Two months ago, I noted that the Kerry invitation to Al Sharpton to speak at the convention looked to me to be a sure sign that Kerry felt he need to shore up the African-American vote. Juan Williams discusses what Bush can do to court the black vote in today’s NY Times:
With a direct appeal, President Bush could win at least 20 percent of the black vote
Slartibartfast
“Mr. Bush, who won 30 percent of the black vote and 47 percent of the Hispanic vote in his 1998 gubernatorial campaign, was introduced to minorities as a man willing to stand with white lynch mobs.”
I’m hoping Mr. Williams is, by pointing this out, disagreeing with the validity of such a portrayal. I frequently disagree with him (he’s a guest commentator on NPR occasionally) but he for the most part puts forth a well-thought-out position.
HH
Blacks were no big fans of Dean but at least one could see Dean pulling off that “preacher” routine that Gore did at Black churches (and still does at MoveOn.org speeches). Can’t see Kerry doing that too well.
Oliver
Of course, Bush would lose good amounts of the white vote doing any of those things — which he won’t.
Slartibartfast
Because as everyone knows, we white Republicans are evil, racist bastards.
Give it a rest, Oliver. It was bad enough when you were an _amateur_ liar.
jeff
What’s more likely to cost a candidate white voters, Oliver?
Bush doing the above or Kerry allowing a race-hustling, slandering, riot-inciting, anti-semitic creep like Sharpton to address the convention?
Ricky
Was the instance of a Democrat giving insight on how to lose the white vote intended to be a humorous comment?
Ricky
Fastest way to lose the white vote: Get Bill Clinton’s endorsement.
Dean
Hmmm.
So, if Oliver Willis, who appears to be black, were to endorse a candidate, would that drive away white voters?
Or are only conservatives influenced by such things?
I take it, then, Oliver, that you’ll be endorsing Dubya, in order to drive as many white voters away from him as possible?
Mason
Oliver, I’m @#!*ing sick of your Republician = Racist bullshit attitude, and it’s the prime reason I ignore you whenever possible. Get over yourself.
Rick
Mason,
When your only tool is a wee little worn-out hammer, all problems look like wee little, worn out nails.
In short: Yawn.
Cordially…
The Lonewacko Blog
Kerry supports the DREAM Act. That would have the effect of taking discounted college educations away from U.S. citizens and giving them to citizens of other countries.
Many of the U.S. citizens who’d have their discounted educations taken away would be Of Color.
Why does John Kerry want to take discounted college educations away from U.S. Citizens of Color? Perhaps we should post that on his blog and elsewhere in our attempt to find the answer.
Oliver
My point being that if Bush makes overt moves to court the black vote, the beliefs of a signficant portion of black voters (who are definititely to the right of me) will put him in direct conflict with a minority – but significant – portion of the GOP. I don’t see a lot of GOPers advocating real crime reform, education reform (no dear, not vouchers) or other social issues that african-americans especially care for.
But then, they don’t have JC Watts to trot out anymore (and trust me, I’m no fan of Al Sharpton – but that would require you guys to get beyond the caricature).
Slartibartfast
Pssst: overgeneralization does not make your ass look smaller. Nor does it give you any air of intelligence.
Kimmitt
I think recent events in Louisiana have made clear that white racists heavily trend Republican.
Slartibartfast
While black racists trend heavily Democrat. Your point?
Kimmitt
That Oliver is right; if Bush changes policy to court the African-American vote, he’s going to lose part of his base.
You could also state that if the Democratic Party doesn’t give African-American racists and/or antisemites like Al Sharpton face time, it will start to lose votes. You’d be right about that, too.
Oliver
Except, its plainly obvious by Sharpton’s pathetic showings in the primaries (he didn’t even win in Washington D.C.) that the “racist” vote is heavily Republican.
Ricky
I applaud the Democratic candidates for standing up against Al Sharpton during the debates. I’m sure your boy Brock could provide a link where Kerry lambasted Sharpton for his race-baiting & leading of riots?
Yeah, Oliver, tell us all about folks being scared to lose the vote…….especially the plantation vote.
Slartibartfast
“Except, its plainly obvious by Sharpton’s pathetic showings in the primaries (he didn’t even win in Washington D.C.) that the “racist” vote is heavily Republican.”
This is possibly the most silly thing I’ve ever seen fall out of Oliver’s keyboard, which is saying plenty. And I’m pretty sure I never, ever mentioned Sharpton. Which makes me wonder why you picked _him_ out over…some others.
Which white racist is a strong candidate for President, Oliver?
Hey, you guys invite the Socialists, the PETA freaks, the Earth-firsters, the ANSWER crowd, the advocates of fragging superior officers and the race-baiters to stay away from the polls, and we’ll disinvite the _white_ racists and the gay-bashers. Deal?
See, the idea that the Republican party actively embraces white racism has some unpleasant ramifications for Democrats. And you wonder why you get accused of supporting regimes that have killed tens of million? This is why.
And you know what? I don’t give a rat’s ass who started it.
jeff
So, Oliver, if the racist vote is heavily Republican, then David Duke obviously did quite well when he tried to get the Republican presidential nomination, right?
Oh, right, not only did he not do well, he was driven out of the race.
Unlike, of course, Rev Al, who not only wasn’t shamed out of the race, he had his sorry ass kissed by every other candidate.
So, you were saying….
Ricky
Duke has been told publicly that he’s not welcome in the GOP.
Sharpton will be welcomed on the stage as a speaker at the Dem convention in a few weeks.
Let’s keep going, eh, OW?
Kimmitt
The idea that ANSWER votes Democratic is absurdity. They are the organ of a Communist Party; they already have someone to vote for. Similarly on the Socialists, PETAs, and Earth-firsters*. We don’t have to throw them out because they don’t vote for us in the first place — they don’t like our policies.
White bigots like the Republicans’ policies. If Bush changes them too much to court the African-American vote, he will lose the white bigots, just as the Republicans did in Louisiana.
Honestly, I’d be thrilled if he did; he’d lose a lot more votes than he’d gain, and the white racists would be politically marginalized. It’s win-win for me.
*The more sane Earth Firsters vote Dem, but the vast majority friggin’ hate Dems and vote Green. Trust me on this one.
Ricky
Kimmitt,
Do yourself a favor & look up the last time the GOP kept the bigot vote for a Louisiana senate election.
Seriously, look up who pulled off the feat for the Republicans.
And when.
Knowedge is a good thing.
Go ahead.
I dare you.
Dean
Kimmitt:
So, Communists never vote for Democrats, and neither do the Earth First!ers?? This must be part of the “secularists and Islamic fundamentalists never align” mantra.
Ever hear of the concept of the “United Front”?
And just out of curiosity: Do the folks at ANSWER publicly display their ballots? I mean, just to make sure that everyone *knows* they voted Communist?
And I also assume, of course, that no member of ANSWER would ever want to support someone who might be more palatable to the mainstream? And the same goes for PETA and the rest?
What a starkly black-and-white world you live in, Kimmitt.
What kind of economics are you studying again???
Slartibartfast
Right. Pull the other one. As long as it’s Democrat vs. Republican, the nutjobs are going to vote Democrat. Some of them will, admittedly, bravely go and vote Nader, but after the last debacle they’ll be returning to the fold. Trust me on this.
I could just as easily (and armed with just as much evidence) say that the white racists HATE Republicans and vote the Nazi party. Or whatever party Pat Buchanan is in this year.
This is one of the least compelling arguments I’ve seen you make, Kimmitt. It’s all insinuation and arm-waving. If you’ve really got a case to make here, you’re doing an excellent job of disguising that fact.
Kimmitt
“As long as it’s Democrat vs. Republican, the nutjobs are going to vote Democrat.”
Oh, for the love of Pete — that was my point. For these people it isn’t Democrat vs. Republican, it’s Capitalist vs. Communist or Green vs. Corporate, and the Dems and Republicans are both sides of the same coin.
Look, it’s obvious you are completely unfamiliar with how the true lefty fringe operates — ANSWER, PETA, and the Earth Firsters are the kind of people who are enraged that the Democratic Party didn’t select Kucinich as their nominee (he is, to their way of thinking, a middle ground between their preferred policies and the American mainstream) and are therefore going to go back to voting Green and Trotskyite. I kid you not, I know people who refuse to vote because that would be an immoral act of legitimization for the system.
Seriously, I have to deal with these people on an occasional basis as a Democratic Party official. Kucinich brought a lot of them temporarily into the fold, but (hold onto your hats) the Hawai’i Democratic Party is just too far right for most of them. They might conceivably hold their noses and vote for Kerry, but I honestly doubt it. More likely they’ll vote for whoever the Greens put forward in Nader’s absence (or, in the case of the actual Communists, for their Parties’ nominees).
Didn’t you ever have an outright Commie professor at some point? Don’t you have any exposure to the self-marginalizing Left?
Ricky
How’s the research into GOP senatorial success in garnering the bigot vote in LA going, Kimmitt?
Not finding the answer you want?
Kimmitt
Nah, real life interfered.
bill
Just call me a nigger and get it over with!!!
On May 11, 2004, John Kerry failed to show up to vote in the senate to extend unemployment benefits to hundreds of thousands of people out of work because of President Bush’s foolish economic, tax and trade policies. This bill failed to pass by ONLY ONE VOTE!