Herman Cain: Black Voters 'Have Been Brainwashed Into Not Being Open-Minded'

Herman Cain was interviewed by Wolf Blitzer recently and he had the occasion to say that members of the African American community "have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view." Of course, when Blitzer mentioned that he used strong language to express his sentiment Herman Cain slyly moderated his position. Cain went on to say that not all black people were drinking Democratic cool-aid and the like.

Now, I think that Cain is guilty of condescension to African-Americans. Surely, he does not give African Americans credit when it's clearly due. One wonders if Cain has had any debate with other blacks of Democratic leanings. If he has, then he would know that most blacks who have any interest in politics know full well why they don't support the Republican party. The supposition that blacks blindly support the Democratic party is false and demeaning. Perhaps, Cain thought he would score points with GOP voters if he said that.

Surely, both sides of the political spectrum accuse each other of being brainwashed. Underlying the sentiment of elitism and implied intellectual collectivism is the view that blacks should have common interests, and that said interests are best served by supporting one political party. However, blacks are not a monolithic demographic at all. Therefore, expecting a synching of political ideology is wishful thinking.

In the end, the majority of blacks support the Democratic party because they are courted by the Democrats as opposed to the Republicans. Moreover, blacks tend to support the welfare state and other Democratic pet ideas. Further, strides in civil rights have been attributed to the Democratic party; thus, it is supposed that the continuation of civil rights rest with the Democratic party. As well, most black politicians are Democrats, so it's easier to identify with a Democrat.