Black voters are often described as “moderates,” but Mr. Johnson said the voting choices are more nuanced than straightforward ideological choices. Racism “contributes to black people’s lack of support for mass federal programs,” Mr. Johnson said. But there is often no plan to undo the cynicism that decades of governmental failure have created among older black voters in particular. “And they don’t seem to understand that.”There is some precedent for selling older black voters on the promise for structural change. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988 succeeded in bringing a message of systemic upheaval to black voters — winning 11 contests in 1988, including in Virginia and South Carolina.

Source: New York Times January 19, 2020 22:52 UTC