Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:
long time guy wrote:
Boilermaker Rick wrote:
I never understood why poor minorities weren't right on board with the anti-immigration rhetoric as long as they were legally here. All it does it depress wages for all of them with no real benefit to them either. It is for some reason framed as a racial issue when in reality it is much more of an economic issue. A lot of these failings are because the Republicans are horrible at framing the debate and the Democrats seize on that.
Its a good question. I don't think that the average black person (what does that actually mean when you think about it?) really sees illegals as the competition. I also don't think they view illegals as the group which necessarily holds them back. I hate generalizations but it is safe to say that blacks don't want to perform the jobs that Illegals typically have. If they want the job they don't want it at the wages that illegals accept. I think that it becomes an issue once legalization is achieved but I don't think its important at the time that illegal aliens enter the country. I also think that blacks view the plight of Hispanics similarly to their own plight and see a bit of a correlation between the two struggles
Yeah, I'm not sure there is a such thing as an "average" person. But the fact is that more than any other single group, blacks tend to vote as a block. Obviously, we have you and Nas participating in this conversation and you both have very different views, yet ultimately you will both settle on the same candidate, though perhaps for different reasons. Nas acknowledges Bill Clinton's war on black Americans, but he has somehow convinced himself that Clinton's wife, who was involved in making policy and had great influence on the administration, will be different. You seem to believe the Clintons sincerely care about black people.
And you don't have to look any further than Chicago to see the divide between blacks and Hispanics. Rahm Emanuel is fucking the black community right up the ass, yet they still wouldn't support Chuy.
Emanuel's support within the black community has eroded immensely. The Laquan Mcdonald case will forever change the support he receives from blacks. He got a pass early on because the Obama factor. He also secured the support of black preachers and if you ever want to control the black vote in Chicago you through the black church. It is gold for securing the black vote.
Its hyperbolic to suggest that I think the Clintons sincerely care about blacks. I don't know necessarily whats in their hearts. What I will say is that I can point to policies which they supported i.e Children's Defense Fund, Community Reinvestment Act which sought to improve the lives of blacks.
You don't get anything from Republicans from a black perspective. I cannot point to a single policy post 1968 which seeks to improve the plight of blacks. Not one. They also
have no issue with playing identity politics when it was politically expedient. They
have demonized blacks for decades and even
seek to rollback policies which improve the lives of African Americans.
I grew up during the era when Affirmative Action was a hot button issue. I watched the Neo-con crowd attempt to repeal the policy at every instance. I also
hear just about every argument about its level of ineffectiveness. The fact of the matter is that the black middle class has grown exponentially since Affirmative Action was enacted. When I see guys like Trump talk about what the Democratic Party hasn't done for blacks I get upset. Its not that they are a panacea but they are the best that we have.
You can't even get a Republican, particularly an arch Conservative to admit that racism is really prevalent. Look at the difficulty that it is for some on here to admit to Trump's racism. The evidence is irrefutable yet either they deny, ignore, or change the subject to Hillary Clinton.
With this being the case how do they expect to obtain the black vote? Honestly I don't really think it would be an issue for them if the demographic shift didn't necessitate it. They were quite comfortable with conceding the black vote during the Reagan Era. Hell Reagan kicked his candidacy off in Philadelphia, Mississippi of all places. Do you think that he was concerned about "optics"
In terms of Bill Clinton the black middle class expanded during his Presidency. That is a fact. Homeownership For African Americans also increased during his Presidency. That occurred as a result of policies that were instituted by his Administration. Redlining and discrimination in mortgage lending made it difficult for blacks to buy homes.
This is still the case. When people reference "things" that helped blacks this would be an example. There were others that benefitted but blacks undeniably were helped also.