What We Talk About When We Talk About the “Black Vote”
On this episode of See How They Run, a wide-ranging conversation with Christina Greer, Steve Phillips, and Adolph Reed Jr.
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What We Talk About When We Talk About the “Black Vote” | See How They Run
On this episode of See How They Run, a wide-ranging conversation with Christina Greer, Steve Phillips, and Adolph Reed Jr.
If there's one thing everyone knows about American politics, it's that there is no way for a Democrat to win the presidency without Black voters. That's one of the reasons why, as Joe Biden fights desperately to stay in the 2024 election, he's made an aggressive effort to shore up Black support. In recent days, Biden has spoken at Black churches, given interviews to Black radio hosts, and leaned on the powerful Congressional Black Caucus to help bolster his political defenses.
But there are signs that Black voters may not be ready to turn out for Biden as fervently as he needs them to. in the past few months, polls have shown Black support for Biden slipping to levels Democrats have not seen in generations. So can Biden overcome doubts about his fitness, reverse these trends, and hold the White House? Should we even believe the polls? And are we in the middle of a historic shift in the relationship between Black voters and the Democratic Party?
To discuss all of this, D.D. Guttenplan is joined by a powerhouse trio of guests: Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University; Steve Phillips, political strategist, Nation contributor, and author most recently of How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good; and Adolph Reed Jr., Nation columnist and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Voters fill out vote-by-mail ballots at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office in October of 2020 in Orlando, Florida.
(Paul Hennessy / NurPhoto / Getty)If there’s one thing everyone knows about American politics, it’s that there is no way for a Democrat to win the presidency without Black voters. That’s one of the reasons, as Joe Biden fights desperately to stay in the 2024 election, he’s made an aggressive effort to shore up Black support. In recent days, Biden has spoken at Black churches, given interviews to Black radio hosts, and leaned on the powerful Congressional Black Caucus to help bolster his political defenses.
But there are signs that Black voters may not be ready to turn out for Biden as fervently as he needs them to. in the past few months, polls have shown Black support for Biden slipping to levels Democrats have not seen in generations. So can Biden overcome doubts about his fitness, reverse these trends, and hold the White House? Should we even believe the polls? And are we in the middle of a historic shift in the relationship between Black voters and the Democratic Party?
To discuss all of this, D.D. Guttenplan is joined by a powerhouse trio of guests: Christina Greer, associate professor of political science at Fordham University; Steve Phillips, political strategist, Nation contributor, and author most recently of How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good; and Adolph Reed Jr.,Nation columnist and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Nation Podcasts
Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
The Kamala Coronation | See How They Run
The Nation is back from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago—and, judging from what we saw this week, most Democrats couldn't be happier with Kamala Harris or the state of their party.
Most, but not all. Even as Harris and a string of top Democrats rode the waves of jubilation coming off the floor of the United Center, activists and delegates from the Uncommitted movement were doing everything they could to keep the issue of Gaza on the agenda.
So what did the convention say about how Democrats see the race ahead? Did Harris pull off her reintroduction to the American people?
On this episode of See How They Run, we're joined by Nation national affairs correspondent John Nichols to discuss all that and more.
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