The Original Blexit

The 'Code Switch' episode titled 'The Original Blexit' delves into the historical shift of African American voters from the Republican to the Democratic Party, debunking the simplistic notion that the GOP, the party of Lincoln, was abandoned by Black voters for mere government handouts. The episode begins with a critique of the common retort used by modern Republicans, highlighting their party's historical opposition to slavery and affiliation with Lincoln, to deflect accusations of racism. The hosts, Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji, set out to explore the complex and nuanced transformations that led to the Democratic Party becoming the political home for most Black voters today.

The narrative starts with the Great Depression and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, which, despite its flaws and embedded racial inequalities, provided significant economic relief to African Americans. The New Deal's colorblind policies, such as infrastructure projects with quotas for Black workers, began to attract Black voters who had previously been loyal to the Republican Party. The episode emphasizes that the shift was a gradual process influenced by local politics, particularly in the Northern cities where the Great Migration was changing demographics.

A pivotal moment came with the 1936 election when a significant number of African Americans voted for FDR, marking a departure from their traditional Republican allegiance. The episode discusses Ralph Bunche's report commissioned by the GOP to understand this shift. Bunche recommended progressive policies to win back Black voters, but his report was buried by the party, which was increasingly courting white Southern voters.

The episode continues with the story of Jackie Robinson, a prominent Black Republican who became disillusioned with his party as it embraced candidates like Barry Goldwater, who opposed the Civil Rights Act. Robinson's eventual departure from the GOP mirrored the larger exodus of Black voters, especially as Lyndon B. Johnson championed civil rights legislation.

The narrative concludes with the Republican Party's adoption of the Southern Strategy, which capitalized on white racial resentment, and the rise of figures like Ronald Reagan, who used dog whistles to appeal to conservative white voters while sidelining civil rights concerns. The hosts note that the GOP's current 90% white demographic is a result of these historical shifts and strategies.