Republican voters in South Carolina presidential primary are all white

[AquaMan]

Let's face it, the jobs picture is bleaker for black America under Obama than it was under Bush.  If they vote in droves for him again, there's really only one good conclusion, they just don't want to vote for a white man. 

Why would it be any different than the excuse that white people wouldn't vote for Obama or like his policies simply because he's black?

I'm skeptical of your underlying assumption that blacks have it bleaker under Obama than Bush. My impression is that all middle class folks are hurting during this turndown. Both black and white are losing traction. If anything, whites had further to fall. If that is true, color is irrelevant.

They didn't vote because they either weren't invited or didn't see anything they liked....or they were too busy working. Any stats on how many voted in the last primary?

[Conan71]

I'm skeptical of your underlying assumption that blacks have it bleaker under Obama than Bush. My impression is that all middle class folks are hurting during this turndown. Both black and white are losing traction. If anything, whites had further to fall. If that is true, color is irrelevant.

They didn't vote because they either weren't invited or didn't see anything they liked....or they were too busy working. Any stats on how many voted in the last primary?

Busy working?  It was a Saturday.

Unemployment amongst blacks is almost double that for whites, that's BLS statistics, not conjecture.  While white people have been going back to work, the black workforce still can't find jobs.

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
I've heard people say that the expectations on Barack Obama are greater from our community than they have been for any other president.  When someone highlights the fact that black unemployment has actually worsened under the Obama Administration while improving within the white community, the quickest reaction I typically hear is "He's president of all of America, not just black America," which appears to be an excuse for him not to do anything.  There is no question that President Obama has bigger issues to worry about than us 'lil old black folks,' but we seem to become pretty important to the White House around election time.

While one might argue that some black Americans expect more from Obama than any other president, we must also remember that we supported him more than any other president. So, I argue that if we are being asked to expect the same from him that we would anyone else, then we should give him the same support as any other Democrat on election day.  In other words, don't ask for more if you are not prepared to give more.  Extraordinary benefits and expectations are a double-edged sword.

Has the Obama presidency been good for black America?  It depends on who you ask.  But what I ask, quite simply, is that we focus on tangible results and not symbolism when making our assessment. Singing Al Green songs might seem pretty cool, but it's not so cool when black Americans are singing the blues in the midst of foreclosure, poverty and unemployment unlike anything we've seen in the last 25 years.
I long for the day that the leading reason to support the Democrats in the next election doesn't simply amount to, "Well, the Republicans are going to be much worse."  That's like a woman choosing to work for the pimp who beats her or the one who steals all of her money.  Perhaps she should remove herself from prostitution entirely.

Three years ago, the Obama Administration made it clear that they would not have a targeted policy to deal with racial inequality in wealth or unemployment.  The president said that he believed that "the rising tide will lift all boats," implying that targeted policy would not be necessary to deal with inequality.  My Finance PhD led me to interpret these words as a racialized-version of trickle-down economics, another failed policy of the Reagan Administration.  The notion that racial inequality will simply "fix itself" is socially lazy, naive and counterproductive.    The same government that played a role in solidifying inequality in our society must also play a part in correcting that inequality – we didn't get to this place by ourselves.
Well, the facts have made it clear that the "rising tides" policy has been a miserable failure.  Over the last three years, white unemployment has improved, while black unemployment has gotten worse. During the last two months, when the Obama Administration celebrated improved employment numbers for the economy, the fact was that these improvements missed the black community entirely. During the past year, white unemployment has dropped from 8.3% to 7.5%, while black unemployment has risen from 15.2% to 15.8%, more than double that of white Americans.

Supporting a black president is very important.  But the same courage that it takes for us to get out and vote for the president must be returned with courageous policy that reflects the interests of those who support him.  You can't ask for extraordinary support and then turn around and say, "Hey, I'm just a regular guy."   Also, avoiding favoritism toward the black community is very different from the abandonment of political responsibility.  There are times when it seems that the administration works so hard to avoid appearing biased that it goes to the other extreme – sort of like when a father hires his son and then treats him worse than everyone else.

At the end of the day, the proof must be in the pudding.  If the numbers on unemployment, foreclosure and wealth inequality show that Obama has done a good job for black Americans, then we should support him.  But if the numbers do not justify his re-election, we should not allow anyone to play the race card to convince us to vote blindly.  In fact, I don't even blame those who choose to sit out of the election in protest.  Al Sharpton, Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Melissa Harris Perry or other Obama surrogates should not be making the decision for you – taking care of a few select members of the black community is not the same as taking care of the community itself.  We must be sure to vote intelligently.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracusef[sic] University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

http://www.yourblackworld.com/2012/01/22/dr-boyce-should-black-america-expect-more-from-obama-than-any-other-president/

[Teatownclown]

Busy working?  It was a Saturday.

Unemployment amongst blacks is almost double that for whites, that's BLS statistics, not conjecture.  While white people have been going back to work, the black workforce still can't find jobs.

Why is that?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/african-american-pastors-express-support-for-occupy-movement/2012/01/18/gIQAyofFEQ_story.html

"This is the continuation of the [civil rights] movement. It was the economic movement that King was killed for," said Hagler, of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Northeast Washington.

"When Dr. King was killed, he was . . . fighting for the rights of sanitation workers," Coates said. "It is critically important that we relate our faith to issues of economic justice and systemic inequality."

[AquaMan]

Po' folks work on Saturdays. Second jobs are often on weekends.

The lowest segments of an economy usually suffer the worst. Teenagers are now suffering much more in unemployment as well since a lot of older, more experienced workers are having to migrate to those jobs. I suppose everything is your fault when you're the sitting prez, nonetheless it seems unlikely that minorities and teenagers have forgotten how we got to this miserable condition.

[Gaspar]

Ever notice that Newt kinda looks like a fat woman's knee?

[RecycleMichael]

Ever notice that Newt kinda looks like a fat woman's knee?

That is mean on so many levels. You should go find a fat woman and apologize.

[Conan71]

That is mean on so many levels. You should go find a fat woman and apologize.

Agreed.

[we vs us]

Let's face it, the jobs picture is bleaker for black America under Obama than it was under Bush.  If they vote in droves for him again, there's really only one good conclusion, they just don't want to vote for a white man. 

Why would it be any different than the excuse that white people wouldn't vote for Obama or like his policies simply because he's black?

The jobs picture is definitely bleaker for black America under Obama, that's indisputable.  The question is always where the voters perceive the fault lies.  You only give two options for blame among African Americans -- it's either Obama or Bush -- when the truth is undoubtedly far more complex.  Obama has explicitly taken blame for the economy time and again, but most people who aren't named Guido know that there's no way he can be completely responsible for where things are now.  Likewise, Bush had some awful policies but even he isn't fully responsible for our current economy.  And even before Bush, the economic position of African Americans as a group has been tenuous at best.  It's quiet possible that African American voters have a sense that where they are today is the fault of short, medium, and long term policy and players. 

Like I've said before, I just don't think what you're getting at is a good argument.  It doesn't prove that black people are racist if they vote for Obama, it only proves that they don't fault him entirely for their deteriorating positions and/or that the alternative is just too awful to consider.  And honestly, knowing the history of the GOP vis a vis race relations, I just can't see a reason for African Americans to ever really vote for them.  Will they vote for him out of pure affinity?  Absolutely.  But there're other logical reasons as well, none of them based on "hell yeah he's a fellow black dude." 

[Conan71]

The jobs picture is definitely bleaker for black America under Obama, that's indisputable.  The question is always where the voters perceive the fault lies.  You only give two options for blame among African Americans -- it's either Obama or Bush -- when the truth is undoubtedly far more complex.  Obama has explicitly taken blame for the economy time and again, but most people who aren't named Guido know that there's no way he can be completely responsible for where things are now.  Likewise, Bush had some awful policies but even he isn't fully responsible for our current economy.  And even before Bush, the economic position of African Americans as a group has been tenuous at best.  It's quiet possible that African American voters have a sense that where they are today is the fault of short, medium, and long term policy and players. 

Like I've said before, I just don't think what you're getting at is a good argument.  It doesn't prove that black people are racist if they vote for Obama, it only proves that they don't fault him entirely for their deteriorating positions and/or that the alternative is just too awful to consider.  And honestly, knowing the history of the GOP vis a vis race relations, I just can't see a reason for African Americans to ever really vote for them.  Will they vote for him out of pure affinity?  Absolutely.  But there're other logical reasons as well, none of them based on "hell yeah he's a fellow black dude." 

You and I both realize private sector jobs don't begin and end with one president.  There's a good amount of Americans who will either credit or crucify a president for jobs created or lost though.  If the economy had turned around and unemployment were at less than 5% again, you can bet President Obama's approval numbers would be 60% or better.

I think you miss the cultural reality that there are a good number of people people who do vote with a tribal mentality.  "He's one of us."  Not even on a racial basis but "He's a northerner", "He's a fellow Tea Party Conservative", or even singular issue: "She's against abortion".  Let's see you construct and argument that doesn't happen.

If African Americans were in touch with their heritage, they'd remember that Republicans did far more for their emancipation and the passage of CRA's than Democrats.

[Teatownclown]

You and I both realize private sector jobs don't begin and end with one president.  There's a good amount of Americans who will either credit or crucify a president for jobs created or lost though.  If the economy had turned around and unemployment were at less than 5% again, you can bet President Obama's approval numbers would still be 6045% or better.

I think you miss the cultural reality that there are a good number of people people who do vote with a tribal mentality.  "He's one of us."  Not even on a racial basis but "He's a northerner", "He's a fellow Tea Party Conservative", or even singular issue: "She's against abortion".  Let's see you construct and argument that doesn't happen.

If African Americans were in touch with their heritage, they'd remember that mid 19th century Republicans did far more for their emancipation and the passage of CRA's than Democrats.

You have a tendency to believe your own publicity....

[nathanm]

I think that is a rather curious statistic.  South Carolina is currently 10% unemployed (9.9 to be exact).  This means that real unemployment is around 20% in that state.  Unemployment among African-Americans typically trends much higher than other groups.

Don't make up numbers, it just makes you look lazy.

One would assume that African American Republicans in that state would be very interested in any political participation that would put an end to the current policies that seporate many of them from being active in the workforce.

One would also assume they're not interested in voting for a crop of candidates who are mostly, but not quite entirely, openly racist or like to blow on the racist dog whistles a little too often. Furthermore, one might assume that they have noticed unemployment declining since the middle of the year and fewer and fewer mass layoffs.

This will be a very interesting election, even more so than 4 years ago, because now President Obama has a complete track record to present instead of "Hopey Changey."  This means that it will be far easier to measure votes based solely on race instead of policy.

What on earth are you talking about?

[nathanm]

If African Americans were in touch with their heritage, they'd remember that Republicans did far more for their emancipation and the passage of CRA's than Democrats.

That was back before Republicans were Republicans. You'll note that even within 20 years or so, those guys had all but forgotten about black people, which directly led to the Jim Crow era.

[RecycleMichael]

It happened again.

In Florida, 16% of the voters are black. In today's presidential primary, only 1% of the GOP voters were black. Like South Carolina, Florida has a black republican congressman.

http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/epolls/fl?hpt=hp_t1

Why are black republicans not going to the polls for these candidates?

[Red Arrow]

It happened again.

In Florida, 16% of the voters are black. In today's presidential primary, only 1% of the GOP voters were black. Like South Carolina, Florida has a black republican congressman.

http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/epolls/fl?hpt=hp_t1

Why are black republicans not going to the polls for these candidates?

What percentage of Florida black Republicans normally vote in a primary?

Edit: Or, why are Florida black Republicans not being polled in relation to their proportion of the Republican party?

[RecycleMichael]

I don't know where to find that information.

I do know that black republicans are not voting in this primary. Do they not think that Romney/Gingrich/Santorum/Paul are worthy of their vote? Is this some sort of organized protest? Have they been converted over to the democratic side by four years of a black president?

The numbers are too stark to not ponder what they mean.