americans feel as though politicians only care about rich people and white people. Who can blame them for feeling these ways when our Government has repeatedly passed policies that harm African American communities, and has taken away policies that have helped African American communities for cost reasons?
We as a country must change the way we treat African Americans, we must put a focus on helping their communities, we must pass policies that improve their standard of living. We have let down our fellow men and women, that is a fact that cannot be argued. Politicians must make more of an effort to get to know African American communities, they must make an effort to show that they care...truly care...about African Americans.
Despite being one of the largest groups in the United States, African Americans are continually one of the most marginalized. They deal with much more than us Caucasions could ever truly understand. Our Government must stop focusing only on what benefits the rich or the white. It's time for us to focus on what benefits all.
As Tupac once rapped: "We gotta make a change,
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some, changes...let's change the way we live,
And let's change the way we treat each other..."
45
@Cameron C. Respectfully, you have misread the article. If the survey reveals much (and it doesn’t, by the way) it’s that black voters care mostly about the same things white voters do. Further, the survey doesn’t reveal whether black voters think their government cares less about them than white voters do, which your response seems to imply.
10
@Cameron C . Hmm. I'm white and my answers are almost the same, except I don't trust white or black politicians nearly as much.
5
@Cameron C
I can only speak about my very limited experience but I have never known and I mean known an African American to trust their government - ever. That is telling. These are not radical thoughts expressed by radical people. The system is rigged and they knew it.
SNL had Chris Rock and David Chappelle in a skit right after the election was called for Trump (the loser) and it is truly priceless. Business as usual for blacks, end of the world for white Dems.
I am still surprised by my shock as a white person that a politician got away with something...then I think of that skit. How naive and white of me!
3
This isn't so much polling as selective sampling. If 75% are politically engaged, clearly this is not a survey of black people in general, but a survey of black political activists. I'm sure the results match what those paying for the survey intended, but why should this be of interest to anyone? This seems to be simply political activists looking in the mirror, and being pleased with what they see.
8
@Tom Meadowcroft, my experience with voter outreach to both the white and black communities is that blacks--especially black women--ARE more politically active than whites.
2
@Tom Meadowcroft
You have specific facts to back up your guesses?
Could the Times, or one of those reading this article, provide comparable figures for non-black voters for the first graph's questions on rich people, big business, and campaign donors. (I'm not sure I want to know how the "white people" question is answered by white people. I can guess how Trump supporters would answer, though.) Do voters who are not black see politicians' "caring" for those groups differently than black people do?
2
Glad that the author is engaged, I had to take a 14,000 mile trip to vote for HRC but I willingly did so and still think it was worth it.
What are the singular most relevant issues for blacks, especially us men; just staying alive in a US society where all too many think of us as items to practice target shooting. So, for @Mike Marks from Cape Cod, I am highly motivated with the young people on all your 4 items:
#4 - Immigration
#3 - Abortion Rights
#1 - Gun Control
#2 - Global Warming
We have nothing if we don't control the guns, too danged many of them. If we don't address Global warming, only the super wealthy may survive. It was hard to choose between Abortion Rights and Immigration but I opted off to Abortion rights because that should be an accepted for every woman while many immigrants trying to get into the US come from countries or groups who did little at home to save their countries.
I am an old man who just worked a 12 hour day while I am retired AND I loved it. I also exercised like crazy today, as I do every day. I study, work and exercise 7 days a week because I want to be able to always support me AND to help those who are trying to help themselves as well as others.
Yes, I am in SE Asia to escape the guns, most with badges on their garments.
Do I want what others have? I have money & I shudder to know that some people would be devastated by a new $400 obligation.
Get real people, put your priorities in order. It is cheap to live safe in Asia.
Peace
3
In the US, more is done for the minorities and "people of color" then any other country in the world.
They are represented in the US House, US Senate, Former President, multiple cabinet level positions, Governors, Mayors, City Counsels. 7 out of 11 members of City Counsel of Charlotte, NC are "people of color" including Mayor.
Streets through out the US are named after "people of color", we have 1 Holiday when the whole country is shut down to celebrate MLK Day. While the rest of the founders of this country are bundled together and a special day is celebrated to remember them.
Please name one country in the entire world that does more for its minorities than US?
8
@AIM More "is done for..." The people of color and minorities in government presumably worked to get elected and stay elected. And people voted for them. Nothing "was done" for them!!
@AIM Right. Black Americans get one holiday, in celebration of the one Black American whom we laud as a hero in our history books; one street in every town - usually in a black neighborhood; representation in government, albeit under-representation at almost every level. On top of that, black men are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of white men, districts throughout the U.S. have been gerrymandered to diminish the black vote, and laws enacted to discount it, there is racial discrimination in mortgage lending, educational opportunities, and on and on and on. You are choosing not to see the discrimination that is all around you. Open your eyes.
As a AfricanAmerican the only insight was that big business scored more poorly than the police. Its surprising because while both hide behind the law or buy it it's rare that in the US thatbig business resorts to open violence.
1
The reason the black constituency is ignored is because it overwhelmingly votes for one party without exception, regardless of the issues of the day, regardless of engagement by either party, and this has been true for most of the 20th century and all of the 21st.
This means, from a cynical political point of view, it's safe to ignore black voters. At worst, they will simply abstain from voting, but Democrats have decades of election data to give them supreme confidence in the fact black voters will not suddenly switch sides and vote Republican like so many white voters did in 2016 and have done in the past for both parties.
What this means is that unless Democrats feel they won't get a majority without high black voter turnout, they have no particular reason to win over the black constituency. This is what it means to be a minority voting bloc, the only way to wield power is as part of a coalition, but unless your bloc properly leverages its bargaining power to take their votes and leave, the coalition can simply take your votes for granted.
As it stands, blacks do not have to threaten to vote Republican, more of them just have to threaten to not vote at all. Right now Democrats know for a fact they will get the black vote regardless, but if they knew for a fact they'd be short several million votes without engaging the black community? I bet you they'd try a lot harder to hear black issues.
Not promising any results, mind, engagement does not equal action.
4
Here's a thought for any candidate regardless of party affiliation. I want a president who will work for all citizens. Not a select group. The Dems are on the path to losing and handing bone spurs a second term if they keep playing identity politics especially with illegals. It didn't work in 2016 and it certainly won't work in 2020.
9
During one of Trump's campaign speeches, he addressed African Americans by saying "Vote for me; The Democrat policies have been failing you for decades. What do you have to lose?" Indeed, just before the election, I asked a working class African American male who he was voting for. To my surprise, he said, "Trump"; he listed the same reasons I had for supporting him and finished by saying, "Obama hasn't done bleep for Black people."
I'm a privileged white male. I can hardly imagine the challenges facing African Americans. However, with this economy yielding the lowest unemployment rate in history among minorities, I would think that many in that group are finally getting a glimpse at the possibility of economic success in the present and future. So, what's wrong with "Fairness" arriving in the guise of a booming economy?
5
Thank you for reinforcing the fact that the black vote can’t just be taken for granted and bought with promises of free money. It’s super insulting to think that promises or hand outs are more important to the black community then concrete policy proposals and solutions for their communities.
1
"My organization and our partners ... invested more than half a million dollars so they could reach black people who are often sidelined in traditional surveys and mainstream politics."
Sadly, this is not true. It's admirable to try to survey black people who have been politically marginalized, but your survey's methods may have yielded results that are the opposite of what you've intended.
By using purposive sampling, relying heavily on the internet, and utilizing community activist groups supportive of BLM, you got a pool of respondents that may reflect the makeup of the BLM community more than the black community as a whole.
Your respondents were much more well educated (18.4% with masters or higher vs. 6.9% nationally, only 2.6% didn't complete high school vs. 18.5% nationally), younger, more female, and slightly less likely to earn $50K annually than the black population nationally.
Consider stratifying income results by age in your analysis. Think about how the respondents differ from the entire black population in the US and how this might influence your results.
Loading the deck with more educated people, who, are somehow less likely to have a $50K job, you may have fallen into the trap of getting results that represent your own views.
The VA yearbook scandal included a mismatch between black politicians/activists and the black public. Do your results really come from the black public?
A less $ survey with better sampling might have been more useful.
4
This article sums up the United States perfectly. The issue is not whether black people are heard and that their concerns are adequately addressed. It's that none of these issues are identity politics related. So if they're not listening to blacks, they're not listening to most of the US, a big problem.
By the way, I never get polled either and have a lot to say - most of my friends too if anyone ever reached out.
74
White person here. I’ve never participated in any kind of political survey or poll, to my recollection. Does this mean that I am being sidelined or ignored by politicians? Or does it mean that maybe we should learn our lesson from 2016 and stop relying on polls to tell us about politics?
5
One can nitpick over facts or assertions in her op/ed, but Ms. Garza is right. Candidates need to LISTEN to black voters. Really LISTEN. And they need to respond with policy proposals in their platforms that either address or include black concerns.
Dems assume blacks will vote for them because the Republican alternative is so unattractive. And while it may be, unmotivated blacks may not vote for Republicans, but they will also simply not vote.
Like Bernie supporters who won't vote if their candidate is not on the ticket, black voters who stay home only increase the chances of Republicans winning and further hurting their causes and concerns.
Garza's message is simple. Listen!
2
One mention on incarceration, and no mention of the war on drug-users that is mainly targeted at dark-skinned people, which "war" is responsible for so much of that incarceration. This is a good example of the lack of discernment of so many of our politicians and activists. Legalization of "victimless crimes" would instantly improve the lives of the dark-skinned. Where is Ms. Garza's discernment? Where are the dark-skinned politicians hammering on this issue (since Obama failed miserably, just as he did in the useless wars in the Middle East)? Think for yourself. I am a pale-skinned, board-certified psychiatrist, by the way.
1
If we are being honest, politicians don't care that much about white people either, unless they are the donor class. The system is corrupt and most of the issues that come up today are just a distraction to divide and keep conquered.
"I don't care who does the electing, so long as I get to do the nominating." - Boss Tweed.
7
Another group whose strategy begins with "I want..." Get in line.
5
No politician or pollster has ever asked them what their lives were like...Check.
Politicians don't care about black people. I would like to add most people to that list...Check.
I'm still engaged in politics, but after forty something years of it and not much changing, I'm getting tired...Check
Wages too low...Check
Health care, substandard housing, different sets of rules for the wealthy and everyone else...Problematic for me too...Check
Want to see corporations pair their fair share in taxes...Uh huh...Check.
"The truth is, if candidates address the needs and concerns of black communities, it will result in dividends for all Americans". Check.
Signed,
The average sixty something white guy.
172
@Magan
The second graph shows that confidence in the military (in the first two categories: "a great deal" and "a lot") is as high as any of the institutions in the poll.
Translation: The military, as an employer, practices "affirmative action."
4
@Magan
You nailed it mostly except I may be even more tired of the empty promises and quantum change of direction once the politicos arrive in DC. Honestly, I really doubt the hundreds of Black kids & Hispanic kids I graduated with in 1961 wanted anything much different than did us white kids?
I'm sort of the same way with the "lives that matter" mentality-we ALL matter in my world.
Signed Mike, a 75 year old white guy, retired from 5 careers and living life as best I can.
9
@Magan You nailed it! Too bad so many are not reading the content of the article. Blacks range in thinking just like everyone else. Blacks want what other Americans want; good legislation, good paying jobs, and good schools. They are not looking for an honorable mention.
3
As a young, moderate/conservative white voter, I found this column on point. America needs the black community and would do well to embrace black people and black perspectives in our national dialogue and decision-making. We would be a stronger, more resilient nation if the black community were thriving. From my perspective though, white liberals tend to focus on the negative - the challenges black people are up against - without the conviction that black people are able to overcome such challenges. I get the sense that white liberals simply USE the black vote to push their own agenda; they don't actually care about black people and they tend to talk about the black perspective as if it isn't made up of unique individuals. I don't know what the answer is to solve all of our problems, but I believe that we have to treat each other with respect and admiration for the struggles we all battle to overcome. Can we do more to engage black and white moderates and conservatives? I think we have a lot more in common than we think. Great piece! Thanks for writing.
6
@Zack your response is some of the same canned rhetoric fed by Trump, just less juicy. Even though the democratic party takes black voters for granted, they do still play a strong role in that party. The important conclusions here are that the democratic party needs to stop catering to swing voters and focus on its loyal voters, aka progressives and minorities.
Coming from a moderate who is black AND female, conservatives purposefully stereotype us as lazy welfare queens and moochers. They sing this same story to garner votes for every election. The concept that blacks cannot be "hardworking Americans" is what is separating us. It is also separating us from the swing voters, who Trump won. And the party of Trump has only utilized us to falsely say that he has "lowered black unemployment". So those who "want" to work can. Do you know how demeaning this is?
We will take the imperfect democratic party every time. At least they aren't insulting us.
1
"We predicted that there would be different responses among black people of various ages, locations and family structures, and there were."
Yes, which is why you need to focus on the needs of people generally, regardless of race. Actions that benefit white people with less means will also benefit people of color.
27
The best way for people to get what they want is to act together. It is separation that prevents progress. I know what African-American people -- amazingly diverse as they are -- want because I've been married to a lovely African-American lady for about 30 years, which includes being part of a large, extended family all over the country and having our loads of the family's friends. The hardest time I ever have talking with African-American people about the way forward is with self-important activists who want to maintain a separation from me, box me, make assumptions about me, and tell me what it's all about and what I wouldn't understand when they don't even know who I am (and don't care). If I take a picture with African-Americans or visit Harlem, don't make assumptions about me. I am an individual doing the best I can. Communities improve some because of political action, but there are obviously lots of other forces at work too. Nothing changes overnight. That is not a reason to throw in the towel and stop electing good people, whoever they may be.
20
Joe,
It’s funny: the people you’re talking about see interracial marriage as a threat. They benefit from creating divisions.
My biggest frustration has been that the media treats any issue that isn't specifically racial as a white issue. The economy is a working class "white" issue. Student Loan Debt is a millennial white issue. Equal Pay issue is generally a women's issue, even though white women make more than black men, do. On the other side, though, politicians who treat black voters like any other voters get punished for it, on the democratic side.
I'm black and from personal experience, the black political class (especially on TV) won't accept outreach from policies that don't exclusively help black people, as an attempt to help black people. If the issue is black women's health and the politician's solution is medicare for all, then the accusation is that this doesn't SPECIFICALLT address this issue, even if it would be the best solution, so it's minimizing the problem. It's dismissed simply because other people might benefit. People like Warren, Sanders, and Yang have all gotten criticized for approaching economic issues as a working class problem rather than exclusively an issue with race.
32
@Marcus We ADOS and Black Americans were singled out from the very beginning and treated differently, so yes our problems must be handled differently and exclusively. We have been on this soil since the 16th century, yet still are the only Americans who have been oppressed longer than we have been a free people. Keep in mind nothing has ever been done to make us whole from the government who oppressed and profited from those crimes . You cannot ignore that fact. You also cannot place a broken people on the same footing with people who never shared our history or experience .
Marcus,
Agreed. It’s frustrating when the people who claim to represent you (commentators, pundits, blue checkmarks on Twitter) don’t know you st all.
On Friday, I commented that Jay Inslee's platform of climate change wasn't taking off because people [believe they] have more pressing, immediate concerns.
To demonstrate that case in point, I give you this opinion piece.
We - all communities - have a problem, and it needs to be fixed, now. If we don't, our children will be fighting for much more than social justice.
7
The Republican Party is an unabashedly white nationalist party. The Democratic party is a genuinely diverse party, in which being black will probably help one's chances of winning, at least for the presidency. I think politicians generally cater to rich people and other constituents are secondary. I'd like to see this poll broken down by party. What sunk Bernie Sanders in 2016 was that he was rejected by black voters. Instead they supported Hillary, or did not vote. Sanders was speaking directly to issues that affect poor black voters the most - healthcare, education, infrastructure, bolstering the safety net and empathy. I don't think the problem now is that politicians aren't offering black voters anything, I think the problem is that some voters are so jaded that they are dismissing those who ARE offering relevant platforms. I have a feeling that black voters will go for Biden. But alternatives are there.
5
@Jess To me, the lesson of the 2016 Sanders-Clinton contest is that, in a contest of substance vs. pandering, pandering wins. If that is to change, the change has to come from the people, not from the media or the politicians.
4
@Jess I think black voters are very diverse. I did not vote for Sanders, because I am a moderate, yet black. People like to stereotype us as liberal, but I care about the national debt and the deficit. I just did not see a way to pay for all of Bernie's ideas.
I am trying to view things differently now. I certainly see that Biden cannot offer what we need, which is a focus on health coverage, roads, pay equality and education. I also will NOT vote for Biden, because he is catering to swing voters, who Trump courted. To please them, he will have to build a wall and compromise on all sorts of things.
Stop stereotyping blacks, as to say that Clinton and Sanders represent the same values! Clinton was a moderate. That is why she won the nomination. The Trump fiasco has helped the democratic party to unite and work together.
Much of this survey and its discussion is great except the closer. Identity politics are explicitly intended to divide and conquer, to split the working class and get people to identify with their tribe instead of their economic position. The neoliberal outfits that fund Garza's organization are well aware of this, even if she seems to not understand.
Yes, listen to black voters, and learn that they want the same things as white people and everyone else, especially working-class and middle-class white people. They want quality affordable healthcare for their families, they want a good job that allows them to get ahead, they want to be able to retire when they age and they want the same access to education as everyone else.
These are goals that should be used to unite us, not divide us into a black vs white issue where all common people lose while Wall Street and the Republicans laugh. Yes, more needs to be done to level the playing field for black Americans compared to everyone else. But on the big economic issues, there's a large majority of people who all want the same things. We need to stop taking the bait.
27
@Chris Gray
Great points: It was the Democratic party circa turn of the 20th century that decided that it was in their political interest to sow discord among poor whites and blacks. It strengthened Jim Crow laws and made way for the Southern Strategy later that century.
When white people buy into the zero sum game as conservatives like to portray race, everyone loses economically.
4
@Chris Gray
We do have the same problems: $$$$, health, housing, climate. Black people ARE affected more ACUTELY - and what a difference that makes.
L&B&L
1
I hope Elizabeth Warren makes it through the circular firing squad that is the DNC. She's the only person so far who seems able to talk to black people as if they're normal. And Bernie Bros please don't come at me. I love Bernie. I admire his career of solid public service, including to ending racial oppression, but let's face facts he's simply not trusted by most black voters. It's not personal. He had a good run last time, hopefully has set the democratic agenda for this time around, but please do step aside for other voices that can connect authentically (versus patronizingly---yes! we can feel it!) with all constituencies.
16
@kim Ladt I saw he was polling highest among Black voters than any other candidate (especially young people). Listen to his campaign podcast “Hear the Bern” and I think you might be surprised. Bernie is in a league of his own with his focus on issues that matter to Black voters.
3
I'm disheartened by how dismissive many respondents are, labeling Ms. Garza's work "identity politics". One of the first things I learned in the feminist movement of the 70's is that the personal is political. If we each take a hard look at our own political views we'll perhaps find some altruism but also a large helping of self serving opinion.
13
I was with Ms Garza until this: "It is illogical to overextend resources to soothe the fears of an aging group, shrinking in size, that is fearful of demographic shifts and oblivious to the ways that policies that lift the boats sinking the fastest will lift theirs too." --How many contradictory impulses in one sentence? This group of anxious working-class whites is slipping in influence -- so, ignore them for us? A recipe for electoral failure. Certainly one of political imagination.
30
@daveW How about INCLUDING them with you?
A terrific article based on data except when it comes to stereotyping white voters as being aged and declining. White voters are still the majority of voters, their fears and aspirations are as diverse as black voters'. Most white voters are not members of the 1% although for sure they are better off than most black voters. The problem of the affordability of college and the necessity of completing high school is one that the nation faces. The experiences and aspirations of black voters should be understood as uniquely part of the whole picture of the US, not a separate identity/interest group situation.
23
@Joyce White voters, however, are not he majority of voters in the Democratic Party. And black voters are not treated as "uniquely part of the whole picture" (whatever that means) as a voting bloc or as Americans, nor are their interests always aligned with those of white voters. The point is that few in this Democratic field are listening to them, genuinely, despite the fact that Black Americans, and particularly Black women, have the power to sway the primary.
5
@Joyce. Right you are. Even when whites are the “minority” of the population they will still represent a singular large group, while the “Majority minorities” will be made up of many groups (Blacks, Hispanics, Asians etc.) each with their own individual needs. Counting on tomorrow’s “majority” for more political power is a will o’ the wisp goal.
Blacks do not consider voting Republican - so why would the Democrat party consider catering to a block of votes they cannot lose? They do not because they must not.
I am not black, but like the vast majority of people in this country (or any other, come to that) . I have not had politicians or pollsters chasing me for my opinions, so I chose by mail and email have contacted my elected representatives on a few occasions.
There are some basics everyone should want, and should receive. These are livable housing, a decent education, decent healthcare ( because the “pursuit of happiness “ becomes well-nigh impossible without health), and decent recompense for one’s work. I calculated that prices have risen since the last minimum wage increase to the extent that the equivalent minimum wage would be a hair below $11./hr
Seems to me the minimum wage should be indexed so every couple of years it is raised appropriately
I fear this nation has failed to reach these acceptable standards for too many people of all races, genders and religions.
I agree that the author mixes his message to the point of dismantling it. Elected Politicians ignoring people’s needs except at election time? When else do THEY need YOU? Too many Pols’ most sacred duty in their mind is getting elected and re-elected. So they will aim at those whose votes are most urgent and most winnable. For the Republicans those votes are white, older and Christian. They regard minorities...sorry about this, as a lost cause and a waste of time and money.
And as long as money dominates the process, those with little to provide will continue to be a gnored!
7
Very informative article with rarely seen data on black voter opinion on a detailed range of issues facing all of us, including WASPS like me.
Hillary’s campaign took black voters for granted as if they had no choice but to vote for her. They also had the choice of not voting at all, which a portion of black voters did as their turnout was less in ‘16 than in both Obama wins.
Unfortunately we’re in a situation now where we’ve simply got to beat Trumpo in ‘20.
So if Purity of the Turf is not observed as to some issues along the way in the Dem campaign, let’s get Trumpo out first then smoothing over divisive issues later.
Sitting out this election is not an option for anyone who loves Liberty.
6
"And then the average cost of attending a public college with in-state tuition is roughly $14,000 a year — that’s out of reach for black families whose median household income is $40,000."
There is this thing called financial aid. Indeed, upper middle class folks like me subsidize poor folks not only by paying much higher taxes but also by paying much higher tuition. If my son gets into Harvard I will have to fork over $250,000 or so for his tuition, while if a poor student gets into Harvard his parents will have to pay $0. Do I resent this? Yes I do. But my well being does not count; I'm just a cow to be milked. (Oh yeah--my son also needs higher academic achievement to get into Harvard compared to many poor kids, for various reasons.)
20
@tanstaafl Well, it's obvious you didn't attend Harvard, since the rising costs of tuition isn't caused by 'poor people' but by the INFLATED SALARIES of university presidents, provosts, and faculty. And btw, financial aid is basically loans, that can follow grads for life.
19
@kladinvt Most faculty positions are now filled by poorly-paid adjuncts. This has been increasingly true for the past generation.
4
@kladinvt The rising costs are due to decreased state taxes supporting public universities. In WI, from about 60% state funded to now less than 12%.
Harvard is a private institution, and it is supported by an extremely large private endowment. Students on scholarships pay about $12K a year.
3
"Nearly three in four respondents said they voted in the 2016 presidential election"
This figure didn't seem correct so I consulted the Pew Research Center that the figure at 59.6% As I read the Black Census Report, I see that the 31,000 respondents is not a scientific sample. Among many aspects of its sample gathering, the authors acknowledge that they "intentionally oversampled certain populations." This really diminishes its significance.
40
@Killoran granted the research may not be completely "scientific" but it is still a valid result. If this were a scientific paper, we would await confirmation by additional studies that might (or might not) confirm the results here. But, no one said it was scientific, it political.
1
@LesISmore In what way is it "valid"? A "political" survey is fairly useless. It would have been better if it were presented as an ethnographic study, or a series of case studies. As it stands, policy makers wouldn't touch with thing, nor would it convince a wavering politician.
5
From time to time, the intelligencia gears up a highly publicized War on Poverty which eventually, without publicity, peters out. Poverty always wins. An article in this issue on Castro’s Cuba is a case directly in and on the point.
4
In sum, Democratic party leaders rest on laurels that they have not earned , certainly in terms of current and consistent results.
This Party remains the best chance for improving our country's response to priorities listed in the survey, needs that are very much shared by many others.
One small step is pressure in the Party platform and the apparatus to provide organizational and financial resources roughly in proportion to voting patters so as to increase the strength of our base. The Republicans call it feeding the base; Democrats need to do the same in terms of equity at the ground level.
5
Man that "women make 77 cents on the dollar" myth doesn't die. I'm giving up on making arguments against the lie, because rationality doesn't seem to do any good. And I thought the left complained about Trump's lies. The crux of the myth is that they don't adjust for anything; different choices, not having babies, etc.
25
@PJ ABC
I'm with the same employer for roughly 25+ years now and my base pay has been based on what I was hired at. Aside from my normal job duties I am also one of 5 people who train new employees, some with no background in my profession. I know that when they sit next to me while I train them that they are making more than me. It took a manager this year to figure this out and after several years of me telling them this that my base salary was raised to meet the current standards. The last two employees that I helped in training were men. Case closed. Not a myth but cold hard facts.
4
@PJ ABC First, most studies do adjust both for job title, full/part time, and education level. Second, should we really adjust for being a parent? Men are parents as well, so why exactly should women pay the wage penalty for being a parent?
Finally, "choices" -- hahahaha. I didn't "choose" to be paid > $15K annually less than my same-position-same-education-same-performance-rating male peers after only 5 years, and yet I was. I was very lucky HR noticed and gave me an "equity raise" (these are designed to prevent lawsuits). Would be nice if they weren't needed.
@Margo Channing
Margo, in today’s economy, whether man or woman, in order to get a significant pay raise, you pretty much have to change employers.
That’s become the rule, not the exception.
4
"...low wages, lack of quality health care, substandard housing, rising college costs and different sets of rules for the wealthy and the poor. "
Even if a presidential candidate supports all of these issues well, most policy changes still need to come from either Congress or happen at the state level. Presidential candidates, by necessity, promise more they can deliver, especially on domestic policy. So, while the support of a president matters a lot, I think it's actually the state and local elections which are more important to achieve these kinds of goals.
10
@Andy there in some truth to that. However, presidents can help shape the dialogue and get policy moving in a particular direction. They can also appoint judges who dismantle election law and voting rights.
7
@JKrause I agree except the Senate must also confirm federal judges -- presidential power has its limits. My main point is that it's all too easy for people (and op-eds like this) to ignore non-presidential elections, even though they may be more critical in the aggregate.
1
I very much like your approach, but will quibble with your analysis.
Of course, black people think corporations and the wealthy should pay their "fair share," whatever that is. But every voter says the same. They want somebody else to pay for stuff for them.
While $14,000 tuition is indeed out of reach for a family living on $40,000, let's be honest, most low-income black kids with grades for college get a full ride, funded by taxpayers or those rich folks who made massive contributions to the school's endowment.
And, while a $15 per hour minimum wage appeals to everybody earning less, regardless of race, nobody accounts for the inflation that will take place and minimum wage jobs that will be lost when that gets enacted. They just assume personal profit without loss.
As a final thought, corporations do not pay taxes. They collect taxes for the government by passing it on through higher prices.
Of course, I cringed when I saw Hillary talking to a black audience in South Carolina, hinting that Republicans were racist, before going into ethnic dialect to say, "You know what we talkin' 'bout."
All politicians have to do better.
23
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all (people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
3
Splitting people into smaller, opposing groups is not the path to long term success in improving people's lives. Policies need to be pointed at problems, not demographic groups. Black communities biggest issue, in my view, is a lack of accumulated wealth. Even the white poor tend to have some wealth within the family (homes, businesses, etc). Poor Black families have, on average, negative wealth. This is what holds them back the most and prevents any reasonable chance at upward mobility. To address this, programs to make purchasing a first house and college for first-in-family affordable are essential. This is not technically a black/hispanic/white issue but would go furthest in promoting long-term anti-poverty across the board.
15
Lest people be confused: politicians don't ask about the lives of white voters either. They don't care what our struggles are. We need good policies that help working people- regardless of race.
315
@willt26
The good policy you talk about is in the Bible. Share the wealth which capitalism is only for the 1 percent.
1
@willt26 Thank you, willt26, another person who recognizes that more racism is not the answer.
5
@willt26
Correct! Black people are a very diverse group of individuals who cannot be stereotyped and who’s needs and political sensibilities are as diverse as those of any other group.
6
Interesting piece but we are told too little about the polling planning and the demographics of who responded. Also I would have preferred more direct talk about the strong linkage between getting better education and better wages to leaving public housing and Medicaid. While decent public safety net programs are essential when racism cripples black opportunity, as it still does, nonetheless the goal must be to not need such programs. Failing to say that suggests a willingness to accept a somewhat improved status quo. But while amelioration is better than nothing, our goals must be higher.
5
Thank you for publishing this. I found it particularly interesting that the military and of course Churches are the most trusted institutions that were listed. The reason for the popularity of the military is that it is actually one institution that has been non-biased since Truman de-segregated the service. Of course it took time for a new culture to take hold, but it's been interesting watching it over the years.
Obviously black people trust their Churches as they have been the one place where they generally have felt safe and where they can be themselves.
Democrats, pay attention.
8
Well said. I just wonder if the Democrats will continue to ignore the lessons here and end up losing because no candidate talked "to" Black people and other voters who are struggling enough, thus giving tRump another four years. That result, however, will continue the policies of this near-evil man and his administration, which harms Black people and just about everyone else who isn't upper middle-class and higher, white people included. And to G.W., stop buying into the stereotype of athletics over science, TV over reading. Black people are no different in that than White people. The real difference is under investment in poor communities, which more often happen to be Black communities.
6
I think this was a poll of BLACK people, not white people and therefore the questions asked were centered on what Black American's may care about. It was not a poll of black and white Americans. Of the several comments I have read so far people seem to find fault with the fact that the questions were biased to blacks. One poster basically stated the republican mantra of self actualization which is coda for the republican mantra of 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps, I did!" of course we know how well that works, and if we continue down this road of 'it's up to you' then we get nowhere for Black Americans. I'm sure if we there is a survey of Black Americans from the right it would surely say that Black American's wish to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The government cannot bring jobs to rural America and cities in America that have left to go to China, India, etc but the government needs to be involved in a solution for Blacks and I'm sure whites too.
4
@KT B
Actually, this was a poll of overweighted segments of the black population; eg, the report notes that it is not scientific and it did over sample certain segments. You can read the fine print of the report and note that it is not representative of the black population as a whole.
3
Although it is true that politicians don't pay enough attention to the needs of blacks, and poor, the survey doesn't represent larger black population. As an example, according this article "Nearly three in four respondents said they voted in the 2016 presidential election," but according to the Census Bureau only 40% blacks voted in in 2014, and 50% in 2018.
It seems the survey was conducted to prove a preconceived notion. It wasn't a random scientific survey to find opinions of the general black population.
14
I see a lot of people complaining about "identity politics". I don't get it. Why is trying to identify common interests of a particular group "identity politics" and therefore bad? Is it "identity politics" to understand the interests of Upstate New York, Union Members, Auto Workers, Nurses, the unemployed, or any other group of people?
9
@Bruce
That's not the point of, or the problem with, identity politics. The Dems want to divide people up into fractional groups and promote a mindset of who among them are the most aggrieved and most victimized. Instead of promoting commonality they are just highlighting the differences. That's why moderates and those on the right are against are opposed. They want to drop the hypen-American because they want to promote more unity and less tribalism
7
@Bruce
Identity politics says my special group is more oppressed, aggrieved and offended than your group, and there's a good chance that your group is the cause of my group's suffering. It's a divisive ideology that often pits like minded, politically and socially aligned individuals against each other because they are different according to their membership in an aggrieved group. For example, a cis gendered white male homosexual will always be considered part of a privileged group over a black, trans, female. And he would probably be considered part of the oppressor group compared to her. The Identitarian mindset is one of in-group victimhood separating itself from and often blaming other "privileged" groups.
Here's what Steve Bannon said about the Democrats: "the longer they talk about identity politics, I got ’em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."
This is just what the Dems, mostly the progressive left, keep talking about, dividing us further, and this is why beating Trump will not be easy at all.
3
@Andio
I have read countless articles about polling or interviews with "white working class voters" or voters suburban white women voters, or voters who switched from Obama to Trump, etc etc. I read these with interest.
This is the first time I have read an article about what a group of voters might think and seen a wave of comments complaining about "identity politics".
Newsflash: The *right* is focused on race and identity.
v2 739am
Without knowing the methodology of the survey it is impossible to judge the validity of the figures presented and the conclusions drawn.
How were those surveyed chosen? Were there about equal numbers of men and women? All income levels? Age groups? How many per state? Urban vs rural? Republicans vs Democrats vs Independents? Education levels? Do those surveyed accurately reflect the demographics of all blacks in the US?
There is well-established science for such surveys; were those basic rules followed? If we don't know how the 31,000 respondents were chosen, we don't know if their responses are representative of all blacks in the US.
Were respondents asked open-ended questions like "What are the most pressing issues facing blacks in America today?" or merely presented with a limited choice of responses? I ask this because, surprisingly, none of the critical issues identified includes gun control, incarceration of blacks, police violence, urban crime, climate change, abortion, health care, all of which loom large in the 2020 elections.
In survey research, which relies heavily on computers to process huge volumes of data, there is an old acronym: GIGO. Garbage In, Garbage Out. That is, the conclusions to be drawn from numbers are no better than (or as bad as) the quality of the numbers themselves. If this article were presented as the summary of a college paper based on survey research, it would, despite the eye-catching charts, likely receive a failing grade.
9
@Mon Ray
Everything you say is accurate, but irrelevant when commenting on the editors' agenda. Agendas and assertions always seem to matter more than intellectual honesty.
It seems that both the editors and many of the opinion writers do not appreciate the fact that a good % or readers understand data and analysis and can quickly research assertions.
Either hubris or ignorance on the part of the pundits.
2
If you don't vote, you are actually voting for the "other" candidate.
If you don't like the Democrat, primary him/her. But on general election day, vote Democrat. If necessary, hold your nose and vote, but vote.
Any Democrat would be a better candidate than the one currently occupying the office.
18
@JAR I'm sorry, this is one black that is off The "vote for any democrat" train. Black people have been voting democrat in overwhelming numbers for decades and just about every demographic measure of well being in our communities has continually diminished, intact families, employment, wealth accumulation, oh but black male incarceration rates have increased. Democrats finally lost me with open borders. How are my grandsons supposed to get a job with a policy like that, before you call me racist, I have mixed race grandsons who I happen to love very much. Democrats need to come up with a PLAN. Trump is bad is no plan.
1
Keep up the good work, Ms Garza.
8
Without knowing the methodology of the survey it is impossible to judge the validity of the figures presented and the conclusions drawn.
How were those surveyed chosen? Were there about equal numbers of men and women? All income levels? Age groups? How many per state? Urban vs rural? Republicans vs Democrats vs Independents? Education levels? Do those surveyed accurately reflect the demographics of all US blacks?
There is well-established science for such surveys; were those basic rules followed? If we don't know how the 31,000 respondents were chosen, we don't know if their responses are representative of all blacks in the US.
Were respondents asked open-ended questions like "What are the most pressing issues facing blacks in America today?" or merely presented with a limited choice of responses? I ask this because, surprisingly, none of the critical issues identified includes gun control, incarceration of blacks, police violence, urban crime, climate change, abortion, health care, all of which loom large in the 2020 elections.
In survey research, which relies heavily on computers to process huge volumes of data, there is an old acronym: GIGO. Garbage In, Garbage Out. That is, the conclusions to be drawn from numbers are no better than (or as bad as) the quality of the numbers themselves. If this article were presented as the summary of a college paper based on survey research, the paper would, despite the eye-catching charts, likely receive a failing grade.
4
It seems the polls were designed to demonstrate that black people support the traditional liberal agenda. But the basic premise that blacks want the same thing as everyone else is likely accurate. That includes wanting good schools for their children, which is why black support for charter schools is high.
At some point the Democratic Party will have to decide whether they support the teachers' unions or black parents, since the goals of these two groups conflict with each other.
7
For whites who increasingly despair over the moral, civic, political and economic disintegration of our world: welcome to (a taste of) the world U.S. blacks have been making their ways in for generations. If the struggle is to live a meaningful life within an apparently irredeemable system, we never struggle alone.
I'm a little surprised that "family" and "community" were not included on the institutions list; it seems to me that blacks have relied on them in lieu of a broader functional civic world. "Small businesses", at the top of the confidence list, might serve as an avatar for them.
Also, I was amused to see that "federal government" scored as low in confidence as "police"! Let's see, one has the reputation of targeting blacks with the destruction of their lives, and the other...
4
None of this is surprising. None, except, perhaps, your assessment that African Americans, particularly the young, go to the polls. If you had done this survey 25 years ago, the results would have been the same. That fact reinforces the concept "Why vote". Nothing changes . To that I would add the following: If the Black vote didn't matter. why suppress it? If the Republicans are not afraid of the Black voter, why spend so much time and effort erasing Obama's legacy (even though a poll would likely offer that a majority of African Americans feel Obama did't deliver on his promises to minorities). As a white American, here is what I think: your vote does matter. If every Black person that could vote in America, did vote, few Republicans would ever win. And NOTHING would terrify Republicans more than to be at the polls, all giddy and all, and see lots and lots of Black voters showing up at the polls. Since you will be in the majority soon, I suggest you start acting like it instead of cowering in submission. And in a democracy, the very first step forward is to vote. Since he is not here, and no one since he was assassinated has stepped into the void, what would Martin Luther King say? I think he would say if you want to cash that promissory note, you need to go to the bank to do so. The check won't cash itself.
10
It makes me uncomfortable reading this. Not because issues facing African-Americans are unimportant or not, but rather that the author just stokes the racial resentment from white voters. This section stuck out at me:
"Yet white voters are declining in numbers and advancing in age, while communities of color get bigger and younger. It is illogical to overextend resources to soothe the fears of an aging group, shrinking in size, that is fearful of demographic shifts and oblivious to the ways that policies that lift the boats sinking the fastest will lift theirs too. "
I can't get how someone can say that white concerns should be ignored in order to address "communities of color" and not see that leads to party voting patterns that are purely race based: whites, white hispanics vote Republican and the rest vote Democrat. How on earth is that a good thing? It is happening already with the 2016 Presidential Election showing this widening gyre and ignoring white voters is not (a) an election-winning strategy and (b) only leads to worse versions of Trump as parties become the political wing of racial groups.
26
@Faust
Welcome to the discussion of race in the NY Times. Do not expect intellectual honesty in these discussions. Settle for emotional outrage wrapped in frustration.
4
1) interesting Writer skipped from 2014 to 2018 for voter participation. Suspiciously passed over 2016 when 4 million black and brown people skipped the presidential election and handed it to Trump. 2) FYI: if a group is already engaged: should spend $ on New voters. 3) these concerns are universal: American concerns. Let’s move forward together 4) Seems most the oxygen in politics taken up by Specifying Black citizen concerns.
8
I can appreciate this survey, but it is missing a lot. What level of education do these folks have, marital status and job. A cashier isn’t going to earn as much as a nurse. For things to change, black Americans have to vote in higher numbers.
2
'Yet white voters are declining in numbers and advancing in age, while communities of color get bigger and younger.' ,,,
'We want the things that everybody deserves ... To solve these challenges, respondents propose making college affordable for anyone who wants to attend; and requiring the government to provide health care and adequate housing for everyone ...'
and just who is the government --- it is hard working people, who limit the number of kids they have to the number they can afford to support, who dwindle in numbers precisely because they have to pay for their own kids and support the kids of others who foist their responsibility onto them and because they see that therer are limits to the number of people the earth can support without destroying it.
if the trends continue, and on that there is little dispute, just who is suppose to pay for the education, shelter, medical care, social services, food those dwindling numbers
right now 50% of all babies being born in the usa are paid for with some wort of welfare, what does that tell you about the future of the country be it democratic, republican or green party
17
Yup. Couldn't agree more. What you are calling a "black" agenda is just good for everyone. Unless of course they are old white rich "christian" males.
I don't think until the last year or so politicians cared about what I thought either. Then it got fashionable too pretend to care about women. Not sure they do. Not sure the female candidates even care.
To be honest, that's my problem with most of the candidates. It's all about them. Me, I, My instead of We, Our, Us.
I'm for Pete. Let us know how well he listens. He seems to listen well to white people. I know he's making a huge effort to outreach to communities of color. I'd like to know what you think going forward, Ms. Garza.
4
I'm puzzled - you say "We long for the same things as everyone else" - but you want to be treated as though you're different?
26
According to the graph, Black people think politicians care slightly more about White people than they do about campaign donors. This is an astounding misconception.
11
The reason only $50,000 was spent on the black vote in California in because the black vote doesn't matter in California. One would probably find the same in Vermont. There in lays the danger of this sort of parsing and re-parsing of identity. The final paragraph offers a nod to this failed strategy when the article completely drops its own argument and refers to People of Color.
4
What kind of statistical methodology is this? The organization records black people's responses about a range of issues. What are the responses of other groups to the same questions? "It's obvious" cannot be part of a study. Numbers matter.
4
“...no politician or pollster has ever asked them what their lives were like..”
I’m a white guy. No politician or pollster has ever asked me what my life is like.
You say “we set out to prove that black people are not a monolith”, yet your piece is titled “what black people want.”
In 2016, I attended a smaller Bernie Sanders rally - mostly out of curiosity. I was seriously harassed by the secret service at the door, and was quite upset by the time they let me in. Al Sharpton, who was supposed to attend, changed his mind and did not. Cornel West blathered on about Eugene Debs... - he seemed more bemused by Sanders than supportive. Sanders arrived late.
Please don’t suggest that black people have a corner on cynicism about American politics. I hardly ever hear a politician argue for something that will benefit me much personally. Like a good liberal, I support politicians who fight for the greater good - for all of us.
11
Ms. Garza states, quite accurately in my experience, that black people are not monolithic in their needs, desires, insights and opinions, then proceeds to tell readers what “we” want and think, based on what appear to be some very simplistic questions. Frankly, I think she got it right the first time. Just my opinion mind you, but “we” as a nation could use a whole lot less of this sort of specious and divisive “research”.
11
"We long for the same things as everyone else, and yet few campaigns treat us as if our experiences matter."
If this is true then why do we read so much about reparations in this newspaper? That is a *really* bad topic to bring up (I know you did not but others keep doing it on these op ed pages) unless you want to make sure that Donald Trump has another 4 years. America will never ever pay money to a favored group based on skin color or things that involve people who have been dead for generations. To suggest otherwise is to alienate the vast majority of Americans.
18
Are Black people asking us to treat all Black people the same? All White people are not the same. Are Black people willing to tell us what it is they want? Not all White people want the same things.
I got a couple important things from this article, a couple things politicians may try to do something about for Black people. One is to make Black women’s wages higher. It makes me angry that any woman should not be able to earn fair wages. Second, the article points out Black students can not afford college as easily as White students. That also makes me angry. All kids deserve an education.
If I would be a politician I certainly would try to find out what I could do for any constituents. But it seems fruitless to say no matter what color.As a nurse, I want all people to have better, necessary, affordable healthcare.Isn’t it ironic it took a Black president to get the Affordable Care Act?
What do Black people want? I’m not getting those specifics from this article. How specifically can White political candidates find out the difference of people’s needs? Barack Obama was an organizer. He spent many an hour digging needs, talking to people specifically about specific needs. If White candidates tried, where could they do that? Would they be accepted? How could they be more accepted? Offering fried chicken is insulting.
I would want to represent all my constituents. Tell us how. Tell us what is needed, specifically.
Democrats do want a better, inclusive America.
1
Elections have consequences---African Americans came out for President Obama and he was elected; they stayed home for Sec. Clinton and we have Trump---it is that simple.
6
“Talking at you” is horrible, “talking TO you” is slightly better, but what politicians really need to do (with everyone they meet-black or white or brown) is to SPEAK WITH you. That implies a dialogue, which is how they will learn what voters really need to improve their lives.
3
Politicians want to get elected and re-elected. Most of them will do and say whatever it takes to achieve this. Republicans have shown they care little or nothing for the Black vote. Democrats are counting on getting the Black vote but are careful not to show too much concern for it because it might offend their White base. Only in America.
1
Fabulous! I'm glad people got together and generated the comprehensive survey the article discusses. I've always said, in the US race is THE most important thing to consider when trying understand our collective culture, and, equally important is the ultimate fact that race is irrelevant. This article demonstrates the proposition. African Americans experience this country in a unique way born of centuries of violence and discrimination. Each generation of African Americans is carrying too heavy a burden of accumulated trauma and the pain and confusion such trauma inflicts on the human psyche and the physical health of its victims. On the other hand, as the survey shows, race is irrelevant to the extent that African Americans have by and large the same concerns as other Americans (some perhaps more acutely than average). Everybody needs a safe and sustaining environment to grow and prosper. I think it'd be great if this coming fall or winter there be a convention and debate devoted to the concerns of African Americans and how best to address those concerns. All the candidates should be there and make their presentations, debate the what are the best approaches to address these concerns, and then do a straw poll at the end to discover which candidate resonated the most with the people. My two cents. Many thanks for the work done here.
The most upsetting thing to me in this article is the second table. Regardless of the text, this table shows how little important institutions are trusted by the African American community and that can only come from experience. And that’s just wrong.
Government, banks, businesses, law enforcement. Poor treatment breeds contempt. It shows a lack of respect. An absence of caring.
Until African Americans are treated with the respect deserved as human beings, the same as other people, dare I say the same as white people, that’s unlikely to change. That table, by showing where the lack of trust sits, says something about the people from those institutions and is an indicator of the ingrained discriminatory attitudes that remain in the populace.
Sad.
109
I found that distrust extremely sad also. However the idea that this can only come from experience is questionable. There are bad experiences that get highly publicized. There are people who benefit from a victim mentality being perpetuated. Do you doubt that there are many many many highly devoted hard working teachers for instance? I know there are serious problems. I also know we see what we want to see. Simple daily positive police and education encounters do not tend to go viral. Experience? Or Facebook?
5
@Steve Ell "Regardless of the text, this table shows how little important institutions are trusted by the African American community and that can only come from experience"
I can only imagine that you haven't seem the same data for other ethnic groups. A lack of confidence in our institutions is something that is found across the board in this country.
3
@Steve Ell
What's sad is the fact that Trump and Republicans don't recognize how a society polarized into the super rich and everyone else makes for the banana republic Trump keeps trying to turn America into.And that we all have to live in.
3
“Nearly three in four respondents said they voted in the 2016 presidential election”
That’s a 50% higher rate than the general public. So much for talk of voter suppression. But honestly, these self reported figures don’t seem to have much statistical significance.
Also wondering how black voters feel about black politicians.
6
If you read the article instead of sneering at it, you will find the answer in the polling results.
2
@Tone - it doesn’t say how many hours they waited in line to vote now does it? It doesn’t say how many polling locations were closed or how few of them had access to early voting now does it? So, as you sit back and comment from your comfortable recliner, maybe stick to reading articles that actually apply to you and you have an actual clue about.
The most important issues for black voters are “low wages, lack of quality health care, substandard housing, rising college costs and different sets of rules for the wealthy and the poor.” Fair enough, but the thrust of this piece is that politicians do not listen to the concerns of black voters. Really?
The majority of the Democratic candidates agree about the importance of these issues and support progressive policies to address them. One candidate who stands out by being less committed to progressive reform is Joe Biden. Joe Biden is the choice of the greatest number of black voters. Of course the same is true for most white Democratic voters.
Either we actually care enough about these issues to support someone with a plan to do something about them or we think, as apparently Joe Biden thinks, that all we need is elect someone willing to work with Republicans. We have compromised ourselves into this mess and we are not likely to compromise our way out of it.
3
We want change in the Black community, so we vote for a candidate. That candidate becomes our elected official, but years later, we find our lives/communities have not improved. So we vote for another candidate, hoping they can bring about change. Again, no change. Wash, rinse, repeat. How many times are we going to repeat this cycle before we realize that elected officials are not going to change anything?
If we want change in the black community, it has to start at the grass-roots level. If we value music over math, sports over science, television over reading, then we have identified a root cause of our situation. Who do we value more: Jamal for making the Varsity team or Tyrone for placing well in the Science Fair? Do we strive to "Ace" the class, or Pass the class? Do we choose to read the book or watch the movie? The list goes on...
We have to move toward "Self-Reparations" in the Black community, and adjusting our values is a start.
185
@G. W. And sadly even voting for Obama didn't change anything. He was establishment.
7
@G. W.
I agree with much of what you've written, but what do you mean by the phrase "self-reparations"? I'm not black.
Do you mean individual self-reliance or some form of community-based self-reliance? Are you talking about philanthropy, as in a wealthy business person, sports team owner or athlete endowing a scholarship fund, building a community school, creating something like the Freedman's Bank, etc.?
Because to me reparations implies a redress for a historical wrong, like an atrocity. For example, the state of Florida paid some amount of reparations to the survivors of the Rosewood Massacre, but the victims of the Tulas Riot received nothing.
I believe the U.S. helped rebuild Germany after WWII, obviously not in reparation for anything, but because it was in our best interest.
Our first president during the Reconstruction prohibited the redistribution of plantation land to the former slaves and gave the defeated Confederacy back everthing it had lost. There was no Homestead Act for former slaves like there was for poor whites.
In 1901 Booker T. Washington published "Up From Slavery" which, among other things, describes how the students learned to make bricks in order to build a school where they could learn a trade or become teachers. That wasn't a reparation.
Charles Ogletree of Harvard wrote an interesting book on the 150th anniversary of Brown v. Board which discusses reparations in some form other than a cash payment to individuals.
3
@G. W. It would be nice if we could have both music and math. Even sports have some value for health and discipline. But I know what you're saying.
11
What I most fear about the 202o election is that voters who dislike Trump won't even vote unless the Democratic candidate represents exactly what those voters want, exactly what expresses those voters' conscience, exactly represents those voters' most nearly perfect candidate.
And then Trump will win a second term.
A a citizen, a person must vote—and vote for what is in the best interest of the country, not solely for what is one's personal, individual expression. Another Trump term is not in the best interest of the country. Whoever the Democratic candidate is, he/she must have the votes of those who know that Trump for another four years is a danger to our nation.
Everything else is a detail.
6
As Gerard eloquently expresses in a comment below, this survey of black citizens wants and beliefs about the country, is really what most Americans feel. The vast majority of us are underrepresented on issues that make up our lives: wages, health care, college opportunity, affordable housing, etc. Our alleged democracy fails to represent nearly all of us, because getting elected and re-elected costs a lot of money, and politicians therefore must cater to wealthy donors. We don't count in the system's financing and we don't get our share of the country's bounty as a result.
Organizing one ethnic group or mobilizing voter turnout and all that, won't help as long as the treadmill of our election system is in place. The system needs re organizing by eliminating Gerrymandering, installing term limits, and totally reformulating campaign finance. Then elected representatives will have to cater to voters only, not their rich corporate sponsors.
7
"It is illogical to overextend resources to soothe the fears of an aging group,. "
Not all fears are unfounded. One seminal event in Detroit was the forced busing for the Detroit Public School system.
Here's a gem from a social justice liberal. In 1972 a desegregation order to the Detroit Public Schools, forced busing was implemented in Detroit, Judge Roth (appointed by JFK, you know "no price to great to pay" and all that...), who ruled on the case wrote in part:
“Transportation of kindergarten children for upwards of 45 minutes, one way, does not appear unreasonable, harmful, or unsafe in any way. ...kindergarten children should be included in the final plan of desegregation.”
This was a weaponized judiciary aimed at working class folks by liberals who for the most part had no skin in the game.
Fortunately the cross-district scheme was reversed by the SCOTUS. Unfortunately Detroit Public Schools were still forced to implement busing with a total white student population of about 26%. Each school was forced to have a student body that reflected the demographics of the city. So yeah, a lot folks were hurt by the Feds "trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored".
There's no unfounded fear, dog whistle or Southern Strategy to it. Many lower and middle-class whites do not have the economic wherewithal, contrary to false narrative about inter-generational privileged wealth, to withstand many of these destructive programs.
8
“To solve these challenges, respondents propose raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour; making college affordable for anyone who wants to attend; and requiring the government to provide health care and adequate housing for everyone. A vast majority of them want to see the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes.”
Most Americans—all ethnicities—would benefit from these policies. We need to stand together or we will never succeed.
8
African Americans have known all along that American institutions don't care about them. American institutions only care about the poor and working class whites enough to drive a wedge between blacks and whites so they fight one and other rather than the very institutions that cause the divide. Give a man somebody to look down on and they will empty their pockets for you. LBJ
4
This article provides insight to the white folks trying to run the Democratic Party campaigns, and the rest of us comfortable whites who vote. I find it pointedly relevant that so many comments labeled this “identity politics”.
That term comes from the right. It’s pejorative. Like many media terms, it does not really mean anything specific.
But the author is not writing about “identity politics”. She is communicating values of black people, and hoping that white people will open their minds to consider a value spectrum that is slightly different from their own.
Then you see the commenters not willing to think that way. How difficult it is to open one’s mind to a different perspective!
Ok people, try again. Put yourself in their shoes. Listen. Empathize. Consider how your own assumptions and privileges have formed your own viewpoint. Then write your candidate, tell them what you want, and give money. If you get it within the next 18 months or so, we might just win.
2
To state the obvious, Democrats have long taken the black vote for granted.
As the author notes, Democrats do so at their peril.
1
Are voters better off now, than they were 4 years ago?
If you favor reparations, what form do you think they should take?
5
No, voters are not better off now.
“Reparations” isn’t discussed in this article.
While respecting differences is vitally important, a hyper-laser-focus on every subgroup and single-issue voter is going to doom the Democrats to electoral defeat for the next dozen cycles. Demographic change won't come fast enough to make its plethora of voter blocs outnumber white voters, so in the meantime Democrats need a message that appeals to the broadest possible audience.
6
@Casey Penk And that message is the message Ms. Garza's research revealed. The problem is when White people see something benefiting Black people, they want it to stop. See the LBJ comment above from @EJW
The simple truth is that the Democrats are the only party willing to listen. Make your voices heard!
For a community as large and socioeconomically diverse as the Black community is, the results of these surveys are startlingly similar, which only goes to show that most people of color are well aware of what's happening to them, and this country at the moment -- which is something I've never doubted, even though the popular idea among white people is that Black folks aren't politically aware (or engaged) unless a Black candidate happens to be running.
As for those candidates who after the obligatory photo-shoot with some fried chicken and big words and promises have a way of disappearing back on the campaign trail -- don't think for a moment that cuts it.
It's going to take a whole lot more than a bottle of hot sauce and going on one march for Civil Rights March when the fight for equality is still going on.
So if there's a word of warning to be had for all candidates, it's probably this: Actions speak louder than words.
And Black People are watching you.
At least, this one is.
6
I take Ms. Garza's points, which she expresses eloquently and persuasively. iIf it makes her feel any better, I can state without irony or doubt that most politicians don't listen to ordinary white people either. They listen mainly to the sound of their own voices, and the voices of those wealthy enough to buy the democracy that they claim to represent, but not on our behalfs.
36
@John LeBaron Other than big donors, the only people Democrats seem to be catering to are the perceived swing voters, which generally means working-class midwestern white men. They take women, African-Americans, and hispanics for granted. They don't seem to get it that the number of unimpressed voters in these groups who stayed home is larger than the supposed swing vote.
8
I hope the Times will make a point of including in articles on the various candidates whatever they may have proposed to engage with communities of color. There hasn't been that much reporting on these issues that I've seen, so far. I don't know whether that's because I've missed important articles, whether none of the candidates has done much, as Ms. Garza suggests if I understand her correctly, or whether at least some candidates have done at least something, but it isn't getting reported.
4
@Stephen Merritt Your request that they engage communities of color means you support policies that are unique to communities of color.
Ask the Asians in New York City who want their studious kids to get into the best high schools in the city due to their merit how well rich progressive white people are engaging "their" community of color.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was right. There should be no hyphenation of Americans if we're going to be one America.
Create a level playing field where everyone plays by the same rules...and govern as if you're governing for everyone equally...not trying to give the other team a 10 point lead at halftime just because they're down by 10 points.
When I used to take the kids for a walk when they were young, they'd often get distracted and then yell out "wait up!! wait up!!"
To which I'd respond.."Catch Up!! Catch Up!!"
They caught up..and quickly realized that if they fall behind in life..it's their solemn responsibility to catch up, and nobody else's responsibility.
And THAT...my friends..is what makes American great.
3
@Stephen Merritt As a Black man, I don't care to see articles about communities of color. I want to articles and opinion about issues that affect the majority of people, including Blacks. The idea that somehow only "working class" people are White is ridiculous. The Times and others media need to write a requiem for the factories that closed in Black communities and use those as the mirror to tell the story of manufacturing's downturn and stop focusing mainly on White auto and other factory workers. Blacks have been losing good jobs too, for decades.
2
maybe I read this too fast, but it told me little about what Black voters want and need. No matter what the Democrats are substantially better at wage disparity, college loans, health care. There is no doubt that they aren't perfect, but the Republicans simply make things worse. From what I hear from my black colleagues and co-workers, they want what I want, a fair society, educational opportunities for the young, access to affordable health care, decent jobs and salaries, safe neighborhoods. Like I said , no matter what the Democrats are better at providing these things.
14
To prove the point the author wishes to make it would have been necessary to show similar data drawn from white Americans. My guess is that the charts would look about the same.
If this author really believes that Democrats haven't been "address(ing) the needs and concerns of black communities" maybe she should try to imagine what it would be like for black Americans if there hadn't been a Democratic Party fighting uphill against racism for the past 50 years.
Showing some failures, yes. But also many successes. And still trying.
24
It makes sense and there can be no doubt that black people want the same things as everyone else, with a range exhibited on any issue. But what is hurting them is that the same range is not exhibited in elections, as they vote monolithically - as a result, they are taken for granted. They should take their future into their own hands, and vote their conscience even when it goes against the grain of expectations set for them by politicians who are getting their votes, including black leaders.
8
@Robby If I were black, I would feel like my choice of who to vote for was, in reality, only a Democratic candidate, that is, if I thought I could get anything at all from voting.
1
@Robby I'm just a white guy from North Dakota, but I find it difficult to imagine a republican being the vote of conscience for a black American. Not to say that there haven't been bad Democrats, but Republicans have really been lax on defending civil rights and societal programs
3
@Robby What makes you think black voters don't vote "against the grain"? One of my favorite political moments was when Paul Sarbanes retired as longtime liberal Maryland senator in 2006 and the electorate was faced with a choice between a (very) white, smart, liberal Democrat--Ben Cardin--and a slick black conservative, Michael Steele. Everyone was sure that Steele would carry the upscale black suburban vote. Cardin won by a landslide. Restored my faith in the electorate. For awhile.
2
As the product of a solid two-parent, two-income black family raised in the Deep South (70s-80s), that I would have to work twice as hard and be thrice as good as a member of the ruling majority was instilled in me at an early age. The fact that this was not an acceptable excuse and that it should be viewed as a challenge, was also instilled in me.
That said, all that any politician can offer me is a federally guaranteed, federally enforced and TRULY fair playing field for all individuals -- irrespective of race. We'll take it from there.
While the notion that government sponsored entitlements like universal healthcare and higher education are good things for a society is the no-brainer of no-brainers, I've always cringed with distaste when some politician panders for my vote by telling me what he'll "do for me". I 'do' for myself, always have. All I'm seeking is a fair field to do it on.
And so THAT is what any politician seeking this black individual's vote should offer: FAIRNESS. A fair chance that my accomplished nephew's resume won't be discarded without further consideration upon his race being ascertained. A fair chance that my gentle niece won't end up dead as a result of the most routine of traffic stops, and the like.
In fact, instead blandishing black folk with offers of what they'll do 'for' us, Dems would be better served by laying out how they'll go about protecting minorities from the rising, hate-filled influence of those who would do us harm.
207
@Qev Goodness, how can anyone argue against this? This has always been republican strategy, deny the humanity and fairness to the other. Justice, fairness, rule of law, patriotism, belief in science and protecting our environment, not in the conservative playbook.
8
@Qev Very well said, particularly the final paragraph. I guess if I were to modify what you say it is that fairness is so elusive as to defy it's general application. Rather, might the age old term equal be as powerful? Both fairness and equal are proper demands, but perhaps equal application of the laws is a bit easier to measure.
5
"A vast majority of them want to see the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes." Have yet to hear a politician propose a way to fix the "broken windows" of America's tax evasion; Paradise/Panama Papers, corporate domicile relocations to low tax countries, etc., etc., etc.
23
@M C This is an excellent point, something that Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders could take up, at least putting out a position paper on the subject.
3
The Democratic Party needs to focus on 100% of the American citizenry, especially those who consistently participate in making the country good for all with their daily awareness, hard work, taxes paid, education and nurturing of the next gen of America citizens. Government's job is to build and defend a nation while paying the bills. Same holds for each and every person contained therein. Otherwise, the nation and those citizens are weak and destined to fail.
14
I think the problem is inequality of wealth and inequality of opportunity - and by conducting a survey of the "black community", the author is simply sampling a sub-section of America which - though selected by color - is more importantly a representation of economic circumstance.
My suspicion is that if you had selected a population of non-black voters with the same economic profile as this "black community", you would have found the same opinions in the data on all the issues that were not directly connected with color (e.g. the green people do not trust the red people).
The next President should focus on the problems that disadvantage the disadvantaged because these people need the help that only collective action can bring: they need structural changes to enable opportunity and to remove the spectre helplessness.
Articulate that - and the disadvantaged of all colors will be motivated to vote.
26
@Gerard "My suspicion is..." I understand where you are coming from with this, but in my experience lower income white communities usually suffer from lack of education. In general, they tend to be more easily swayed by conservative rhetoric and therefore would not necessarily correlate with peoples of color who share the same economic level.
It's reasonable, sensible to say politicians should pay more attention to voters who are being ignored.
But it doesn't make sense to say they should pay less attention to others.
Pay more attention to the needs of black voters? Fine.
Pay less attention to white voters because they're older, anxious, and declining in population so who cares? Not a winning argument.
In fact, practically a guarantee for backlash.
75
The needs of black voters seem similar to the needs of white voters.
This is an admirable piece that seeks to identify beliefs and policy preferences from an often under-polled demographic, but the language describing racial transition gets a little slippery.
The author writes "Yet white voters are declining in numbers and advancing in age, while communities of color get bigger and younger." While this is true, it hides the fact that the transition from majority white to majority non-white will likely be driven by growth in non-black population.
Pew projects that the black population in 2065 will still be 13% of the population at large while the non-Hispanic white population falls from 62% to 46%. And the Census, looking towards 2060, predicts that the black population will only rise to 15% while the non-Hispanic white population falls to 43%.
Similar surveys for other small, but growing, populations would seem necessary to act as a political road-map for the upcoming decades.
13
Daniel,
There are also some great studies that show second and third generation Latinos stop identifying as Latino. It makes sense: according to the census, over half of the Latino population is technically “Hispanic white”—they’re not visibly different from non-Hispanic white. Which means there’s already a generation of Latino kids named Caleb and Brooklyn who ‘look white’ and can’t speak a word of Spanish. The only thing that might identify them as ‘Latino’ is a surname, but the Garcias, Cruzes, and Diazes of today are simply the Russos, Murphys, and Schmidts of yesterday.
Contrary to contemporary leftist rhetoric, “whiteness” in America has always been flexible. (The Founding Father’s never would have considered Irishmen, Sicilians, and Slavs “white.”) And Latinos and Asians—the fastest growing racial/ethnic demographics—“marry out” at incredibly high rates, mostly to whites (because there are so many of them). IMO, the idea that whites will be a minority is wishful thinking.
1
The headline writer missed the point. The headline says what do black people want. The charts are what do black people think. It's not the same.First chart is "I think these groups care about blank." the second is" I trust each of these groups this much." That does not tell me what you want these groups to do for you and your group. The few antidotes and statistics don't tell as much as a survey of a large group asking what do you want? Try that once and report back.
11
The Democratic party often seems desperate to attract white working class voters but then appears to take black voters for granted. And the press seems fascinated with the white men who hang out in diners in West Virginia and Ohio, but never manages to visit black neighbourhoods in cities like Milwaukee to find out why turnout was depressed in 2016.
I don't have all the polling data, but casually reviewing what's available online, it has long appeared to me that the most promising path for Democratic victory in both the Senate and electoral college is to turn out black voters in high numbers. Black voters are a reliable Democratic constituency and their populations are large enough in the South and Rust Belt cities to swing elections in those states. While the Democrats certainly are helped if they can pick off some "never Trump" white suburbanites and some working class whites, these white voters are not reliable Democratic voters. Pursuing them also tends to require the Democrats to adopt more conservative positions already "owned" by the Republican party. This muddles the Democrats' brand and essentially concedes the policy debate to the Republicans. It makes the Democrats look more like followers than leaders, offering nothing but a "Republican-lite" alternative to the real thing. Rather than focusing so much on conservative-leaning white voters, the Democrats might do better to dedicate much more of their energy to increasing turnout among black voters.
17
Thank you, Ms. Garza and team members, for conducting this critically important survey. I have already visited your report's web pages, and look forward to digging "into the weeds" to see the survey's results on a more detailed level.
It is essential that all candidates up for election in 2020 at the local, state, and federal level read and take the results seriously. This kind of ground-breaking study deserves attention not only from them but also from the entire electorate.
Kudos and congratulations for your efforts!
5
I read this opinion with interest until confronted with this statement about whites: "It is illogical to overextend resources to soothe the fears of an aging group, shrinking in size, that is fearful of demographic shifts and oblivious to the ways that policies that lift the boats sinking the fastest will lift theirs too." Garza talks about shallow candidates and then proceeds to write that shallow comment. One I resent for too many reasons to articulate here.
79
@Charlie
A lot of Trump voters are older white people. I agree that the language here is a bit harsh but it is a fact that Trump's
victory came from the older white people who voted for him in large percentages. It's not a secret that the divisive messaging of his campaigns are designed for this group in mind. There was a recent article on ads he placed on social media that seemed aimed squarely at this group. The ads were pretty racist, I'm sorry to say.
4
@Charlie In other words, as soon as she started talking about your demographic, you got defensive and stopped listening.
@Marta, No Marta, as soon as she started to stereotype and denigrate my “oblivious” demographic I remained attentive to her remarks about blacks while losing respect for her.
3
A very interesting analysis, but I'm not sure the author has adequately supported her claim that increased campaign dollars towards engaging black voters is a winning electoral strategy. Maybe in a perfect or fairer world, but electoral politics is a numbers game.
Right now, the numbers dictate that there are moderate voters who will determine the election. To win, a candidate will absolutely need their votes, in addition to some political base. It would be foolish to spend money that could be used to appeal to the swing moderates instead on appealing to members of your base.
It might be more fair or principled or authentic for candidates to spend more time addressing the issues of a loyal base. But these campaigns have scarce time, resources, and the election rules are fixed. So, if they want to win, they won't follow the author's advice on this point.
9
@John
From the column: "Instead time, money and effort are expended to identify and cater to moderate white voters who are already fickle about politicians and political parties."
Many of the Democrats' congressional pick-ups last year came by those moderate white voters. Can Ms. Garza really blame the Democratic Party if it goes after white, suburban swing voters when conventional wisdom says black voters give the party no reason to worry about, much less work for, their support?
5
@Thomas Except they didn't turn out in the same numbers for Clinton as they did for Obama, which should make the party worry. If they had we very possibly would have won the electoral college in those swing states. That is the point. Those votes should not be taken for granted, as you suggest.
John, I concur with your thoughts on campaign spending in Calif. Campaign money is spent where it makes an impact not where people of a certain religious, sexual persuasion, education or color live. If folks are voting your desired outcome why spend limited resources. Logic or analysis as you mention does not add up. Semper Fi
1
You gloss over the primary reason why candidates do not spend as much time addressing black voters or their concerns as much as those voters would like. Black voters may be "diverse and have a range of experiences" but the fact is that in the 2018 midterm elections, for example, 90% of blacks voted for the Democratic candidate (88% of black men and 92% of black women). Candidates do not spend their limited time and money on voters who they believe will vote reliably for one side or the other, regardless of the race of those voters. That is not going to change.
34
@Jay Orchard . It's about the numbers. 90% of 1 million vs. 90% of 1.5 million is a lot of votes. Look at the numbers in 2016 vs. 2012. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/12/black-voter-turnout-fell-in-2016-even-as-a-record-number-of-americans-cast-ballots/
@Jay Orchard you and others don't distinguish between the percentage of the black vote and the size of the black vote. 90% of 1000 votes is obviously less than 90% of 1100 votes. The name of the game is get out the vote. He or she who maximizes their vote in all likelihood will win in 2020. The 2018 midterms we won by the Democrats because their voters came out in greater numbers.
A salesman once told me that it is a lot easier and to sell to someone who is already a customer than to find a new customer. Karl Rove proved this strategy in the 2004 presidential elections when he defied common wisdom by not moving the Bush campaign to the middle after the primaries. The Bush campaign made sure that their customers made it to the polls. Democrats should do the same and remember that African Americans are their best customers.
4
Thank you, Ms. Garza, for some Americans have been waiting for your 'Voice' to be heard. Perhaps you have noticed that a great majority of political candidates, surrounded by voters, show few black people in their midst.
These last few years under the presidency, a black American is seldom to be seen in the photo-op. The fried chicken next to a bottle of hot sauce in Harlem is cause to chuck it up, but what this reader centered on, was your sentence based on fact and findings that 'Yet white voters are declining in numbers and advancing in age, while communities of color get bigger and younger'.
In a manner of speaking, the above are on their way out, and this senior here is preparing for a weekly grocery run, hoping to get a roast chicken with food points to share with the cat.
It is an opinion, or an observation, that Americans, regardless of their color, are in need of the same life essentials, and The Burden of the Black Man is to be shared with the White Man.
Women to Unite, for a century ago a black woman was shoved off a bus and into the street, trying to go to church; her hat was sent rolling, and it continues to roll, waiting for one of these political candidates to pick it up.
Saying it with flowers, Joe Biden has enough gallantry to restore the above, while inviting all Americans to enter the 2020 Century by his side.
4
Interesting article-- I'd have thought churches and schools would have been higher on the list. (Granted, most African-Americans I know work in education and are active in various churches.)
Police actually fared better than government and big business. That's surprising. Any conversion I have about 'white privilege' sadly comes back to what seems to be a very real fear of the police. Law enforcement has profiles based on vehicles or personal dress. Those profiles just happen to match African-Americans. The police are often called by whites out of fear, ignorance, or outright prejudice.
If people fear what they don't know, then more dialogue and education might be needed. Articles like this one probably a good start.
5
I'm reminded my the song of the Rolling Stones: You Can't Always Get What You Want, but if you try sometime, you'll find, you get what you need. The majority of the Nevada State Legislature is now comprised of more women than men. This last midterm election was an election that was won by a number of women. Race relations is America needs improving, we've improved some, we need to do more, but this takes votes. Politicians hear votes.
5
The survey results are spot on and the survey questions look impressively well designed, capturing very useful information.
For those who quibble with the report's conclusions, compare its results with the Harvard study which reported that our country has become an oligarchy ... almost identically identifying who and what influence national policy. For those who criticize and nitpick here, ponder if your reaction would be the same if "Harvard" were in the title of this report.
And, as our national population shifts in color, race and ethnicit, it becomes ever more important to address the concerns of the group surveyed. A high-handed dismissal of "identity politics" is just another way to justify and perpetuate current stagnation and fixation on the interests of a shrinking portion of our population ... look at how the term was used to attack women who supported Hillary Clinton, who did have clear proposals for raising the prospects of women and many other groups who suffer economic disadvantage.
This survey group does deserve the attention the report demands. Our country cannot prosper if our elected officials persist in ignoring the desires of 60, 70 or 80 percent of the population. As a senior citizen, I remember the days when a high school graduate working 40 hours a week on a single job could afford a family, a house, a car and easily pay medical bills ... when our politicians actually considered real public opinion surveys results. We need that again.
47
Their methodology is worth being scrutinized. From their report:
"It was important to the Black Futures Lab not to conduct a
traditional probabilistic survey sample, as traditional methods can exclude important information about communities that are under-represented. The Black Futures Lab was intentional about oversampling communities where rich information about their experiences, the challenges they face, or their vision for the future is often not available. Surveys are themselves political—for example, some Census surveys were used to justify the classification of Black people as mentally unfit.
The Black Census Project designed a survey that was
intended to serve a political purpose: to make the case that
Black communities are not getting our needs met from politics, and this impacts the way that Black communities understand the challenges that our communities face, and the solutions needed to address those problems. The broad sample size and diversity of respondents makes it possible to analyze various segments of the sample with confidence, focusing on how segments of respondents differ from one another. On some issues, the differences are minor between various segments of respondents. On other questions the social, economic, political, and lived experiences come to the fore and shed light on how these differences shape many of the debates within the wider Black community."
9
I don't understand.
Aren't they explicitly stating that they ran their survey with the intent of producing particular results?
Why would anyone consider their data trustworthy?
There seems to have been some massive misunderstanding about what a data driven argument is.
If you want to do some sort of postmodernist storytelling project, that's fine. I think it may even be very important, to reach otherwise difficult to access information.
But to dress it up as a survey that portrays objective (or at least, not deliberately shaped) data seems incredibly wrong to me.
5
As a white guy who lived some of his formative years in an almost all-Black community, I can appreciate the concerns of this author. Black people have every reason to feel left out of decision-making, in big and very small ways alike. We have a lot of bad history!
But the key to the author's article is that Black Americans are NOT a monolith. They are as diverse as any ethnic group could be. Some are ultra conservative (mainly on the so-called social issues). That also implies that some candidates speak to these needs.
But if people want to count, they must PARTICIPATE. Participate by voting but also by running for office and expressing and pressing forward their opinions.
The author cited the presidential election in which Obama ran, but what about all the local and state elections? Or the mid-term congressional elections? Voter turnout is in the low teens in those races, yet they are important.
Black people should try to do BETTER than white people (also not a monolith :) ) by voting more often and more informed.
My concern is working class and poor Black people because that strata is part of my youth and thus life. I think Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren offer programs that speak to their needs, and in a BIG way! People may disagree; if so, show up at rallies and meetings to question the candidates. They and we ALL need to hear Black voices and thoughts. Above all VOTE often!
38
@Victor Val Dere
Klobuchar/Warren or Kamala Harris in there.
Not a self-absorbed Bernie or a dipwad Biden or any of the younger princes on the Democrat boy band fame tour. They are how we got into the mess over the last 50+ years and will do zilch to get us out.
2
Indeed. Politicians for decades have told voting groups what they want instead of asking. All groups have an obligation to articulate what they want government to do.
Ironically, often the best course government can take to help individuals is to leave them alone to live life as they wish in the way they want. Too often a politicians response would be, 'But you are not capable of judging what is best for you. We can, although we have to create a myth of HATE for another group in order to make you believe you require our help and protection.
3
I'm a Republican in a blue county. During the last election, I spent a considerable amount of time outside my local board of elections handing out literature to folks going in to vote early in-person alongside Democratic volunteers who were doing the same.
I heard black voters say things to the Dem. volunteers like, "It'd be nice to hear from you more than every other year at election time." I heard the white Dem. volunteers, while handing out the slate card, say things to black (and only black) voters like, "This is everything you need to know," with a subtle brusqueness that is hard to convey here but which, observed over and over again, gave me the impression the Dem. volunteers felt the need to persuade white voters to vote Democratic but approached black voters with an attitude of almost condescending paternalism—just get in there and pull the lever for us like we all know you'll do.
Yes, shame on my own political party for not offering a robust contest of ideas to vie for the black vote; but it's also on black voters to make the Democratic Party earn their support. Ms. Garza is right: it shouldn't be enough for candidates to make the token campaign stop to a black neighborhood and eat chicken with hot sauce. If black voters want real answers from Democrats (and hopefully, some day, Republicans), they should make it clear they expect more than an annual check-in and pat on the head.
22
@Thomas Well, sure. But there's a false equivalence here. If a party is elevating a candidate who talks about members of a community in the following terms, what should one ask of that party?
"Look, it is a disaster the way African Americans are living... We'll get rid of the crime. You'll be able to walk down the street without getting shot... What do you have to lose?... Give me a chance. I'll straighten it out."
@Thomas
Oh, give me a break. Like Republicans don't do this very thing with rural white voters every 4 years. (Substitute corndogs and Nascar) The truth is politicians take their constituents for granted everywhere. Very few are truly interested in representing their district's concerns. At least when blacks vote Dem it makes sense; white rural voters are shooting themselves in the foot voting GOP.
4
I accept that people of color, especially black citizens, should have good schools and be eligible to compete for jobs on an equal footing and that they should not be discriminated against in any way. But there is one thing of concern to me that has been brought to the fore in recent months by a presidential candidate and also by a member of the The View tv show and that is a demand for "reparations."
19
@Dutchie don’t be fooled by elite Americans who peddle myths about voter suppression and scary republicans. Unfortunately many Europeans are fooled since it fits their bias of big bad America. Studies have shown that voter suppression efforts as well as voter enablement efforts (such as early voting, expanded absentee ballots, etc) have minimal effects on voter participation.
@Dutchie stop obsessing about us and worry about your own European social problems which are many.
11
@Paul. I assume you are referring to the recent study by the hardly unbiased Heritage Foundation that was limited to voter ID laws? And that did not include the entire collection of voter suppression efforts, such as the closing and moving polling places, the limiting of voting times, the purging of rolls without notice and the like—measures that, coupled with the effects of voter ID LAWS (which you characterized as “minimal” but are suppressive nonetheless), have been shown by numerous studies indeed to suppress minority voting?
You also failed to mention that in today’s environment, elections are lost and lost by a hair. As I recall, the 2016 presidential election was won by 0.09 percent of the vote. So it really doesn’t take more than the “minimal effect” that you acknowledge to swing an election one way or the other.
As for the “myth” of “scary Republicans” my guess is there’s enough in the international press of the unvarnished facts that Dutchie has made that judgment on his own—and in the context of the xenophobia and frightening authoritarianism that is also rising around him in Europe.
The first graph showing the least amount of trust in the rich, big business, and white people respectively points to the real issue that affects all Americans not of the 1%, of color or not: follow the money.
As long as our election campaigns are bought and paid for by those with the greatest amount of money to spend, those are going to get the most attention from the politicians. If you want more equitable attention to diverse interests, we need to change the way our campaigns are run and financed.
Mandatory term limits that would prevent ossification and allow for a reduction in the absurdly high incumbency return rate might also be useful to give greater attention to more voices and needs. A twenty year term to the Supreme Court, rather than the current "until death or dotage do us part" might help keep the whole political process, and the result of existing laws, more malleable to the needs of the people, instead of being stuck for a generation or more with an ideologically biased court as we're seeing now.
Good luck with all of this.
8
@Patrick Good points -- especially when you consider that at the writing of the Constitution, a 'lifetime' appointment for a Supreme Court justice would in reality have been much shorter than it is today, due to longer lifespans. This inhibits the ability of our laws to change with our society.
1
@Patrick
Yep.
Both majority black cities in which I've spent my adulthood have been and show no movement toward changing from 50 years of utter up to the eyeballs corruption, graft, crime, school and systemic failure from top to bottom. The color of who buys government matter not one iota on the local, state or federal level.
This is a great article with great data and clearly BlackFutures is doing some wonderful work. I would love to support them somehow. I was struck by how little the polled respondents trust the Federal Government but then desire programs like health care etc. Perhaps it suggests an opening for leaders at the state level to move the dial???
17
It is encouraging that those polled had more faith in local government than state government. As far as government is the solution to anything, that is where the results are most likely to be positive to any minority group - in the localities where they are a majority.
It is a wonderful truth of our federal republic that powers are devolved to state, county, city, and town/local governments. Any powers not specifically enumerated to the federal government is within the powers of the state governments.
Let's focus there - both in electoral results and empowering local governments.
6
The two most important points to take away from this, I suspect, are first, African Americans are far from a monolith--their opinions on things vary considerably across issues, just as with most other demographic groups--and, that having been said, policies large number of African Americans support would not only help many members of their own group, but would help many members of other groups, particularly those not in the oligarchic stratum.
Of course, the idea that poorer African Americans have more in common with poor people of other demographic groups than either has with more affluent people of any ethnocultural identity has been around for some time, but politicians of many stripes have often successfully exploited the white people/people of color divisional concept to divide and conquer, in the service of allowing both themselves and the richer people who fund campaigns to keep a lot more of the economic spoils than most would think is equitable.
This is not to say that African Americans haven't had their own particular row of woe to hoe. But it does point out that most of society's problems start from the reality that a small number of people have the overwhelming share of wealth and resources and are uninterested in sharing even the slightest bit more, and have been allowed to set up institutions and practices to perpetuate that reality.
31
@Glenn Ribotsky
That's who pays taxes = actually supplies the oil to keep the wheels turning and pays for the wheels, too.
One question seems to have been left unasked: do you vote only when there is an inspiring candidate, and primarily, if not entirely, in presidential elections? Or do you see voting as your duty, even when your party's candidate is less than inspiring, and even when there is no major election to rally your interest?
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@Mark Lebow - Mark, I agree it's up to all of us to get out and vote in every election no matter what. A lot of schools don't have civics class anymore, and a lot of parents aren't picking up the slack by teaching their kids the importance of voting. @Concerned Citizen - Politicians should of course encourage voting, and help voters to do so (including absentee ballots), that's part of a campaign. But voting is still our civic duty as citizens. And the old conservative white folks vote more regularly. That's why they are listened to, and how they have an outsize influence in our election results.
2
If you want the same things as everyone else, and candidates are trying to give those same things to everyone - healthcare, jobs, environmental safety - then that should be enough. Each and every human has a unique life experience. I hardly expect any candidate - who themselves have their own unique life experiences - to expressly say to me "your life experience matters."
36
AS a Dutch white male I cannot help myself and ask, why on earth would any (black) person vote for Trump or the GOP?
Just read an article on Fivethirtyeight on what policies Democrats pursue if they control a state, versus Republicans. It isn't hard to guess what the difference is.
If you want equality, then the only path is a vote for Democrats.
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Yet the cities which are the biggest basket cases are those that have been in Democratic hands for decades.
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@Dutchie I think the greater issue is that people of color don't have access to voting in the way that would make their voices heard. And this is by design. Many states make voter registration difficult for "certain populations" unlike in Europe. The easiest way to register to vote in the U.S. is when you get a driver's license, but if you don't then you have to figure out how to do it, which may not be easy. I'm registered but the state sends no confirmation of that registration.
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@Dutchie, Generally speaking. Democrats provide handouts, "programs", and create dependancy on the government. Republicans provide the environment to succeed on your own. All Americans, black and white, can choose the path they want on election day.
6
I will only vote for candidates, who pledge to seriously address income inequality via economic and tax reform. All boats used to rise together from working-class to middle-class to upper and upper-upper class. We've lost enough ground with the corporate-wing "New Democrats" that are more aligned with the 1% global manufacturing and defense industry, private prisons etc. investments crowd!
For 30 years, the corporate-Democrats have controlled the purse strings of the party and failed to push back against the massive tax cuts and "trickle-down" economics of the Republicans. Corporations are writing legislation and pushing laws through Congress via legal bribery aka lobbyists. But 60 of the Fortune 500 (like Amazon) paid ZERO taxes in 2018. That's why we must be sure the candidates we vote for are truly aligned with the American workers if we don't want Trump to be re-elected. Meanwhile, there was bipartisan support for raising the defense budget by $100 BILLION last year to an obscene $715 BILLION, which is much more than all other nations spend in total. A new campaign called “Put People Over the Pentagon" is demanding that 2020 presidential candidates pledge to cut Pentagon spending by at least $200 billion annually to pay for Medicare for all, a Green New Deal and other programs.
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@mjpezzi
The US spent very little on defense in the 1930’s. During the Great Depression. Cutting military spending is not a boost to workers earnings.
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@mjpezzi
Please research the porportions, the percentages, of our national budget allocated for social programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, etc. Then check your math.
Annual reductions of $200 B., from $700 B., would in 3 years decimate that fund.
I agree, we spend too much on our military. But I assume you understand the uses of and need for a robust US military. And since the military employs -- is it 1%? -- of our adult population, absorbing annually a disproportionate number of young people entering the work force from the South and lower income families, any reduction in the military's ranks should be performed gradually and thoughtfully.
It is easy to adopt sound bites that feel good to spout, but dig into the facts a bit and most slogans soon stop makimg sense.
3
Yes, Democratic office holders don't listen to Black voters and other people of color. Except:
Democrats defend HUD spending on housing assistance, social security spending, Medicare and Medicaid, food stamps, Pell grants and student loans, etc,. etc.. All these programs have a disproportionate impact of Communities of Color, and all these programs are targets for spending cuts by Republicans.
Identity politics is a Republican myth. People of Color tend to vote for Democrats because, gee, Democrats deliver policies that benefit People of Color.
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@Bob Fowkes
You are right but that does not matter to those with specific interest group agendas pursue. What Ms Garza misses is just how similar to the republican right wing lamentations that her missive about identity politics actually is. Different sides of the same coin.
1
As a bi-racial first generational 50 something, I find it fascinating the shift to identify politics where it is not only acceptable but expected that people demand policy and government intervention based on race or gender. There was a time when self-actualization was part of the debate. No more. We now presume that the solution for disparities in society are based virtually solely on outsourcing to government. The article exclusively uses the language of the left in describing both problem and solution and hardly a thoughtful analysis. In fact, the very design of the "survey" was biased. "We want the things that everybody deserves". No underlying bias there. Problem: Wages - Solution: $15hr/min wage. Wealthy and corporations should pay their "fair" share of taxes. These words are literally out of the progressive playbook. There is discussion in survey or prose about personal responsibility, no conversation about the disproportionate the fact that taxes increased dramatically under the Obama administration or that massive social programs like Obamacare disproportionately benefit underrepresented minorities or the Pell grants which provide up to $5,600 in direct grants to go to college disproportionately are distributed to Black recipients. The point is not to say that public policy cannot improve or discussed but rather that biased pieces that simply publish the position of a biased source - in this case the founder of Black Lives matter, should not happen.
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@Chris
Well, I disagree with this point of view. Since it was clearly stated what the parameters of the survey were, there is no problem. If we did not still have such a gulf between advantaged and disadvantaged populations, this kind of survey would not be necessary.
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@Chris to label the language of the survey as liberal is purely opinion too. It is the say that those less liberal care nothing about fair wages or fair taxes. (I would have preferred somewhere halfway in between on the 20% corp. tax break)
This is the problem with politics. Politicians should not get to tell us what we care about. Can I care about issues that are more conservative, yet be a democrat? Can a compromise without being a pariah? Look at the abortion debate. It has been over conservatized, when in reality a diversity of thinking exists in both parties and only a minority represents the extremes.
Moderates tend to take values from many perspectives, so whenever we take issues and label them, we are already over politicizing them. The author and survey did a fairly good job of representing current "hot" issues.
1
I'm curious as to why respondents were asked how much they believe candidates care about "white people" and "women" as separate questions, but in the question about confidence there was a question about "black elected officials" but not a question about "female elected officials." Also, I'm white and I'm female. It would seem that black people think politicians care about my whiteness but not my femaleness. Which is interesting, because I would much prefer politicians to care about my femaleness more than caring about my whiteness. In other words, there's seems to be an inconsistent attention to intersectionality both the questions and responses in this unscientific survey, which is also interesting because isn't Black Lives Matter supposed to be concerned about intersectionality?
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@Amy Luna You likely only prefer that politicians care about your femaleness because your whiteness is a given. You have never been deprioritized or negatively affected because of your race.
Exactly. I’m always on board with your comments, Amy.
1
No mention of global warming in the issues here. If we don't do something about our destruction of this planet, none of anyone's concerns about wage fairness, health care or who's listening to whom will matter.
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@K. Norris
That's right. As an issue in our lives the subject is so irrelevant that politicians don't need to know how people think about it, or worry. Like someone said recently, voters don't care about the end of the world, they care about the end of the month. President Trump understands this.
3
@K. Norris: Probably because a lot—not all, but a lot—of proposed solutions to climate change are regressive (e.g., utility bill riders supporting renewable energy) and, unfortunately, black voters more than others tend to have more-immediate concerns they must worry about just to get by.
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@K. Norris That black people perceive to have more existential threats than global warming should provide you a glimpse into the challenges they face. Just one example: As a white man, if I get pulled over, I have zero expectation of being shot by a police officer. Black people justifiably cannot feel the same.
This data is not the result of a scientific poll. It is opinion. It is opinion to strengthen a political position and use the media to carry the message. What is what control group? What is the demographic breakdown of the groups? What is the voting record? Income levels and geographic locations? I won't go further into the strict mathematical and methodological requirements and methods that were not used in this poll. Readers should not be fooled by numbers, graphs and charts. That is all they are in this story. They don't present any real scientific data, although there is validity in the random opinion of the person on the street. The data and the way it is presented is not valid.
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@John One thing that's clear -- it is an unrepresentative poll. The article claims that early 75% of this poll's respondents said they voted in 2016, when the actual figure for Black voters in the 2016 election was 60%.
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@John
This is exactly what I was wondering reading this article. Selection of respondents is everything in a poll and no information was given about this.
2
I hope the survey asked how likely they are to vote. We must all vote. We need every vote to count - stand in that line all day if we have to - demand a receipt. Demand your vote count. Vote in every election - the small local ones too. This is how you make your needs the politician’s priorities. You have to show up.
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@Deirdre
Vote on policy not party ,gender or color.
The article is right about black voter turnout, which is actually very strong and has been for about 20 years now. Unfortunately it arrives at this conclusions in a methodologically questionable way. I’d be more careful in the future. You don’t want people questioning your methodology or intentions.
Anyway, like others have said some more hard-hitting questions would be nice, but I’m sure these are coming in time.
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The Black Census Project is fascinating. Thank you for the link to your report. Your ground-breaking work deserves careful thought. After I have read it three times, I will form an opinion, and have something to say.
14
We cannot continue to use identity politics, it is killing our communities. We didn't need this survey to know that people of color know government works again them. Hopefully this survey will make people admit that the Dems are not working to help our communities either.
The system is clearly broken and we need to build a new system that works. And when we build the new system it will speak only of equal human beings. It is time we stand in our rightful place as equal human beings and stop segregating ourselves. It is time to start voting for anyone but a Dem or GOP. We also must engage our elected representatives and make our voices heard.
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@skramsv - All boats used to rise together. Lobbyists pushed legal bribery into the mix and now only the 1% have seen 200% gains, while the poor working class saw only 15% gains in 30 years! Economic reform has not been pushed by the corporate-Democrats that control the party by the purse-strings. My vote will be for Sanders, Warren and/or Tulsi Gabbard. They are the only real reformers. All others are the "centrist" Democrats that vote and act more like Republicans when it comes to everything related to higher wages and better social programs like advanced skills training, quality and affordable day care, mandatory paid maternity leaves and at least two years of college paid for with our tax money, instead of putting young people massively in debt.
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@skramsv yes, you and I didn't need this poll, but I think politicians do. It's so wonderful to think equal, I did in 1970 when I went to open admissions college in Bronx NY, there I sat amongst a sea of different colors and thought, yes it's getting fair and better for all Americans, we can stop the hate etc. Boy, I was wrong.
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@KT B Open admission was a dream that turned into nightmare.The top notch CCNY turned into a remedial high school.The purpose of College is to educate not social engineering.
1
This is an excellent analysis, thanks.
I especially like your point about structural racism. I am guessing—guessing— that most people still think that whites changing their attitudes toward blacks will “fix” racism.
It is a necessary step of course. But with the history of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, and so forth lurking in the background, racism is as much a system as it is an attitude.
However much progress has been made, we have not yet changed the system, that much is evident.
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This is the best article presenting statistical information, followed by relevant analysis, that I have read in years. I hope that the democratic party establishment pays attention.
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@Mike Sulzer
Mike, go to the website and read the report. Well, actually the summary of the survey. For a statistical survey report to be meaningful, the Questions asked and the optional answers must be published. Otherwise, an author can use the "data" to say anything the author wants it to say. So this opinion piece is what it is, an opinion piece. Long on opinion, short on factual analysis.
@TDurk
I think the methodology is well explained and the results are meaningful. The is is not about a yes/no result. It is not a scientific poll, and I see no reason to judge it as if it were, especially since those things can fail when they are most important and certain about the results.
Thank you for your powerful data. The sad truth is that blacks have made themselves politically irrelevant. Democrats know that they will vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, so there is no need for Democrats to court their votes. Republicans know they will vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, so why spend time, money and resources to try to get them to change their views.
Ms Garza believes black communities, especially black women, will decide the next President. Sadly, that is not the case. Blacks will vote for whoever the Democrats nominate, and that candidate will lose to President Trump.
Blacks would do well to conclude -- as this data shows -- that the government cares very little for them or their needs. They would be well advised to focus on building their human capital and not their political capital.
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@Hopeful Libertarian
But how many blacks vote matters, too.
It is certainly not true that blacks have made themselves politicly irrelevant by voting for their interests. On the other hand, many white voters are tricked into voting against their own interests.
9
@Hopeful Libertarian The 99% would be wise to draw the same conclusion that the government cares very little for them or their needs. Doesn't much matter what one's race is.
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@Hopeful Libertarian
Thanks for solving the problems of a historically abused underclass of people in one short sentence! Why didn't they think of that? I mean, sure, there are institutionalized racial barriers are every level of American society that virtually guarantee that African Americans stay at the bottom of our political and economic hierarchy, but what's that when we have platitudes to make everything better?
4
Candidates focus on people with money - rich people.
Secondly candidates cater to groups who actually vote.
If you don’t like how US campaigns are conducted, blame the process and the media for the way they cover the election process.
Above all promote voting. If all the Bernie supporters and people who voted for Obama voted in 2016, we would have a different person in the White House.
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@Carl
If the Democratic Party ran a candidate that was not more interested in compromising with Republicand than the base of their own party, Democrats would have won.
For 60 years, Democrats put working people first. They controlled Congress for 57 of those years.
Then the Democrats decided they should be the other party of the rich and abandoned woeking people, unions, the Civil Rights movement, etc., to try to win back the Reagan Democrats who left because Democrats weren't racist enough.
Then Democratic turnout went down and Democrats lost control of the Senate for 14 out of the last 20 years and the House for 16 of the last 20 years.
Experience means nothing if you don't learn from it. Everyone that works for a wage is the base of the Democratic Party. Democrats keep telling them that there is no money and nothing can be done for them. Republicans keep borrowing and spending and promising workers everything. Then when they deliver nothing, they blame the centrist Democrats that compromised with them.
FDR didn't win four terms by scolding the base of his party and telling workers and left activists that they were childish to expect hep from the federal government. He won by listening to his base and delivering actual help.
The motto of the Clintons was essentially, if you can't beat them, join them. If you decide ahead of time that you can't beat them, then you can't beat them.
Stop trying to beat Republicans by playing their game.
Go left to win.
10
@McGloin I wish it were as simple as left and right. Left is now identity politics. Center is jobs and healthcare. The big money donors would rather we keep fighting.
@Carl
Ah...there's our Democrat pointing fingers again.
Hey Carl, 10 million Democratic Party people, flipped and went to Trump. Do you seriously think they all came from the Left or from the Obama voters (backhanded slur?!)?!
No Carl, not *ALL* candidates focus on money. Just the major duopoly. *YOU* and your party choose to run just such. Also, not everyone caters/panders to only those who vote. SOME actually do attempt to represent those disenfranchised and not spoken for.
Yes, we did blame the process, the media, and the Party Duopoly that had it's attorneys state under perjury, in court, that they are a private party and can rig, vote and do whatever they wished. Their own Charter being danged~!
YES, promote voting.
Except establishment Dems keep playing the same game, with the same characters, with the same status quo policies. Always demanding everyone else compromise to your/their candidate. People are tired of this. Tired of the same incremental, maybe, not yet, now is not the time, Right leaning, corp., 1% owned politicians.
You wanted a different person in the Whitehouse?!
SO did we. Just not your version of the same old, same ol'. Yet we came out in larger numbers than HRC's PUMA's did for Pres. O. As we have and do for some 50yrs. now.
Yet you and many others still castigate, scapegoat and slander.
Without once looking to your Right. To those that flipped. As so many do each and every election.
1
I'm sure this is all true. But it also is likely a function (or sub-function, if there is such a thing) of the larger problem of money being the be-all end-all of politics.
Until politicians are motivated to address the needs of the average voter instead of trolling for the favor of donors, none of what this article discusses will come to pass in a significant way.
46
Interesting survey results. I would like to have seen questions on four big wedge issues that progressive candidates speak about fluently:
- Immigration
- Abortion Rights
- Gun Control
- Global Warming
I suspect that the average views of black Americans on those issues are moderate to even slightly conservative. In other words, aside from racial justice and income inequality, black Americans may not align with progressives at all. What happens to our politics if surveys bear this out?
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@Mike Marks Without knowing the methodology of the survey it is impossible to judge the validity of the figures presented and the conclusions drawn.
How were those surveyed chosen? Were there about equal numbers of men and women? All income levels? Age groups? How many per state? Urban vs rural? Republicans vs Democrats vs Independents? Education levels? Do those surveyed accurately reflect the demographics of all US blacks?
There is well-established science for such surveys; were those basic rules followed? If we don't know how the 31,000 respondents were chosen, we don't know if their responses are representative of all blacks in the US.
Were respondents asked open-ended questions like "What are the most pressing issues facing blacks in America today?" or merely presented with a limited choice of responses? I ask this because, surprisingly, none of the critical issues identified includes gun control, incarceration of blacks, police violence, urban crime, climate change, abortion, health care, all of which loom large in the 2020 elections.
In survey research, which relies heavily on computers to process huge volumes of data, there is an old acronym: GIGO. Garbage In, Garbage Out. That is, the conclusions to be drawn from numbers are no better than (or as bad as) the quality of the numbers themselves. If this article were presented as the summary of a college paper based on survey research, the paper would, despite the eye-catching charts, likely receive a failing grade.
10
@Mike Marks
Global warming isn't a 'progressive view'.
11
@Mike Marks
You omitted LGBT issues.
Which the black community views with a conservative bent.
12
"A vast majority of them want to see the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes." The bias here is the presumption that these groups aren't paying their fair share. Yet, every analysis shows that the overwhelming majority of all tax dollars are paid by the wealthy, while the bottom half of earners pay very, very little. A more interesting question should ask whether it is incumbent on everyone to contribute, regardless how little they earn.
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@Jeff
You're talking about income tax. Everyone pays taxes: sales taxes, a gas tax (in one form or another), property tax (in one form or another)...
Doesn't it stand to reason that, if you're going to have an income tax, people who make more income should pay more in income tax?
139
I think when you factor in sales tax and gas tax poor people pay a much higher share of their income than the wealthy.
196
@Diego. People with higher incomes do pay more. Why should they pay a much higher percentage of income is less clear, particularly since they tend to pay more in property / school taxes (they tend to live in pricier digs) and sales taxes (because they can afford, and generally buy, more stuff)...
4
"The most common response among (=black) people who were politically engaged was that no politician or pollster has ever asked them what their lives were like."
My guess is that this would be the most common response of all races, ethnic groups, genders and ages. Politicians rarely show empathy, unless it is self-empathy. Pollsters are not big on this either.
"Some say that politics is quid pro quo, but that hasn’t been true for black voters."
It is rarely true for anybody beyond those in power who take care of others who have power to help them. The average voter more often than not becomes air after the elections.
203
This is an informative article because it reflects real perceptions which are important to understand. It is also understandable that people want what is best for them.
It is troubling to me that this group has has the highest trust in journalists and politicians who share the same skin color.
It is universally true that people trust like-minded individuals but it reflects little critical thinking.
Nevertheless this small cohort of the population needs to feel their voices are heard even if the their desires are prioritized based on good of the overall population.
13