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Black voters awaking from wokeness

Black voters awaking from wokeness

Based on my long-time association with the black community, I have frequently written about my belief that black voters were on the cusp of a shift in political loyalty.

But first a little history.

Black voter loyalty to the Democratic Party never made sense to me. The Great Depression may have caused a shift in voter loyalty away from the party of emancipation and civil rights.  But that was not what held their votes for the next 85 years.

It was a scheme concocted by a Chicago black Congressman William Dawson in the mid-1930s – at a time black voters were starting to return to the GOP.  He was placed as the boss of the black precincts by Windy City’s white racist leaders of the Democrat political machine. That was the same practice that had New York’s infamous Tammany Hall – in cooperation with the Mafia — appoint Bumpy Johnson as the political/crime boss of Harlem.

Dawson’s plan was simple.  Hook the impoverished black residents on welfare.  Make it their lifeline.  In return for a permanent poverty level of sustenance, blacks would surrender their constitutional rights of social mobility, equal opportunity, quality education, fair housing, equal justice and access to America’s opportunity society.  Generational welfare dependency would become the new civil right – the only civil right for those trapped by social and economic segregation.

It is important to understand that generational welfare dependence did not evolve naturally.  It was strategically developed and maintained intentionally for political purposes by the Democratic Party – and the scheme has been working in our segregated cities for four score and five years.

When President Johnson was calming the concerns of southern racist senators, he told them that the war on poverty programs would keep n***ers voting Democrat for the next 200 years. And yes, Johnson was such a frequent user of the n-word that he was dubbed “the connoisseur of the n-word.”

Dawson’s idea appealed to the white supremacism of President Roosevelt, so he had Dawson appointed Vice Chairman of the Democratic National Committee – commissioned to spread the welfare strategy to the Democrat political machines in other segregated cities.  

No ethnic group in American history has been made so permanently dependent on government handouts in place of real jobs with upward mobility.  For the impoverished Irish, Italians, Jews and others, America provided an economic escalator to assimilate and prosper.  But not for the segregated Negro population trapped in political plantations run by Democrat regimes.

For the past 85 years, many of the conditions of Democratic oppression has continued – segregation, inferior schools, slum housing, menial jobs (or none at all), prejudicial treatment by the police and in the courts.  Inner city crime was overlooked as long as it did not spill over into the all-white neighborhoods.  And the trade-off is welfare dependency.

Since the 1960s, I spent a good portion of my time and activities devoted to civil rights and racial equality.  I often kid that if you know someone who has spoken in more black churches, you would call them “pastor.”

Underlying my efforts was to convince blacks that they were supporting the political leaders who were oppressing them.  Conversely, I often lectured the local Republican Party for not engaging in the inner city.  

I was confident that by bringing the message to the community, eventually the mindset would change.  And it gradually did.  Since the Reagan presidency, there are more and more black Republican and conservative voices – elected officials, media personalities, sports figures, writers, educators.  There was an increase in participation in GOP organizations.  Blacks were joining the Tea Party Movement.  There are black conservative groups.  

The number of blacks casting their ballots for the GOP has been increasing in recent elections.  Despite all the racist accusations thrown at President Trump and the GOP by the radical left, Republican candidates have seen a measurable increase in the minority vote – blacks and Hispanics – in 2020 and 2021.

These were all small changes, to be sure.  But I see them as the almost imperceptible rumblings before a major earthquake.  And I sensed an increase in the rumbling recently.  

The plunge in President Biden’s popularity has been widely reported.  But what has not received much media attention is the drop among blacks.  The prevailing wisdom was that Biden was wildly popular with blacks.  They were the group that pushed him to the Democrat presidential nomination and into the White House.  He was – and is still – polling better with blacks than the first woman of color to be Vice President of the United States.  That, in and of itself, should be a warning sign to Democrats.

The recent Emerson College National Poll has provided more evidence of my predicted shift in black voting.  In the poll, black voters represented the biggest drop in Biden’s overall decline.  In February, the Emerson Poll showed Biden with an overall disapproval rating of 39 percent to an approval of 49 percent – a positive 10-points.  The recent poll shows Biden with a 50 percent disapproval rating to 41 percent approval rating – a nine-point negative gap.  That is a 19-point drop in ten months.

Among blacks, Biden had a 72 percent approval rating.  In the latest Emerson survey, his approval among blacks has dropped to 52 percent.  That is the biggest drop of any of the demographic groups.  For the record, Biden’s approval rate among Hispanics dropped from 56 percent to 50 percent.

This could be the beginning of a major shift.  If the Hispanic vote were to drop another 5 or 10 percent – and the black Democrat vote dropped below 80 percent, the Democratic Party would have to battle for survival in the bluest of blue states.  

If the next election shows further shift by minorities to the GOP, it will mark the most fundamental change in party loyalty since the Depression.

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

23 Comments

  1. Elizar jackson

    We are getting tired of the left doing their thinking for us and not getting anything out of it.

    • Joseph S. Bruder

      We who? There seems to be no thinking at all by the rank and file of the Republican Party. They followed Trump down his rathole of racism, and are following the Republican “leaders” (who are vaccinated themselves, but preaching FreeDumb to their consituents) to finanical ruin and/or their own deaths, for lack of getting a free flu shot. COVID has become a killer of stupid Republicans. They apparently need someone to think for them. Republican leaders, on the other hand, are preaching their messages of death purely for political gain, constituents be damned.

      Blacks and minorities vote with the Democratic Party precisely because of Republican efforts to prevent minorities from voting. And Republicans elected Trump in 2016, who was probably the most racist candidate for President since before Lincoln. And are still letting him lead the Party. Larry, do you think that minorities won’t notice? That’s your own racism showing if you think minorities aren’t “smart enough” to see what’s happening in the Republican Party.

      The Democratic Party is not trying to think for anyone. It’s a big Party, with a big tent. The Party is enriched by the opinions and thinking of its members, not trying to dictate what they think.

      And yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know how bad Democrats in Chicago were 50 years ago. You never get tired of telling those stories, as if they were relevant. Just another example of your random Democrat bashing.

      Surely, even you can see that the same Republican Party that is STILL coddling white nationalist extremists is not compatible with looking out for the interests of minorities. “A house divided can not stand.” The Trump wing of the Republican Party that is EXTREMELY anti-minority and anti-BLM, anti-immigrant, and against women’s health rights makes up at least 20 or 30% or maybe even a majority of the Party.

      Republicans have made BLM into a curse word and completely discounted the concerns of blacks.They’ve demonized Muslims, while at the same time trying to make Christianity the official “American” religion (and get the taxpayers to pay for their religious schools). And what about the constant drumbeat about how all immigrants are criminals and rapists? How are minorities going to get their voices heard when they are wholly outnumbered and competing with the racist wing of the Republican Party?

      • Clifford mckinney

        Joseph you have shown your true “colors “ you’re a damned racist. You question why blacks should not allow the crooks in the democrat party to think for us. I don’t know if you’re black or white but you have no right to question anyone who is seeing the failure of your party. By the way, Biden is at 57% disapproval now and cackling Harris is even lower. You call that leadership? I call it a huge mistake that some of you idiots can’t admit to. After watching the nut job giving sound bites on tv, it’s clear that he can’t put two words together. 22% support Biden for re-election and only 12% support Kamala. Lol. You people can sure pick them. But it’s a fact that you people can’t see past your noses. But sadly, our country is in great danger because of this administration. I just hope that we can hold on until the midterms so the true patriots can put the brakes on him and get rid of Nancy Pelosi and Schumer as leaders.

        • Joseph S. Bruder

          Cliff, I said no such thing about Democrats thinking for anyone, that was Larry’s bigoted lie. I DID say that APPARENTLY Republicans need someone to do their thinking for them, but Democrats don’t want that job. Talking to an anti-vaxxer is like having a conversation with a chittering squirrel in a tree – no thanks. And nobody looks more stupid than Trump did while praising wannabe Nazis and white nationalists.

          Meanwhile, Biden still beat Trump, by a blow-out. And Trump is shivering in fear in a darkened room somewhere, waiting for New York or Georgia to come arrest him, and hiding out from being subpoenaed to testify about his failed coup. You can laugh now at Biden’s short-term low polling, but I’ll laugh when Trump is sitting in a jail cell.

  2. Ben

    Larry can’t seem to understand while black voters would not vote for the party that is marching in the streets with tiki torches, protesting the removal of Confederate Soldiers that fought to keep them enslaved, demonizing the first black President,
    and down playing Black Lives Matter?

    Your guess is as good as mine buddy.

    • Miles collins

      I support the concept that all lives matter

      • Ben

        Miles,
        It is refreshing to hear that you support Black Lives Matter!

        • Miles collins

          Blacks are part of the “all lives” and we are made by God Everyone has the right to life, but people of all races many times cause their untimely death.

          • Ben

            Miles ,
            It’s a refreshing change to hear a Republican include black lives in your all lives matter retort.

            My employer tried to have us wear pink shirts for breast cancer awareness in October, but I protested and refused, “All Cancer Matters”!!!!

  3. AC

    Larry, if your hypothesis is correct and a shift in minority voting to red is a positive for GOP at election time. Then why are Republicans across the country rushing through legislation beneficial for GOP winning at the ballot box?
    Possibly, your party does not see the shift as positive enough and desire locking out the black vote. And, in so doing, the Republican strategy actually denies Republican Black voters their vote.
    It your party was as wise and forward looking as you are, then maybe, this country would be fair and democracy would flourish. Your choir needs speaking to on issues within more than the Democrat bashing prose so predictable punching at the same bag. The familiar saying about doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result seems applicable here.

    • CA

      What logic are you using which you believe the GOP is locking out black voters? That’s a democrat talking point. If you refer to showing ID to vote then you get the disconnect award for lacking critical thinking. There is nothing a person engages in that DOES NOT REQUIRE ID which include receiving welfare benefits. That includes those who use false ID to obtain such benefits along with those who use real ID. So please elaborate on what actually stops a black personal from voting?

    • Larry kuhn

      The republicans are trying to get their heads out of their asses

      • Ben

        Larry KKKuhn,
        That’s a great recruiting tool, “hey blacks, get your head out of your ass and vote Republican “
        Not to be a stickler, but you kind of back up the reason the re POC steer clear of voting Republican

    • Larry kuhn

      Meaning the minorities

      • Frank stetson

        Wait, are the Republicans putting their heads up minorities asses? I know Larry keeps saying Republicans are winning more Black votes, but …. 🙂

      • Ben

        Yes, Larry KKKuhn
        Everyone knows what you meant

    • Er c morris

      Ben I’m sure that republicans value all lives, including blacks

      • Frankstetson

        Yeah, Republicans really value raped incest impregnated victims in Texas by enslaving them to come to term with their sins. I think one lady here called them sluts. My kind of assholes. Genuine ones.

        Haven’t heard one Republican here being against that. Some seem to even have a thing for daughters and screwing.

  4. frank stetson

    I think the real question Larry should ask himself is why more Blacks are not Republicans or right-leaning Independents.

    It would seem Democrats have done so well that they really have no where to go except down.

    It would seem the Republicans can “white wash” it all they want, they have a number of anti-minority plans and programs that defeat inclusion before it starts. Not to mention their optics of the statues, BLM vs. upside down Bibles, Charlotte, Federal attacks on BLM, CRT stance, abortion stance, voting restrictions, restrictions, restrictions and wait, there’s more….. The big one is that the Republican party enables racism. While Republicans are not racist, racists are Republicans. That’s a big one if you are Black.

    Frankly, even if everything Larry says that the Democrats have done to Blacks is true, it’s still the lesser of evils and it appears that answer is not the Republican party.

    • Larry kuhn

      BLM is a terrorist organization made up of bad ass wannabes

    • Rusty mUsick

      To answer your question too many blacks are stupid and indoctrinated. Just like many white people

  5. frank stetson

    Thanks Larry, good to know where you stand.

    It’s important to have a terrorist BLM to combat the wannabee terrorist Soldiers of Odin, the Patriot Front, The Proud Boys, Alliance Defending Freedom, American Vision, Chalcedon Foundation, Liberty Counsel, Mission: America, Pacific Justice Institute, Pass the Salt Ministries, Pray In Jesus Name Project and over 150 other white hate groups out there. Over 100 white nationalist and close to 100 neo nazi groups out there in America.

  6. Kurt Walker

    The evidence is out there. The democrats still try to convince the African American Community the democrat is “their” party. But what the democrats have resorted to now is to try to DIVIDE THE AFRICAN AMERICANS AGAINST EACH OTHER. i SINCERELY HOPE THAT BY THE TIME ELECTION COMES AROUND “ALL” PEOPLE WILL SEE THROUGH THIS SCAM THE DEMOCRATS ARE RUNNING.

  1. As the election nears, the author seems ever nervous and seems even willing to sacrifice his principles to the cause.…