Black People Voted for Obama Because He is Black

I’ve heard this quite a few times, and each time I hear it I want to take the person saying it by the hand and let them know that democrats normally vote for the democratic candidate.  Why?  Because they are democrats!

Blacks, IN GENERAL, vote for democratic candidates because the democrats are normally viewed as the party that addresses the needs of the middle class and poor, and democrats are viewed as more progressive, inclusive, tolerant and less racist.  Do these people not realize that Blacks have been voting for democrats in large percentages before Barack Obama’s candidacy?  Lyndon B. Johnson garnered 94% of the Black vote in 1964, Al Gore received 90% in 2000, and John Kerry received 88% in 2004.No one dared to say Black people voted for these democrats due to race.

Now that a Black democrat is president, many want to discount his victory by saying he only won because of Blacks (that would be quite a feat since Blacks only accounted for 13% of voters in 2008 and 2012).  President Obama also won over 70% of the Hispanic and Asian vote to combine with about 40% of the white vote to secure the presidency.

It’s about paradigms.  Shift your thinking and stop being prejudiced (prejudging Blacks’ motive to vote).  How would you like your vote for McCain or Romney to be viewed as you wanting them to win because they are White or Mormon?  Blacks and other minorities are more complex than that.  If Herman Cain would’ve won the republican nomination, Barack Obama would have still been reelected.  It is primarily a function of political party platform, not the candidate’s race.

Listed voting percentages obtained from the Roper Center Public Opinion Archive (UConn)

Your comments, thoughts, counterpoints are always welcome!

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