NAACP Condemns NoShow Presidential Candidates
 

No-shows condemned at NAACP

By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY

MIAMI BEACH — Four empty chairs and blazing rhetoric at an NAACP presidential candidates forum Monday laid bare the civil rights group's anger at being spurned by President Bush and three Democrats. Those four now have no right to ask for black votes in the 2004 election, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume said.


http://images.usatoday.com/news/_pho...ume-inside.jpg
NAACP President Kweisi Mfume criticized three Democratic presidential candidates for skipping the group's presidential forum. By Wilfredo Lee, AP

"We are interested in people who are interested in us," Mfume said from Miami. He said the four candidates' failure to attend was an affront to African-American voters and to the 94-year-old National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"This organization has dignity," he said. "We are not going to allow anybody, Democrat or Republican, to take it for granted."

The empty chairs onstage with six Democratic candidates were labeled for Bush, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. Mfume cut them no slack despite their records. Bush is the first sitting Republican president to go to Africa, and all three absent Democrats received 100% scores for their votes in the last Congress from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

When Mfume named each of the no-shows in a morning speech, an organist played a dramatic death-knell chord. "You have now become persona non grata," he admonished the four in absentia. "Your political capital is the equivalent of Confederate dollars."

Aides to candidates who were at the forum used such words as "brutal" and "scorching" to describe the effect of the rhetoric and the empty chairs. But some said Democrats should focus their fire on Bush rather than on each other.

The level of vitriol at the NAACP surprised some camps. "Congressman Kucinich has spoken to NAACP events, and he has been warmly received," Kucinich spokesman Jeff Cohen said. "He believes NAACP members are exactly the people he's campaigning for."

Kucinich said he stayed in Washington in case important votes came up Monday evening. Lieberman was in New York for private meetings and to tape Bill O'Reilly's show for Fox News Channel.

"We can't accept every invitation that is extended," Lieberman spokesman Jano Cabrera said. He said Lieberman worked in the 1960s civil rights movement and marched with Martin Luther King. "No one should question Sen. Lieberman's commitment to civil rights, racial equality and equal opportunity."

Gephardt said he had a family obligation. Spokesman Erik Smith did not release details but said "no offense was intended" by Gephardt's decision to honor that commitment. He called Gephardt's record "exemplary" on issues that matter to African-Americans.

Democratic strategists say each candidate has received hundreds of invitations to forums and debates, far more than in previous years, because the campaign began early and because so many primaries are in the first six weeks of next year. The events are sponsored by groups representing core Democratic voters, including labor unions, women, minorities, environmentalists and senior citizens.

Smith said Gephardt received hundreds of annoyed e-mails after he did not attend a League of Conservation Voters forum in Los Angeles. "There is a great deal of pressure, and it is understandable," Smith said, referring to key Democratic constituencies.

North Carolina Sen. John Edwards had planned to visit the NAACP convention the day after the presidential forum, in keeping with his pattern of trying to appear on his own rather than onstage with all his rivals. But the NAACP insisted no other time would work, so Edwards went to the forum.

"We couldn't pass up this audience. It's too important," Edwards spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said. "If you plan to be competitive in the Southern early primary states, it is arguably the most important group." She cited Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina, where big chunks of Democratic primary voters are black.

Also attending Monday's forum: former Vermont governor Howard Dean; Sens. Bob Graham of Florida and John Kerry of Massachusetts; former senator Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois; and civil rights activist Al Sharpton of New York.

For the most part, candidates can choose which forums to attend and avoid recriminations.

But Mfume made clear that would not be the case this time. He said candidates, including Bush, were invited four months ago and had plenty of time to schedule an appearance. He also said the NAACP moved the event from Wednesday to Monday and changed it from a debate to a panel to accommodate the candidates.

"We don't mean to be arrogant, and we certainly are not trying to be mean-spirited," Mfume said. But he said candidates who can't find time to share their thoughts on leadership at the annual NAACP convention "really have no legitimacy going into our communities later and then asking for and expecting our votes. Those days are long since gone."

In 2000, Bush tried to appeal to black voters and even spoke at the NAACP convention. But nine in 10 black voters chose the Democratic ticket of Al Gore and Lieberman. Bush has not attended the convention since becoming president. Lieberman has been doing well among black voters in national polls, partly because he is well-known from the 2000 race.

The NAACP spent $10.5 million in 2000 on its first voter registration and education campaign. The group registered 2 million voters then and is aiming to add another 2 million by November 2004.

It's not clear how much influence the NAACP will have in discouraging support for the no-shows.

Mfume says African-American voters will treat the absences as "a barometer" of commitment to them. "People are sick and tired of having others expect that we will act a certain way or vote a certain way," he said. "This is a special affront to the larger black community when for whatever reason the need to be here is not a priority."

Contributing: Contributing: Contributing: Associated Press

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Carol Moseley Braun Announces 2004 Run
1 hour, 12 minutes ago

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Democrat Carol Moseley Braun, the only black woman to
serve in the U.S. Senate, formally declared her candidacy for the
president Monday, forging ahead with a long-shot bid in an otherwise
all-male contest for the White House.


AP Photo


AP Photo
Slideshow: Carol Moseley Braun

Carol Moseley Braun Announces 2004 Run
(AP Video)



"I am uniquely qualified to do the job of president, and I offer the
clearest alternative to this current administration, whose only new
idea has been pre-emptive war and a huge new bureaucracy," Braun said
in a low-key appearance at Howard University. Her only introduction
came from her 26-year-old son, Matthew Braun.


"A woman can fix the mess they have created, because we are
practical, we are not afraid of partnerships and we are committed to
making the world better for our children."


Braun stunned the political establishment in 1992 — the "Year of the
Woman" — unseating an incumbent Democratic senator in the primary,
two-term lawmaker Alan Dixon, on her way to what was once considered
an improbable victory in November.


Her election was heralded as an advance for women and minorities, but
her popularity fell amid accusations that she exercised poor judgment
in visiting Nigeria's brutal former dictator Sani Abacha and misused
campaign funds.


A campaign finance investigation cleared Braun, but she lost her seat
to well-funded Republican challenger Peter Fitzgerald in 1998. After
the defeat, President Clinton (news - web sites) appointed her
ambassador to New Zealand.


Braun used her announcement speech to present her vision for the
future — "an American renaissance" — and criticize President Bush
(news - web sites)'s record on national security and the economy.
Unlike the official campaign announcements by some of her nine
rivals, Braun took questions from a handful of Howard University
students and reporters following her speech. She fielded broad
questions about poverty and children, and more specific queries about
the command and control of U.S. troops in Iraq (news - web sites).


A fierce opponent of the U.S.-led war against Iraq, Braun said the
United States will work to ensure a peaceful Iraq. "Americans don't
cut and run, we have to see this misadventure through," she said.


Monday's kickoff schedule started with speeches at two historically
black colleges — Howard and Benedict College in Columbia, S.C.
Braun's final appearance was scheduled in her home town of Chicago,
where she got her start in politics 25 years ago with election to the
Illinois Legislature.


During months of campaigning, Braun has struggled to build a fund-
raising network. She has pleaded for financial support, especially
when speaking to women's groups, but raised less than $250,000 in the
first half of the year.


Last month, she picked up her first two major endorsements from the
National Organization for Women (news - web sites) and the National
Women's Political Caucus. Leaders of both groups said they would help
raise money for her among their members, and their support gave Braun
encouragement to continue her bid beyond the exploratory phase.


Braun ranks near the bottom in most surveys, but some polls show her
with more support than some of her better-financed rivals. She ranks
higher in some polls of black voters.


She has avoided much of the intra-party fighting of her rivals who
confront each other in an effort to rise to the top of the field. Her
criticism has been focused on President Bush's policies at home and
abroad.


"America is at a tipping point — if we stay the course we are on now,
we won't recognize this country five years from now," she said in
Monday's speech. "But if we shift gears, try another way, tap some of
the talent that has been relegated to the sidelines of leadership, we
can heal and renew and save our country."


___


On the Net:


Braun's campaign:

http://www.carolforpresident.com

It is nice to see that members of your organization like Ms. Carol Moseley Braun are making real progress in our communities and in the political arena. She cares about our people and she cares about the environment. After reviewing her plight, I'd have to see she fights for the welfare of all of the people. Can you imagine that. MADAME PRESIDENT CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN.:D :)

Oh, and President Kweisi Mfume ain't playin'. If they haven't realized it yet, they need to know. He has a power house behind him. I suggest they drop what ever they thought they had planned the next time they recieve an invite.

I feel so proud to have these two as my community leaders.

Braun to Quit Presidential Bid, Back Dean
43 minutes ago

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

FORT DODGE, Iowa - Carol Moseley Braun (news - web sites) plans to end her White House bid Thursday, leaving an all-male field for the presidency and giving her support to Democratic front-runner Howard Dean (news - web sites).


AP Photo


Reuters
Slideshow: Carol Moseley Braun




Braun was to officially endorse the former Vermont governor Thursday afternoon during an appearance at Carroll High School in Carroll, Iowa, said Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi.


Dean said Wednesday that he welcomed the endorsement of the former senator from Illinois.


"She's a principled person. We just hit it off. I like her a lot," Dean told reporters at a hotel in Fort Dodge, where he was spending the night after starting a statewide bus tour.


"It's going to be a big help to us," he said.


Trippi said Braun approached Dean after a recent debate and told him she was considering leaving the race and backing him.


One of two black candidates in the campaign, Braun is giving Dean her endorsement even as he has faced questions about his record on race issues, including his lack of minority Cabinet members during his five terms as Vermont governor.


Braun jumped to Dean's defense in a debate last Sunday when Al Sharpton (news - web sites), the other black candidate in the Democratic field, accused the former governor of trivializing race issues.


Braun never broke out of single digits in national and state polls and failed to qualify for several state ballots.


And though she had been endorsed by two influential women's groups — the National Organization for Women (news - web sites) and the National Women's Political Caucus — that support failed to translate into financial support. Braun struggled to raise money while running up thousands of dollars in debt. She also missed the deadline to file paperwork for the initial round of federal campaign money, delaying for several weeks the receipt of any federal matching funds, expected to amount to several hundred thousand dollars,


Even her own campaign manager, Patricia Ireland, had said publicly that there was no way Braun could win the nomination.


She leaves the race after having little impact on it, except for some bright moments in debates. Braun often stressed during the campaign that she was running for president because it was time to "take the 'Men Only' sign off the White House door."


The run for president also may have helped Braun rehabilitate her image. Elected to the Senate in 1992 during the "Year of the Woman," Braun lost the seat after one term due to allegations about her ethics and improper campaign spending.


Braun had also fallen under criticism for meeting in 1996 with Gen. Sani Abacha, the late dictator of Nigeria who had been accused of myriad human rights violations, during a trip to the country for a friend's memorial. She did not tell the State Department in advance, which she later said she regretted not doing.


After losing the seat, President Clinton (news - web sites) named her ambassador to New Zealand.


Braun is the second Democratic presidential candidate to pull out of the race before the start of voting on Jan. 19 with the Iowa caucuses. Sen. Bob Graham of Florida withdrew from the race on Oct. 6.


___





http://www.carolforpresident.com

Dang. Even though she wasn't my candidate of choice (I still haven't made a choice, to be honest), I was hoping she'd stay in the race just so that her ideas and principles would continue to be articulated. :(

I'm also sad to see Sen. Braun leave the race. She had credibility and real world political experience, unlike Rev. Al.

I'm also undecided about backing a candidate (unless Dean goes to the center, he's going to be killed in the general election. I want somebody who can take out Boosh.)

...don't know if it's just the death-rattle before rigor mortis sets in, but in some polls Wesley Clark, and to a lesser extent, John Kerry, have been see as closing the gap on Dr. Dean.

primary fights, for all their idealized energy, seem often to do more harm than good to the candidate that emerges for the general election.

Completely agree with this because the primaries generally bring out the most fervent people, regardless of whether they're on the left or the right. In California, with the GOP, there were all these right-wingers nominated in the primary that got smacked by Demos. Until Repubs decided to get behind electable Gubuhnaytor Ah-nold Schwannegar (sic).

:( She was my only choice

It's a case of her leaving before or after the primaries. Sadly, she really didn't have a chance. So, by dropping out now, she can hopefully help Dean out a bit. For me, the fact that she lost as an incumbent really made me doubt her chances in a presidential race (aside from the whole being a Black woman thing).

He will shift to the center after the primaries. Typically, people are a little more liberal during the primary because they are appealing to their party and they are running against people who hold similar positions. After he wins (wishful thinking!!) Iowa and New Hampshire, he will shift to the center.

I was chosen as a Delegate for my district and her campaign office manager left me a message last evening in regards to this and I have not been right since. I respect her decision and understand completely.

Dean will try to shift, I'm sure, but come the general election, President Bush will hang these "liberal" quotes/positions (that won him the nomination) around his neck and squeeze at every political opportunity. (Of course, some will say Dean, or whomever will have 4 years of material to use on GWB, too).

R's do the same when vying for the White House, but it seems they have a more organized plan, with much less bloodletting, and they seem to reunite as a party faster than the Ds. Consider this, since 1976, EVERY Repub presidential ticket has featured either a Bush or a Dole....

Re: NAACP Condemns NoShow Presidential Candidates
 

First, the NAACP does not represent my beliefs..and I resent them asserting that they represent the "African American community"
Second, why would any Republican waste time going to an organization where the people vote 90% Republican and according to the Polls hate them and their party??
Third, how dare Mfume suggest that because they don't attend, they obviously don't care about "our" community???
WHEN and ONLY WHEN African Americans stop voting as if we're a monolithic group of people...will Republicans take us seriously.. We have seriously bought into the rhetoric that Repubs are a group of homophobic and racist folks....and that the Dems actually do "care" about this community

Hell if I was Bush..I wouldn't have gone either.

Re: Re: NAACP Condemns NoShow Presidential Candidates
 

"why would any Republican waste time going to an organization where the people vote 90% (Democratic) and according to the Polls hate them and their party??"

Because you might want to reduce your opponent's 90 percent advantage to maybe 70 or 60 percent one day? I don't think AA's "hate" Rs, but I leave you your comment.

...I agree that Mfume's rhetoric went a bit overboard, but it's just interest group politics on display. It's the same thing the Natl. Rifle Assocation, and other "conservative" groups, practice (albeit not as visibly as the NAACP did) regularly. If your constituency makes up a substantial part of a party's political base, you expect a certain level of treatment by the candidate(s).

Love_Spell, if I could give you a high-five across the Internet, I would. I totally agree with everything you said in your post, but on the other hand, if the Republicans are smart -- and I know they are -- they'll need to start at least giving the APPEARANCE of being serious about courting black voters, especially young professional blacks who are on the fence with respect to the Dems.