President Obama owes a debt of gratitude to former President Lyndon Johnson for the “War on Poverty” programs he proposed in his 1964 Great Society speech. Johnson was well aware that, by federalizing his proposals, he was cementing black allegiance to the Democratic Party for years to come. In fact, it is reported that Johnson, in an attempt to assuage the fears of Southern governors, said that his plan was “to have them n*****s voting Democratic for the next 200 years.” Johnson’s plan worked masterfully.

Even when there is evidence to the contrary – for example, that none of the entitlement programs introduced by the Johnson administration have improved the lives of blacks in the long-run anywhere in America – race-sensitive warfare rhetoric and the perception of genuine concern for the marginalized ensures that Democratic candidates prevail among minority voters. Even though Johnson’s programs introduced perverse incentives against saving money, starting businesses, getting married, and they discouraged fathers from being physically and emotionally present for their children – resulting in generational welfare dependence – black voters are lured to choose dependence over liberation.

https://www.acton.org/pub/commentary/2012/11/14/lbj-curse-black-vote