From Art to Doug:
> > All the
> > liberals who normally despise "identity" claims - Eric
>> Alterman prominent among them - have been citing Gore's
>> near-90% share of the black vote as proof of his
>> superiority. To me, that seems sad evidence of the lack
>> of serious alternatives to the status quo. What do you
>> think?
>
>It's plain and simple, the only reason Black people vote
>Democratic is because under a two-party, winner-take-all
>system, they don't have any choice. They always fear that
>any vote for alternatives, while closer to their principles,
>doesn't mean anything in a practical material sense, and
>will possibly lead to victories by the racists in the
>Republican party. Trust me, Black people don't just view
>Republicans as "conservatives", they view them as racists,
>white supremacists, and potential KKK members, which is
>why they are so feared, and why the scare tactics of the
>Democrats work so well.
The black exodus from the Republican to the Democratic Party began, I think, in 1932. The next black exodus, I believe, won't occur until mass movements of working-class people of the magnitude & vitality last seen in the Thirties rise again. It is also important to remember that it was the rise of a new type of labor movement -- industrial union organizing -- that prompted this historic exodus. Given this past experience, I think that a new type of labor movement will have to come out of an initiative to organize the unorganized -- which should split the AFL-CIO, taking radical unionists along with it -- before the next exodus. I'm afraid this type of initiative is unlikely to originate in the Nader/Green combo as it is constituted now.
Yoshie