[...] It's true that there are lots of other reasons why black Republicans didn't win this year--particularly the fact that it just wasn't a great year to be any kind of Republican. And it's also true that Democrats do face one worrying trend with black voters: Young blacks are less likely to register as Democrats than their parents were. In 1974, 80 percent of blacks identified with the Democratic Party. By 1994, just 65 percent did, and, among African Americans aged 18-29, it was less than 60. But that loss is not associated with a commensurate rise in GOP membership: Blacks still vote for Democrats, even if they don't always call themselves Democrats.The challenge for the Democratic Party will be to make sure that remains the case--that a slide to the GOP does not occur. And, while so doing, it should take notice of a different trend: In contrast to almost every other demographic group, wealthy blacks are more likely to identify as Democrats than impoverished ones. This means that appealing to blacks with big government social policy is win-win: By improving public education, economic well-being, and social mobility--and helping blacks into the middle class--Democrats can increase the likelihood that blacks will become Democrats. And these policies still appeal to the self-interest of blacks who don't make it up the income ladder. [...]
| That's near the end of Conor Clarke's registration-required "Why Black Republicans Keep Losing" in The New Republic
posted in articles on November 8, 2006 9:45 PM | t (0)
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