Blacks and Republicans (Thomas Sowell)

Creators Syndicate ^ | March 15, 2011 | Thomas Sowell

[jazusamo]

San Francisco's irrepressible former mayor, Willie Brown, was walking along one of the city's streets when he happened to run into another former city official that he knew, James McCray. McCray's greeting to him was "You're 10." "What are you talking about?" Willie Brown asked. McCray replied: "I just walked from Civic Center to Third Street and you're only the 10th black person I've seen." That is hardly surprising. The black population of San Francisco is less than half of what it was in 1970, and it fell another 19 percent in the past decade. A few years ago, I had a similar experience in one of the other communities further down the San Francisco peninsula. As I was bicycling down the street, I saw a black man waiting at a bus stop. As I approached him, he said, "You're the first black man I have seen around here in months!" "It will be months more before you see another one," I replied, and we both laughed. Actually, it was no laughing matter. Blacks are being forced out of San Francisco, and out of other communities on the San Francisco peninsula, by high housing prices. At one time, housing prices in San Francisco were much like housing prices elsewhere in the country. But the building restrictions— and outright bans— resulting from the political crusades of environmentalist zealots sent housing prices skyrocketing in San Francisco, San Jose and most of the communities in between. Housing prices in these communities soared to about three times the national average. The black population in three adjacent counties on the San Francisco peninsula is just under 3 percent of the total population in the 39 communities in those counties. It so happens that these are counties where the voters and the officials they elect are virtually all liberal Democrats. You might be hard pressed to find similarly one-sided conservative Republican communities where blacks are such small percentages of the population. Certainly that would be hard to find in states with a substantial total population of blacks. In California, a substantial black population has simply been forced by economics to vacate many communities near the coast and move farther inland, where the environmental zealots are not yet as strong politically, and where housing prices are therefore not yet as unaffordable. With all the Republican politicians' laments about how overwhelmingly blacks vote for Democrats, I have yet to hear a Republican politician publicly point out the harm to blacks from such policies of the Democrats as severe housing restrictions, resulting from catering to environmental extremists. If the Republicans did point out such things as building restrictions that make it hard for most blacks to afford housing, even in places where they once lived, they would have the Democrats at a complete disadvantage. It would be impossible for the Democrats to deny the facts, not only in coastal California but in similar affluent strongholds of liberal Democrats around the country. Moreover, environmental zealots are such an important part of the Democrats' constituencies that Democratic politicians could not change their policies. Although Republicans would have a strong case, none of that matters when they don't make the case in the first place. The same is true of the effects of minimum wage laws on the high rate of unemployment among black youths. Again, the facts are undeniable, and the Democrats cannot change their policy, because they are beholden to labor unions that advocate higher minimum wages. Yet another area in which Democrats are boxed in politically is their making job protection for members of teachers' unions more important than improving education for students in the public schools. No one loses more from this policy than blacks, for many of whom education is their only chance for economic advancement. But none of this matters so long as Republicans who want the black vote think they have to devise earmarked benefits for blacks, instead of explaining how Republicans' general principles, applied to all Americans, can do more for blacks than the Democrats' welfare state approach.

[Mr. K]

"...It would be impossible for the Democrats to deny the facts..."

Probably the only thing I have ever disagreed with from The Brilliant Gift from God, Thomas Sowell. ... Of course the democraps can deny facts- they do it all the time.

[EDINVA]

so true! I live in a far more ‘diverse’ neighborhood than my preachy liberal associates.

[jazusamo]

They don’t, and won’t, hear of it.

Are you serious?

Are you serious? :-)

[jazusamo]

Yes they do. They’re so used to denying facts they do it when they don’t have to.

[Joe Boucher]

A few years ago some guy from Haiti tried to buy a piece of land here on the airpark I live on.
MAN you should have seen the reaction from the liberal engineers here from Pratt and Witney.
Wooooo.
Needless to say Jean Babtist is not here.

[MrB]

“That is NOT a serious question!”

[dblshot]

The dirty little secret of whitey liberals... few can stomach the idea of living in the company of minorities.
What, they don't want to live around hetrosexuals?

[RoadTest]

The silence of the Republicans is complicit with the lies of the Democrats.

[CriticalJ]

“But none of this matters so long as Republicans who want the black vote think they have to devise earmarked benefits for blacks, instead of explaining how Republicans’ general principles, applied to all Americans, can do more for blacks than the Democrats’ welfare state approach.”

Dropping knowledge on the GOP, but they won’t listen.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

what is the corollary to this? Is there a specific reason blacks are moving out or can’t afford these neighborhoods other than liberal policy that doesn’t seem to affect other races so much? Is there racism inherent that supposedly keeps blacks out?

Blacks are being forced out of San Francisco, and out of other communities on the San Francisco peninsula, by high housing prices.

At one time, housing prices in San Francisco were much like housing prices elsewhere in the country. But the building restrictions— and outright bans— resulting from the political crusades of environmentalist zealots sent housing prices skyrocketing in San Francisco, San Jose and most of the communities in between. Housing prices in these communities soared to about three times the national average.

[adorno]

So, when are the democrats going to declare San Francisco as racist?

Alternately, they could declare high home prices as racist.

[trisham]

I hear you. If there’s an argument for racism here, of deliberately excluding blacks, I missed it.

[trisham]

And? How does that show intent to exclude?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

instead of explaining how Republicans' general principles, applied to all Americans, can do more for blacks than the Democrats' welfare state approach.

One of the few times I have to disagree with Dr. Sowell. Most blacks are not interested in hearing how the rising tide lifts all boats. They have a bone deep sense of entitlement and resentment that can never be satisfied, but only briefly appeased by robbing whites via taxes and squandering the plunder in the form of largesse that benefits only blacks. It has been conditioned into them since birth. They're not going to listen to reason.

That is certainly what Sharpton, Jackson, et. al. are selling. And I take it as a given that the majority of blacks are only too ready to buy it.

There is however a fallacy in a critique that says that Republicans can never get a majority of the black vote, so they shouldn't try at all. The fallacy is that if that appeal is made by a Republican selling Republican rather than RINO policies, it need not be 100%, or even 50%, effective to have powerful electoral consequences. Once the Democrats have committed to policies which promote racial division, they become beholden to the 90% black vote they count on, and cannot afford to only get 2/3 or even 3/4 of it.

I take Sowell to mean that Republicans should be able to sell the benefits of their policies to blacks enough to cut the Democrats' margin of victory among blacks enough to put them in a pickle overall. I would go further and say that you could even do pretty well without getting a substantial increase in your percentage, if you only succeeded in cutting down black turnout. If the black turnout is low, let the Democrats win 90% of the black vote, and the Republican still is in a good position. Blacks are cynical about Republicans, and they can easily be cynical enough about politics to decide not to bother voting. It would undoubtedly take time for that to grow into positive voting support for the Republicans. Ya gotta start somewhere . . .

[Jim Scott]

One of the few times I have to disagree with Dr. Sowell. Most blacks are not interested in hearing how the rising tide lifts all boats. They have a bone deep sense of entitlement and resentment that can never be satisfied, but only briefly appeased by robbing whites via taxes and squandering the plunder in the form of largess that benefits only blacks. It has been conditioned into them since birth. They're not going to listen to reason.

Well stated - and worth repeating.

There is a reason blacks vote for liberal Democrats in overwhelming numbers, election after election, despite the grievous harm Democrat policies and programs have done to the black family, the black community and the self respect of black Americans. That sense of resentment coupled with an equal sense of entitlement (eagerly fueled by Democrat politicians) is probably at the core of this otherwise puzzling opposition to voting for Republicans that would actually empower black people, unlike the Democrats who just use and abuse them, year in and year out while black voters always come back for more, believing the lies and seeking the rewards the liberal politicians always promise but rarely even try to deliver. Why should they? They already have the black vote. Just saying the right buzz words to black audiences is good enough to get the liberal Democrat elected.

[dsc]

“The silence of the Republicans is complicit with the lies of the Democrats.”

In a nutshell.

Even if conservatives *knew* for a fact that conservatism was destined to lose, conservatives would still be morally obligated to fight with all their strength, right down to the last man.

[YankeeReb]

white libs will do all they can to avoid living around “diverse cultures”.

Yes, but have no fear, they have no problem with the "common folk" living in areas that look more like Tijuana than Main St USA.

[dsc]

“Is there a specific reason blacks are moving out or can’t afford these neighborhoods other than liberal policy that doesn’t seem to affect other races so much?”

No. It was liberal policy that kept them in the slums of the Fillmore, that destroyed the black family, that killed appalling numbers of black babies, and that derailed the trend begun in the fifties of upward mobility for blacks. (Dr. Sowell explains all those things brilliantly.)

Further, it is a fact that sodomites tend to have more disposable income than married couples, which also contributed to the inflation of property values in Sodom on the Bay.

“I’m curious about Sowell’s reasoning, because it seems as though there are some underpinnings here that aren’t being fleshed out properly.”

Sowell doesn’t kowtow to liberal shibolleths.

[dsc]

“There is a reason blacks vote for liberal Democrats in overwhelming numbers”

Well, since some blacks want to blame everything on slavery, how about this: it is a carryover from the days of reconstruction when crooked carpetbaggers used to tell the freedmen that Republicans were the “publicans” of the New Testament.

[jurroppi1]

Right, I get that Sowell doesn’t kowtow to liberal shibboleths (which is why I appreciate him so much). It seems as though he is nudging at something just below the surface here though and that is exactly why it bothered me.

If there is a disparity in income (perceived or real) - all other things being equal, it must come from somewhere. If blacks are underrepresented, then there is a reason other than just high prices. Otherwise affluent blacks (there must be a few somewhere in CA) would have no trouble affording the same costs as a white person or other race. Unless there is a massive functional conspiracy other than that mentioned (because the premise Sowell posits just doesn’t explain it otherwise).