Election Countdown: Volunteer Opp in Fla 10/29

[Steeltrap]

Food for thought. This was originally posted in CC, but of course, name-calling got it locked. Here, we should have more insightful discussion, I hope.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/19/op...rint&position=

September 19, 2004
GUEST COLUMNIST
Swallowing the Elephant
By HENRY LOUIS GATES Jr.

The moment when the Republican Party lost black America can be given a date: Oct. 26, 1960. Martin Luther King Jr., arrested in Georgia during a sit-in, had been transferred to a maximum-security prison and sentenced to four months on the chain gang, without bail. As The Times reported, John F. Kennedy called Coretta King, expressing his concern. Richard Nixon didn't.

"It took courage to call my daughter-in-law at a time like this," King's father said about Kennedy at a church rally. "I've got all my votes and I've got a suitcase, and I'm going to take them up there and dump them in his lap." In 1956, Dwight Eisenhower had received nearly 40 percent of the black vote. (I myself sported an "I Like Ike" button in first grade.) In 1960, Nixon received 32 percent. A few years later, as the civil-rights era heated up and the G.O.P. pursued its "Southern strategy," blacks effectively became a one-party constituency.

But at what cost? Speaking to a National Urban League audience in July, President Bush quoted an Illinois legislator's piquant remark that "blacks are gagging on the donkey but not yet ready to swallow the elephant," and went on to pose a series of questions that black people themselves have been asking: "Does the Democrat party take African-American voters for granted? Is it a good thing for the African-American community to be represented mainly by one political party? How is it possible to gain political leverage if the party is never forced to compete?"

Of course, such questions have an unspoken corollary: Why support a party that has written you off?

Some black Republicans will tell you that however important the legal reforms of the civil-rights era had been 40 years ago, blacks today will be well served by the party of school reform and faith-based programs, the party of the so-called ownership society. "These are going to be the pillars of the black community," Condoleezza Rice told me. "In my little community in Birmingham, Alabama, in the 50's and 60's, there were black-owned businesses everywhere, and everybody owned their own homes. That made our community strong. We've got to get back to that."

Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political strategist, says the Republicans' low levels of black support are unhealthy for the party - once the party of Lincoln, after all - and for the African-American community. Part of what's gone wrong, he told me, is that Republicans don't advertise in black media markets. "If the conversation in the community is predominantly Democrat, and we don't make the argument on urban radio and we don't pay attention to the African-American newspapers, and if we don't campaign in the community, then why are we surprised when people don't hear our arguments and don't vote for our candidates?"

What's more, many blacks are evangelical Protestants, and tend to be more conservative than their white counterparts on "social" issues like gay rights and capital punishment. "The Democratic Party is not 90 percent more black friendly than we are," Rove exclaims.

Why, then, are blacks such down-the-line Democrats? My Harvard colleague Michael Dawson, a descendant of a black Democratic congressman from Chicago, agrees with Rove that black people are socially conservative. But the issues they vote on are racial and, especially, economic.

When it comes to race, he points out, parties have multilevel strategies. Republicans can appeal to white moderates by signaling a measure of compassion about problems of race. "On the other hand," Dawson observes, "you can go into places such as Florida and try systematically to disenfranchise poor black votes."

The real watershed, in his view, was the 1980 election. Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford tried to build up, and win over, a black middle class; the Reagan team figured they could do better by shutting out the black political establishment and mobilizing white conservatives. "Black elites were shocked to find out that with Reagan and his advisers, there were no longer 'good Negroes' and 'bad Negroes,' " Dawson says.

What the big-tent rhetoric ignores is that a more "black friendly" G.O.P. might pay a price in white support. "The Republicans would lose more white votes than they would gain black votes," Dawson says. And so blacks, as a one-party constituency in a two-party system, get sidelined.

It isn't that the candidates won't call. It's just that they're calling collect.


Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a guest columnist through September. Thomas L. Friedman is on book leave.

[Love_Spell_6]

Thanks for re-posting this. Here is my response from CC.

I think there are plenty of reasons my race votes Democratic... Democrats appeal to the emotions of black people, and alot of times black folks go for that... This isn't singling out blacks, because most people are not well informed about politics..but if you always have a party pushing the victim mentality..i.e. "them" against "us" and you can convince them that "the powers that be" in AmeriKKKa are responsible for all their problems...well you get lots of votes. The Republican party isn't going to pacify the black community. The Democrats waive entitlements and all types of social programs in front of the black community, and its "easier" to listen to someone that is promising to give you the world..rather than someone who's telling you...you can have the world..but you must work hard to get it.

I believe there are more blacks than ever before that are starting to realize not only that the Democratic Party takes our votes for granted, but that the Democrats method of giving us "handouts" isn't improving our community. It also doesn't help that many black pastors are so deeply imbedded in the Democrat party, and regardless of how much they agree with the Republicans on social issues, they are not willing to give up whatever kickbacks they may be getting from the Democrats. Many Black folks really value the what their Pastors tell them above any political official,..and they get the Democrats agenda pushed on them all day long in their churches...(not all..but quite a few..)

IF anyone ever wanted to know why black folks get called Uncle Toms etc.... its because of the type of stuff I just stated...Quite a few of my friends want to vote for Bush..but are scared to because of what their peers will say. It takes a strong person to "buck" the system and go against the grain..But I will say that I'd rather be called an uncle tom than a blind follower of a political party that hasn't done JACK for my community.

[abaici]

I think it's incorrect to assume that the only reason African Americans vote Democratic is because we are 1)uninformed, 2)"emotional", or 3)listen to our Pastors. I do not fit in either of those categories, and I am a Democrat. Personally, I'm am a little partial to voting for an INTELLIGENT candidate.

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by abaici
I think it's incorrect to assume that the only reason African Americans vote Democratic is because we are 1)uninformed, 2)"emotional", or 3)listen to our Pastors. I do not fit in either of those categories, and I am a Democrat. Personally, I'm am a little partial to voting for an INTELLIGENT candidate.

Same here, and I'm a registered Independent. I like to vote for pragmatic candidates. I'm rather on the "cold" side myself, except for certain issues.

[Love_Spell_6]

Originally posted by abaici
I think it's incorrect to assume that the only reason African Americans vote Democratic is because we are 1)uninformed, 2)"emotional", or 3)listen to our Pastors. I do not fit in either of those categories, and I am a Democrat. Personally, I'm am a little partial to voting for an INTELLIGENT candidate.

Well that's my opinion.. and of course you have every right to disagree..and it is indeed arguable whether the Democrat is always the INTELLIGENT candidate.

[WenD08]

-It also doesn't help that many black pastors are so deeply imbedded in the Democratic party, and regardless of how much they agree with the Republicans on social issues, they are not willing to give up whatever kickbacks they may be getting from the Democrats.-

what are these "kickbacks" you mentioned? i'm just wondering what you think Black pastors are getting for their stated support.
also, the same could be said for Black pastors who support the GOP. i've heard it said that Black pastors would benefit from faith-based programs (that the GOP are pushing) that they run in their churches which benefit their coffers. for example, those ministers who work to rehabilitate prisoners and other examples i can't recall off the top of my head.
"i'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" works on both sides of the aisle, so to speak...

[AKA2D '91]

Will you volunteer to go to Florida on 10/29?


This year, just voting is simply not enough! We need to take action. That's why I'm inviting you to please join with other EMILY's List members, friends and supporters in an historic effort to turn out voters in Florida, the state which could decide which party controls the White House and the U.S. Senate.

WANTED: Volunteers who want to make the difference in this election and can commit to working from Friday evening, October 29, through Tuesday evening, November 2. Volunteers will return to DC Wednesday morning, November 3. Air travel, accommodations, and meals will be paid for by EMILY's List. Training will be provided.

WHO: EMILY's List, the nation's premier political network dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women, is seeking volunteers who can commit to knocking on the doors of key voters and urge them to go to the polls.

WHAT: An historic, massive volunteer effort to turn out voters that could determine who controls the White House and the U.S. Senate.

WHEN: Buses will leave downtown Washington, DC en route to BWI late in the day on Friday, October 29, and return the morning of Wednesday, November 3. Please note we are sending people from Washington, DC, only and will not be booking tickets from other locations. However, we’re happy to work with volunteers who want to fly or drive themselves to Washington, DC, or directly to Florida.

WHERE: Volunteers will talk to voters in Florida communities where high Democratic turnout is the key to victory.

HOW: If you haven't registered as a Team EMILY member, click here now and then fill out the volunteer form here. Shortly after, you will be contacted by telephone by an EMILY's List employee. When you fill out a volunteer form, you are committing to work from Friday evening, October 29, through the polls closing on November 2.

If you're unable to join us on the ground as a volunteer, please make a generous contribution today to support this historic effort. Just go online to www.emilyslist.org.

And remember: this year, simply voting is just NOT ENOUGH!

Warmest regards,
Ellen R. Malcolm
www.emilyslist.org
www.teamemily.org

[AKA2D '91]

http://www.breakbushoff.com/

At your leisure, visit this site....

[Steeltrap]

Obama extends reach beyond Illinois race
By Debbie Howlett, USA TODAY
CHICAGO — The disparity between the two campaigns for the U.S. Senate here in Illinois is as clear as the difference in the candidates' dinner plans one recent weekend.

Barack Obama hobnobbed with comic Robin Williams and musician Stevie Wonder at the home of Playboy CEO Christie Hefner during a $2,500-a-plate fundraiser catered by Wolfgang Puck.

Alan Keyes crashed the New Trier Township Republican dinner after organizers refused to invite him to speak.

This could have been a meaningful race. It's the first time two African-Americans have faced off for the Senate; the winner will be only the third to serve since 1881. Instead, it's so one-sided that Obama is spending some of his time campaigning for colleagues out of state.

The half Kenyan, half Kansan Obama was anointed as a future Democratic star, even a possible president, by the media after his speech at the Democratic National Convention in July. (Related story: Kenyan village rallies for favorite U.S. son) Since then, he has become a force in the party, raising more than $14 million, which would be an impressive sum for an incumbent, much less a state legislator in his first run for the Senate. His lead in the polls is eye-popping: 68% to 17%, according to the Chicago Tribune last month.

All of that has allowed Obama to dismiss Keyes — a former long shot Republican presidential candidate from Maryland who was lured into the race by desperate Republicans two months ago — with a pious one-liner in his standard stump speech. "We are not running against somebody," Obama told the Rotary Club here recently. "We are running for something."

That something appears to be more than just a Senate seat.

In the 11 weeks since he delivered the keynote in Boston, Obama has traveled to at least 14 states to raise money and appear with fellow Democrats in close races. He has made appearances from Martha's Vineyard to the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., campaigning for a Democratic majority in Congress.

He has raised $1.2 million for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and other Senate candidates. He has donated $225,000 from his own campaign cash to the committee and to state Democratic parties in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin, where Democrats are in close Senate races. On Friday, he will be in Los Angeles for a Senate fundraiser that is expected to net $1 million for the national party. The next day, he will visit Colorado to stump for John Kerry and Senate candidate Ken Salazar.

"He's a player," says Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. "He's a national figure. ... People don't want to 'be like Mike' anymore. They want to be like Barack."

With Republicans holding a tenuous 51-48 majority in the Senate, even a gain of one seat by the Democrats will change the political dynamic. Obama and Keyes are vying for a seat left vacant when Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald opted to retire after one term. "I've served in the minority, and I've served in the majority," Obama says. "It's a lot more fun to serve in the majority."

'Two ships passing in the night'

When Obama is in Illinois, as he is most of the time, he focuses on reaching out to moderate voters in the suburbs and conservative voters downstate, where towns like Cairo are closer to Little Rock than Chicago. He talks about the economy and foreign policy. He rarely mentions Keyes, whose emphasis has been on social issues such as abortion and gay rights.

"Mr. Keyes' campaign and my campaign seem to be two ships passing in the night," Obama says between campaign stops.

Keyes has often been his own worst enemy. His vitriol has turned off much of the electorate and caused Illinois' GOP leadership to shun him. State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, the party chairwoman, declined to talk about the race.

Keyes has even disappointed the party's conservative wing, which lured him here after Republican nominee Jack Ryan dropped out of the race amid a sex scandal. "Many of us would have preferred that he focus on economic issues," Rockford state Sen. Dave Syverson says.

Much of the focus has been on Keyes' sulfuric criticism of Obama for supporting abortion rights — even saying at one point that Jesus wouldn't vote for Obama.

"That's not a distraction from the issues," Keyes says. "It's a fundamental issue of principle. ... The thing that's so different between him and me is he doesn't see these as deep, fundamental issues of principle." Keyes has struggled to win over African-American voters. In Chicago, two separate polls show him with single-digit support among African-Americans. He was even booed when he marched in the parade for Bud Billikin Day, an annual African-American festival.

Obama, on the other hand, has taken on a stature equal to, if not greater than, the longtime civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, whose Rainbow/PUSH organization is headquartered here.

"We're past the point of having one great black hope," says Laura Washington, a DePaul University sociology professor and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. She says Obama is more acceptable to the public than Jackson because he is a Harvard-educated lawyer and elected official. His immigrant story, with a father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, is appealing. "Being biracial helps increase the comfort level," she says.

Living up to his billing

On the campaign trail, Obama likes to roll into his remarks with a humble preface, saying that 18 months ago he was unknown. "People said, 'This guy has no cash, no organization, and nobody can say his name,' " he recalls.

For the most part, that was true.

Obama was one of seven candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. Others were richer or backed by Democratic organizations in Chicago. At one point, polls showed him running fourth. But when the divorce records of Blair Hull, a wealthy, retired commodities trader, were made public days before the election, the accusations of spousal abuse and cocaine use knocked him from the lead. Obama stepped into the breach, winning with 53% of the vote.

Three months later, the unsealing of divorce records also undid Ryan, the GOP nominee, who was trailing in the polls by 20 points. Then Kerry tapped Obama to give the convention's keynote speech.

"No doubt we've experienced some serendipity the last several months. Some call it luck," Obama says. "I just get on my knees every night and ask God to make me worthy of all these blessings."

Obama hedges his words when talking about the future. With a reputation as something of a policy wonk at the state Capitol in Springfield, he says he's eager to dive into the daily grind as one of 100 members of what some call the world's most exclusive club.

David Axelrod, a Democratic consultant and one of Obama's top advisers, says that's what he will need to do, in much the same way New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton did after moving from the White House to the Senate. "He has had a lot of flattering advance billing," Axelrod says. "All of that is meaningless unless he delivers."

[WenD08]

my county, Hamilton, in OH is looking for poll monitors for election day. if anyone out there is interested in doing so, send me a PM. if you would like to do so in your area, contact your local board of elections or the local Urban League. i'm looking forward to doing this