Black voters, who are expected to play a decisive role in the 2024 presidential election, are not voting based on their personal feelings or preferences, but rather on their rational assessment of their interests and needs. Black voters are looking for the candidate who can deliver the most benefits and protections for their community, and who can address the systemic racism and inequality that they face in the US. Black voters are treating the election as a business deal, not a personal choice.
Black voters have a long history of political pragmatism and strategic voting, dating back to the Reconstruction era, when they supported the Republican Party as the party of Abraham Lincoln and emancipation. Black voters have also switched their allegiance to the Democratic Party in the 1930s and 1960s, when they saw the New Deal and the civil rights movement as more aligned with their interests. Black voters have also supported candidates who were not their first choice, but who had a better chance of winning, such as Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020.
Black voters have learned from their experience that voting is not a matter of personal loyalty or emotion, but a matter of survival and empowerment. Black voters have also learned to be pragmatic and realistic, and to demand concrete policies and results from the candidates they support. Black voters have also learned to be flexible and adaptable, and to work with different allies and coalitions to advance their agenda.
Black voters have a clear agenda and expectations
Black voters have a clear agenda and expectations for the 2024 presidential election, which are shaped by the challenges and opportunities that they face in the US. Black voters are concerned about the issues that affect their daily lives, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recession, the health care system, the criminal justice system, the education system, the voting rights, and the environmental justice. Black voters are also concerned about the issues that affect their future, such as the racial justice, the social justice, the democracy, and the global leadership.
Black voters are looking for the candidate who can address these issues effectively and efficiently, and who can demonstrate a genuine commitment and understanding of the Black community. Black voters are also looking for the candidate who can build a diverse and inclusive coalition that can mobilize and energize the electorate, and who can defeat the Republican Party, which they see as hostile and harmful to their interests. Black voters are also looking for the candidate who can offer a vision and a hope for a better and fairer America, where they can thrive and prosper.
Black voters are not monolithic or homogeneous
Black voters are not monolithic or homogeneous, but rather diverse and dynamic, with different backgrounds, perspectives, and preferences. Black voters are not a single bloc, but rather a mosaic of various groups, such as the African Americans, the Caribbean Americans, the African immigrants, the biracial and multiracial Americans, the young and the old, the urban and the rural, the religious and the secular, the progressive and the moderate, the educated and the working class, and the gender and sexual minorities.
Black voters are not loyal or loyalists, but rather critical and independent, with different opinions and evaluations of the candidates and the parties. Black voters are not passive or complacent, but rather active and engaged, with different levels and modes of participation and activism. Black voters are not predictable or taken for granted, but rather complex and nuanced, with different motivations and influences for their voting behavior.
Black voters are not personal or emotional, but rather rational and strategic, with different calculations and considerations for their voting decision. Black voters are treating the election as a business deal, not a personal choice.
