Virtually the entire African American community nation wide has given slavish devotion, literally, to the Democrat party for 80 years. The supposed quid for this quo was the expectation that the party would cover for people like William Jefferson. After all, they do it for the Kennedy's.
Here in Memphis, when some pretty grotesque corruption in the city government and city schools system was exposed, the attitude of the Black Democrat leaders was "you white folks ripped off the people of this town for 60 years under folks like Boss Crump, now it's our turn." They seriously thought that it was OK and that the party owed them protection when they got caught. The same thing is happening with the "Tennessee Waltz" corruption sting operation I mentioned earlier. The race card got played big time in the first trial and the black state legislator got convicted anyway. There are now rumblings of the black community feeling betrayed by the Democrat party. "If it was a white politician he would have gotten off!" is a common refrain.
They're finally seeing that the Democrats don't hold up their end of the bargain.
I think the nail in the coffin of the Democrat/Black three legged race may be when Kweisi Mfume loses the Maryland primary to a white Democrat backed by the party. If that happens watch for Steele to take that seat for the Republicans with substantial black support.
This is part of the reason I think Republicans will gain in both the House and Senate this fall and that will lead to the end of the Democrat party as we know it, particularly splitting off the previously monolithic black vote. I think it will end up being broken up between the Republican party, with the growing black middle class, particularly the successful entrepreneurs, and the rest going to some new race based or overtly leftist parties.
Does Watt's Republican opponent have a chance? I got a sollicitation from her, a black woman MD.