Why do blacks still vote predominately Democrat?

God bless Zach.  He is an endless source of questions well worth asking and answering.  In comments to yesterday’s thread, he pointed out that the Left spans a spectrum from moderate to Marxist and that the Left has changed over time.  Well, yes and no.  True, there are moderates on the Left, but the strong majority of the leadership of the Left is far less moderate.  It is also true that the Left has changed over time.  Those who used to be considered liberals are not nearly far left enough by today’s standards.  I went to law school in a place where there were no conservatives and the battles were between old school liberals (think Kennedy generation) and “progressives” (hard core anti-American, pro-Marxist extreme Leftists).  The “progressives” were winning, though that may have changed when ABA accreditation was threatened.  I don’t know; I haven’t kept track of the politics of my old school.

 

Zack also asks a question I don’t have an answer for and I need your help with.  Why did the black vote swing almost entirely to the Democrat party in 1964?  And, I would add, why has it stayed there ever since?  I think most people commenting on this blog believe that blacks have been harmed by the Democrat programs and would be helped by Republican programs.  It’s clear that the vast majority of blacks disagree.  Why, in nearly 50 years, have we persuaded so few that they are better off with the Republican party?  Are we really that bad at getting our message out?  Or are we selling something blacks in this country simply are not willing to buy?  Granted we have to fight our way through an educational system and a press that is almost entirely controlled by Democrats.  But surely we can do better than this.  And, if we can’t, maybe we should rethink our underlying assumptions.  Anyway, help me out here.  Why did black turn again the relatively conservative party and what, if anything, can be done about it?