Race and class matter

A recent survey that pigeon-holed American cities of 100,000 or more into "liberal" or "conservative" really showed something else, according to The Anniston Star - - that race and class matter in politics. From a recent editorial:

Most of the most liberal cities listed had large African-American populations, many of whom are poor and unemployed. And until you get to Birmingham, all of them were in the North, Northeast or California. Conservative cities were all over the map, but like the liberal metro areas, they were characterized by race and class — only they were overwhelmingly white and solidly in the middle....

Two things can be gained from this. First, despite all the talk about race no longer being a factor in American politics, it is — and a very big factor at that. When it comes to government, blacks and whites want very different things. These wants determine which political party they support. Liberal cities are overwhelmingly Democratic. Conservative cities vote Republican....

At the same time, class also matters. Being poor and jobless shapes one’s political outlook and that in turn helps one decide how to cast a ballot. Being comfortable in job and home does the same thing. And since African-Americans fall so often in the former category and white Americans are more often found in the latter, it should come as no surprise that each supports the party that claims to care most for its needs and circumstances.