To the Editor:
Charles M. Blow is right on target in “Why Blacks Loathe Trump” (nytimes.com, Aug. 17). Donald Trump, in his typical fashion, has doubled down on his outrageous, delusional and baseless claims about how he will get the support of black voters this fall.
Mr. Trump has stated that black Americans should abandon the Democratic Party because it has not changed material conditions for the overwhelming majority of us. He says we have “nothing to lose.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
Blacks have seen versions of his racism before. Our support for Democratic Party candidates in this and past elections is not because we expect them to perform a miracle. It is because we hope that they will simply not make matters worse. In this respect, blacks have a more realistic view of the limits of politics than most Americans.
FRED McKINNEY
Hanover, N.H.
The writer is managing director of the Minority Business Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Note from KBJ: Donald Trump should ask a simple question of blacks: "Are you better off today than you were eight years ago?" He might also ask blacks to look at the cities of this country, which have been run by Democrats for decades.
