August 25, 2016

"Let's stay on the Democratic Party plantation, recommends Donna Brazile..."

Writes Glenn Loury.
Unfortunately, Ms. Brazile -- the veteran Democratic strategist, who personifies the enduring legacy within the Party of Jesse Jackson's presidential aspirations from the 1980s -- makes no reference in her piece to the substantive policy issues -- jobs and education -- where her party's establishment has repeatedly failed to foster the interests of poor urban blacks....

By sweeping such difficult issues under the rug, Ms. Brazile misses the key point: it's a "Negotiation 101"-level observation to note that a credible threat to withhold our votes from the Democrats gives black people more leverage WITHIN the party, as it endeavors to manage what are the necessarily conflicting interests of its varied constituencies...

This commonsense observation is not a plug for Donald Trump (though Democratic party leaders will hope blacks construe it that way, the better to avoid accountability and to silence dissenting voices like my own...)....

41 comments:

Nonapod said...

Historically the Democrat party has never been held accountable by their own constituents for anything that occurs as a direct result of the policies started and maintained under their leadership. Sadly I don't see that changing any time soon. People like being told stories, they don't like being told the truth. The truth is unpleasant.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Blacks should vote strategically. Whites, Catholics, Jews, Hispanics all vote strategically and so should blacks if they want to advance their interests. This being said, it is not exactly a mystery why Republicans have struggled to get their votes in recent years.

eric said...

If Trump gets 20% of the black vote and wins, it's going to really shake up the Democrat party.

For the better.

rehajm said...

...that a credible threat to withhold our votes from the Democrats gives black people more leverage WITHIN the party...

It's only credible if there's reason to believe it could actually happen.

rhhardin said...

jobs and education -- where her party's establishment has repeatedly failed to foster the interests of poor urban blacks....

They didn't exactly fail at it. They caused it. Does Loury know this?

rhhardin said...

I wonder if Loury notices that he's a lot smarter than poor urban blacks. He should notice that he's got a lot better character, and then he'd be onto a solution of the problem.

It means abandoning the Democrat party, very obviously then.

Bob Loblaw said...

I'm perfectly willing to embrace any voter who wants a devolved small government and low taxes. If you just want free stuff you should probably keep voting Democrat.

Larry J said...

Nonapod said...
Historically the Democrat party has never been held accountable by their own constituents for anything that occurs as a direct result of the policies started and maintained under their leadership.


We're never supposed to judge them on the results of their policies but on their proclaimed good intentions. Good for whom?

FullMoon said...

Blacks on the plantation generally refers to poor black people. Working people do not worry about survival as much as poor people do,

With that in mind, the stereotypical imagined poor black person on welfare, food stamps, free medical and assisted housing has every reason to be afraid of losing that government assistance. This is the fear democrats create and encourage.

Many, of any race,unskilled and receiving government assistance, cannot imagine that getting a job would improve their situation. How much would they have to earn to keep their existing lifestyle? Not to imply that everyone on welfare is living the good life, of course. Only that the fear of losing what they do have is very real. Goes along with the fear of old people losing Social Security "because Republicans want to do away with it."

Trump would profit from persuading recipients of any color that a smooth transition over time from welfare to working is to their benefit, and emphasize that welfare leaves no chance for financial advancement, whereas a job at least has the potential to improve your lifestyle.


n.n said...

Bias is intrinsic. Prejudice is progressive.

[class] diversity politics are by their nature selective.

Tobias said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Luke Lea said...

The Dems can offer poor African Americans nothing like Trump's promise to bring American factory jobs back from overseas. #TrumpChangeNotChumpChange

Tobias said...

"Let's stay on the Democratic Party plantation..."

Something Jefferson Davis might have said.

YoungHegelian said...

jobs and education -- where her party's establishment has repeatedly failed to foster the interests of poor urban blacks....

A large part of the reason that education has failed poor urban blacks is because of the influence of teachers' unions, many of them heavily black, on the Democratic Party.

Many of the social issues that the Democratic Party strives to fix never get fixed because it's another Democratic constituency that causes the problem to begin with.

Sebastian said...

"jobs and education -- where her party's establishment has repeatedly failed to foster the interests of poor urban blacks..." This assumes that poor urban blacks are most concerned with jobs and education. Mistakenly ascribes his preferences to others.

"a credible threat to withhold our votes from the Democrats gives black people more leverage WITHIN the party, as it endeavors to manage what are the necessarily conflicting interests of its varied constituencies..." This assumes the threat can be made credibly. But the Dem negotiator will say: oh? you tryin' to tell me you might go to the other side? take the other guys' deal? be my guest. And the interests of the constituencies may be varied (not as much as advertised), but the power differences are great and more important. Organized minorities within the minority have the greatest voice and clout.

"the better to avoid accountability and to silence dissenting voices like my own..." They are accountable, in terms of delivering essentials -- i.e., cash benefits, patronage, minimal services, enough scams to keep hope alive for any aspiring upwardly mobile "leader."

mockturtle said...

The Democratic Party is full of professional race-card dealers, black and white. There is never any intent to incentivize real improvements in predominately black communities.

gspencer said...

I'm called a racist even though I want blacks in America to succeed because when blacks succeed, learning as they do so that accepting personal responsibility is essential to freedom, I and the rest of society becomes better.

I'm called a fascist because I want contained, restricted government, understanding that the purpose of our federal system is to enhance liberty by dividing government, and that the greatest threat to liberty has always been government.

I'm called an Islamophobe because I don't wish to see a totalitarian political system substituting itself for our federal system, particularly one that does so by masquerading as a religion that controls all (and I mean ALL) phases of life.

I am not idle. I am about the business of teaching others of the dangers about. The Democrat Party is the greatest danger, though it is not the only danger, as it undermines our systems.

fivewheels said...

"I wonder if Loury notices that he's a lot smarter than poor urban blacks. He should notice that he's got a lot better character..."

Loury is an interesting case, if you know his history. He's has legitimate outlier intelligence. But he was a crack addict. BUT, when his drug habit starting fucking up his life, he stopped doing it. So he has fascinating perspectives on things like whether character is what causes or does not cause drug addiction, and how hopeless it really is to escape it. And whether going to church will help with that, and how.

Also, as far as how credible a threat it is to "join the other side," Loury did join the other side. He's been an archconservative and Reaganite, and he's been the guy who supported Hillary Clinton over Obama. You can't say the guy isn't thinking things over and being open-minded.

If any of you aren't doing it, you should listen to his talks with John McWhorter on bloggingheads. You will probably enjoy his thoughts on respecting religious people even if you're not religious, and his BLM skepticism, and his stance on college snowflakes.

Bruce Hayden said...

I just commented on another thread about a Crooked Hillary campaign ad showing a bunch of Democrats wearing sheets and burning crosses. I do wonder whether this ad, and her speech today are somewhat in reaction to Trump asking this key Dem party (the party for which the KKK was its militant arm for so long) constituency what they have to leave she, voting for him.

jacksonjay said...

"If Trump gets 20% of Black vote ..."
"... Trump's promise to bring American factory jobs back ..."

Bwaaaaahhhhhaaaaaaahhhhaaaaa!!!!

Michael Fitzgerald said...

"Let's stay on the Democratic Party plantation, recommends Donna Brazile"

There's an audiotape of the Jonestown Massacre. The Kool-Aid has been prepared and people are lining up to drink and die. Jones allows a member to speak over the microphone, a woman who pleads with everyone to not drink. She argues desperately for life, but other members shout her down and force her to shut up and drink the Kool-Aid.

Donna Brazille says shut up and drink the Kool-Aid.

mockturtle said...

Donna Brazille says shut up and drink the Kool-Aid.

Yep. :-(

Rusty said...

AReasonableMan said...
Blacks should vote strategically. Whites, Catholics, Jews, Hispanics all vote strategically and so should blacks if they want to advance their interests. This being said, it is not exactly a mystery why Republicans have struggled to get their votes in recent years.

you see people as things to be used to your advantage.
We see people as individuals.

Gahrie said...

Psst...hey Glen...the Democratic Party will never take Black people seriously as long as you keep voting for them as they kick you in the ass........

Gahrie said...

This being said, it is not exactly a mystery why Republicans have struggled to get their votes in recent years.

True..but not due to Republican racism as you think...just the political operative's instinct not to waste money on hopeless causes.

rcocean said...

Poor Glenn. Everyone with a brain knows Blacks aren't very bright and are going to vote Democrat 80-90% EVERY SINGLE TIME. They always have and they always will.

The Republicans could nominate Glenn as their POTUS candidate and they still wouldn't get more than 30% of the black vote.

Blacks would be muttering, what happened to Glenn? Why did he sell out to the Anti-black Republicans?

rcocean said...

You can't even get well-to-do Jews, Scandinavians and Irish Americans to vote (R). Why the hell does Minnesota vote D every single fucking year? Why does a majority of the Irish vote Democrat every single election?

If can't even get these well-to-do white ethnics to vote 45% Republican, the chances you can get even 1/3 of the Black to vote (R) is insane.

Known Unknown said...

I originally saw that word in the middle of the post as Negrotiation. Maybe that's what Trump is trying to do.

todd galle said...

If I remember correctly (always take with a caution), I believe it was 'Fla-vor-Aid', at Jonestown, not Kool-Aid.

mockturtle said...

If I remember correctly (always take with a caution), I believe it was 'Fla-vor-Aid', at Jonestown, not Kool-Aid.

That adds insult to injury, using Brand X!

wildswan said...

The blacks who live in the Great Lakes area came there in order to get good manufacturing jobs. The ones that came early were successful and the black employment rate was 84%. Between 1970 and 2010 the area lost 3 million jobs. Everyone suffered but blacks suffered the most. They went from 84% of men between 18-54 employed to 52%. (Whites dropped to the low eighties, Hispanics to the low seventies.) Blacks in this area, for sure, wanted to work and still do. I met one of those emigrants and she told me she came for the good jobs but now it was just "used to be."

"Used to be" - jobs
"Used to be" - the Milwaukee schools were not at the bottom.
"Used to be" - also known as The New Normal. What Hillary is promoting.

After the riots in Milwaukee the mayor convened stakeholders to work out a strategy. There was an employment agency there but no employers were invited. Then later a group went down and passed out sandwiches in Sherman park. Sandwiches in Sherman Park. Where the people who first came and got the good jobs lived before they went to the suburbs. Where unemployment is 50%. Sandwichs.

"Used to be" is the New Normal, according to Hillary - So Vote Democratic. Have a sandwich.

Or vote for Donald Trump.

BN said...

'"Used to be" is the New Normal.'

For the Left, it's always been "the worse, the better." (see Lenin). It's how "real change" happens.

It's still happening.

BN said...

'"Used to be" is the New Normal.'

For the Left, it's always been "the worse, the better." (see Lenin). It's how "real change" happens. It's still happening.

The Right may be right re the Individual vs the Collective, but it "sounds" wrong, i.e., it sounds like "you're on your own."

The world cries out for someone (read "Daddy") to save them. The Left says, "Daddy is here, darling."

Fight that, Righties. You're on your own.

BN said...

Of course, the Right does fight it. They fight it with their own "Daddy," aka "God the Father."

If only God would still feed the poor, the Right might have a chance.

Or perhaps, people just don't know about it.

Propaganda.

BN said...

Propaganda... God needs more bloggers.

Daniel Jackson said...

"Let's stay on the Democratic Party plantation..."

What a horrific choice of words! Plantation, indeed.

The economic vision of Southern Democrats [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Democrats] since Thomas Jefferson, the sterling "free thinker" who practiced what he preached. Not.

Does this mean we should be "yearning for the Old Folks at Home"?

damikesc said...

If blacks, as a group, want to make their views matter, they need to --- and it only has to really happen once --- vote Republican. A majority needs to do it.

If the GOP thinks they might win their vote and the Dems think they might lose it, then their views will matter.

Otherwise, they are just slaves. Their desires are meaningless since their vote is locked in regardless. I'm convinced Hillary can go off on a massively racist diatribe on camera and she'd still get more than half of the black vote.

There's an audiotape of the Jonestown Massacre. The Kool-Aid has been prepared and people are lining up to drink and die. Jones allows a member to speak over the microphone, a woman who pleads with everyone to not drink. She argues desperately for life, but other members shout her down and force her to shut up and drink the Kool-Aid.

I've heard that tape. Haunting stuff.

Also lets people know that the young kids weren't on board with the killing. Lots of crying and screaming as it goes on.

...and, of course, Jones doesn't go out that way. The leaders never do what he followers are supposed to do.

The economic vision of Southern Democrats [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Democrats] since Thomas Jefferson, the sterling "free thinker" who practiced what he preached. Not.

I'll defend Jefferson here.

Let's say your Thomas. You feel blacks shouldn't be slaves. They probably aren't the equal of whites, but they shouldn't be slaves and shouldn't be killed for no reason.

You live in a time and area where blacks have no rights. None. And getting jobs where they can support a family is extremely difficult.

What is the crueler fate in that scenario? Keeping them as slaves and, at the least, not having them die and/or starve? Or freeing them into a society where they have no protections at all in a world where they are viewed as being little more than animals?

He likely chose the least bad of an array of really bad options.

Rusty said...

When Thomas Jefferson was a member of the Virginia House he petitioned King George to outlaw slavery in Virginia.

Michael The Magnificent said...

This assumes that poor urban blacks are most concerned with jobs and education.

A few years back I read an article penned by a newspaper editor who actually moved into his city's ghetto in order to try to understand why people remained in the ghetto. Unfortunately, I cannot find the bookmark to his article. He was not happy to conclude that they stay in the ghetto because they don't want to have to get up early in the morning, have to work at a job, have to answer to a boss, have to shovel the driveway and the sidewalk in winter, or cut the grass and pull weeds in the summer. He said you couldn't successfully transplant your typical unemployed person from the ghetto to a house and a job in the suburbs, because they'd chafe at having to answer to an authority figure each day (the boss), they wouldn't be able to stay up late getting drunk and high and then sleep late the next day, and that they'd consider caring for a lawn and flower beds to be a waste of time.

Michael The Magnificent said...

The blacks who live in the Great Lakes area came there in order to get good manufacturing jobs.

A week or so ago Instapundit highlighted an article detailing some history on the migration of the poor from Mississippi to Illinois once Illinois raised their monthly AFDC payments to about four times what it was in Mississippi. Shortly after that, Wisconsin raised their monthly AFDC payments to exceed those of Illinois. This caused a massive migration of AFDC-dependent families from Mississippi to Illinois and then Wisconsin.

mockturtle said...

Need I point out--again--that the majority of Americans on welfare are white?