Why Black voters - and other voters of color - are overwhelmingly loyal to the Democratic Party [View all]

[YoungDemCA]

IMHO, the reason for why Black voters - and voters of color in general - are so overwhelmingly loyal to the Democratic Party is quite simple:

Elections have consequences, but when Republicans win, those consequences are disproportionately negative to voters of color. Let's be real: As a middle-class white man, I and other (liberal) middle-class white men may be quite angry (and justifiably so!) if Republicans win the Presidency, but white men like me will not bear the brunt of whatever a President Trump, Cruz, or Kasich will surely do, in terms of aggressively regressive social, economic, and racial policies. Persons of color, on the other hand, absolutely will - just as they always have.

Furthermore, my impression is that Black voters in particular view voting not merely as an individual, personal choice, but as a means of collective action and community solidarity. The Black community knows that their fortunes, as a general rule, rise and fall together. This is especially critical for sympathetic white liberals to understand in light of the racialized context of the Black community and other communities of color being subjugated by the white supremacy that American society is built on. That racialized context, in turn, informs the economic, social, cultural, and political context for ALL Black Americans and other PoC. This cannot be overstated.

Finally, I would add that by and large, within the Democratic Party, Black voters and other voters of color are not the ones who have driven the Democrats to the Right (assuming, of course, that that has really happened across the board, and relative to history...). If anything, voters of color have been the left-wing conscience of the Democratic Party - and of American politics at large. Those who point their fingers at Black Americans for consistently supporting President Obama, or both Bill and Hillary Clinton, really ought to look elsewhere for responsibility. Perhaps they should start with themselves.

Thanks for hearing me out on this, AA Group. Your perspectives have enlightened and challenged me in so many ways. I am so grateful for this community's insights and I am inspired by your solidarity - and bravery, for that matter - in the midst of narrow-minded bigotry, prejudice, and hatred from all sides - Left and Right. Kudos to all of you!

- YoungDemCA