WHEN 20% = CONSERVATIVE HEGEMONY:

Young black adults identify less with Democratic Party (Associated Press, 0/29/2002)

Younger black adults are increasingly more politically independent and less likely to identify themselves as members of the Democratic Party, says a new poll that suggests overall support among blacks for Democrats over Republicans is still strong.

"It's different from voting preferences," said David Bositis, a pollster and senior political analyst for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. "In terms of partisan identification, there has been a decline among younger black adults; they tend to be more independent." [...]

The shift in the numbers who consider themselves Democrats could have long-term implications, however, said Bositis.

"This is something the Democrats have to pay attention to," said Bositis. "Ten years from now, 15 years from now, they will be at the prime age for voting, if Democrats don't work to get their loyalty, they might have to worry about that in the future."

Among blacks, 39% approved of the job being done by President Bush, and just over half viewed him favorably.

George W. Bush got less than 10% of the black vote in 2000. If he could double that, which means getting just half of those who approve of the job he's doing to vote for him, it would go a long way toward recreating the conservative majority that ruled America until 1932. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 30, 2002 9:22 AM