Can I get my liberal friends here give me a detailed narrative on how liberalism helped blacks in the last 60 years. In my state next Tuesday there will a Democratic primary with Terry McAuliffe, Creigh Deeds, and Brian Moran running for the Governors seat replacing Tim Kaine. My congressman (Bobby Scott) who is black is leaning toward NcAuliffe to endorse him. The black vote is critical here. Again, the same old promises are being made like getting your kid educated, and providing more jobs. I'm a moderate Democrat (this may surprise some here). This may be the last time I will vote Democrat. I may or may not vote this Tuesday. I'm unhappy with the choices given to me. I need my liberal friends here to tell me what has the Democrats as a whole done for blacks and give me a list of those accomplishments to be researched. I'm hearing a lot of the same old things that were promised on the national stage. I have studied each candidate, but I want advice from those who follow the issues only. Like the saying all politics is local, but the bigger picture is what I want right now. Can I please get intelligent responses rather than the customary snide sarcastic comments this site has become famous. The Spade, where are you now.
You're conflating several things with entirely different meanings. Liberalism is the core political theory underlying American democracy with several expressions being spread out over the course of centuries and nations. Classical liberalism is the philosophical framework from which the American founders drew their inspiration, primarily through the thinking of John Locke. Modern liberalism, by contrast, attempts to close the gap of inequality that has characterized American society from its inception, with the ideas of John Rawls and Michael Walzer, for example. The Democratic Party is just a label used to describe a political affiliation that, depending on the political winds, may (or may not) include an advocacy for social programs, wealth redistribution, and the rectifying of inequalities based upon ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation.
I feel that both parties give lip service to black voters and we get nothing in return once they get elected. I hope that more regular folks can enter politics and take power from the politcal class. I think the Democratic party does not do enough to fight crime that is a issue in our community. and it seems to me that they would rather spend tax payer money then come up with cost effective pragmatic solutions to our problems. I plan to split my ballot between Dem and Rep.
Both parties are flawed to some degree. However, I always vote Democrat because the conservative right wing is very racist.
I can't believe the ignorance of history here. Basically, you owe all your freedoms as black people in this country to progressives, the labor movement, and Dems. Now that people take basic American rights and freedoms for African-Americans for granted (yes the freedom to date white women is a by-product of that struggle), they want to forget who got them there. I can't think of one thing the Republicans have explicitly done for blacks except that old, tired chestnut about Lincoln freeing the slaves, and how long ago was that? I will stick with who got me here, thanks.
I went on to vote for blue dog Democrat Creigh Deeds during the Virginia primary. Brian Moran was too liberal for me and Terry McAuliffe is too much like T.V. series Tony Soprano for me. At the voting center there was only me and an elderly lady. It has been reported that only 4 % of the eligible voters voted that day. People you get what you deserve. I do not want to hear the bitching again.
Well, tiger I am glad that the Moderate Democrat won. it looks as if it will be a tight race in the general.
I was going to launch into a political science lecture, but you've helped keep things precise. Lest my friend Tony Soprano send Colin Powell my way .... 8)
