Racist politics and why African Americans vote Democrat

Great Society initiatives halved the poverty rate for blacks.

Great Society initiatives increased black literacy rates by 30%.

Great Society initiatives brought electricity to Appalachia.

Most importantly, the Great Society recognized blacks as worthy of the full rights and benefits of American citizenship and helped lay the groundwork for the dream today fullfilled.

Which has been credited with extending the life expectancy of Americans by a decade.

this is the functional equivalent of "Despite the Super Bowl result, the 2007 New England Patriots posted the second highest winning percentage in history."

Cause and effect can get tricky, but I submit any gains made by blacks in the applicable period are much more likely attributable to overall economic growth than government handouts. The same applies to overall lifestyle and health care improvements vs. Medicare.

The Civil Rights Act was an important milestone in the march to equality, although I would submit it necessarily reflected a massive cultural change as much as it furthered that change. The myth that this reflected a triumph of liberalism over conservatism is belied (or at least countered) by the greater proportion of Republican support.