Election 2004: Memos Show Bush Suspended From Flying

[Love_Spell_6]

Originally posted by TonyB06
"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).

TonyB06, In an Ideal world what you said would make sense. But AA's have showed that we are REactive, not PROactive and that no matter what, we will vote Democrat. Trent Lott had to step down for his comments, but Senator___ I can't remember his name right now actually said "NIGGER" and he was excused...because he's a DEMOCRAT.. When you've been in the dark so long....eventually your eyes will adjust and things will seem clear to you. (just like at the club

And finally, I'm glad you brought this up. If the NAACP wishes to endorse a political candidate, then they should become an interest group and change their status from non-profit. But I suppose that would hurt their bottom line so they don't want to do that right??

Im not sure what you mean by you are "leaving me my comment" so I'll leave that alone

[Honeykiss1974]

I don't understand why we even should affiliate with ANY of the parties (Dem or Rep.) to tell the truth. Neither one of them truly represents us. We are so much more than a "civil rights" issue which is something that both parties try to play on.

I truly believe that even if we shifted to the Rep. party, the same thing would happen (after some years, our vote/support being taken for granted).

[TonyB06]

Originally posted by Love_Spell_6
TonyB06, In an Ideal world what you said would make sense. But AA's have showed that we are REactive, not PROactive and that no matter what, we will vote Democrat. Trent Lott had to step down for his comments, but Senator___ I can't remember his name right now actually said "NIGGER" and he was excused...because he's a DEMOCRAT.. When you've been in the dark so long....eventually your eyes will adjust and things will seem clear to you. (just like at the club

And finally, I'm glad you brought this up. If the NAACP wishes to endorse a political candidate, then they should become an interest group and change their status from non-profit. But I suppose that would hurt their bottom line so they don't want to do that right??

Im not sure what you mean by you are "leaving me my comment" so I'll leave that alone

LS6,
Nor, in an ideal world, would I think anyone would credibly assume that 12, 13 million people are monolitic in their thinking. This is usually the argument from political operatives who either don't care to or don't know how to put votes in play,---> voter cultivation based on credible and substantive policy initiatives. Recognize and go after the economic/educational/social differences within the AfAm community. Heck, it's basic marketing; we're no more complex than any other "voting bloc" a political entitly sincerely wanted to pursue.

I regularly vote D and R, depending on the candidate's position/sincerity and the issue; and I know hundreds of similarly situated AAs who do likewise. I respect and admire the work and political/physical risk Rev. Jesse Jackson (Omega) has made on behalf of black folk for 30+ years, but there are several issues on which he and I will probably never agree. Nor have I ever cast a vote because "Jesse tole me to do so."

I'll agree with you that there's a good debate to be had on how beneficial/non-beneficial the D Party has been for Af-Ams. But IMO, that's not at all a compelling reason to just automatically give my vote to anyone else. Black folk, like everybody else, vote in our own self-interest. Every election cycle Ds and Rs both know how to come get my vote. The one that wins it is the one that works hardest for it.

...and I think the Senator you alluded to was most likely Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., someone I seriously doubt I'd ever vote for.

peace to ya.

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by Sistermadly
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.

If the GOP wants to get serious about courting young professional blacks, however, they have got to expunge themselves of the "good ol' boy" Dixiecrat-descended element that still rolls hard in that party. I'm talking people like Sen. Lott and Helms, etc.

[abaici]

Originally posted by Steeltrap
If the GOP wants to get serious about couring young professional blacks, however, they have got to expunge themselves of the "good ol' boy" Dixiecrat-descended element that still rolls hard in that party. I'm talking people like Sen. Lott and Helms, etc.

Exactly, I vote for the best candidate, not solely along party lines. However, I refuse to become a member of the GOP because I resent the way in which they forward those openly racist people. Also, people who forward lofty moral ideals and betray them (ie Lott, Thurmond, Gingrich, etc).

[enlightenment06]

I'm tellin' ya'll...we should start the Brown Party...a party which is neither decidely conservative nor liberal, but pushes the issues which directly and specifically affect the Black and Latino communities

[Sistermadly]

A nice idea, but since there are so many issues within our individual communities -- even within the same ethnic group -- I'm not sure it would be viable.

BTW - according to CNN, the Associated Press reported that CMB took money from the Dean campaign to drop out of the race. I'm going to try to find the article, but if it's true, what do ya'll think of that?

[Sistermadly]

Originally posted by Steeltrap
If the GOP wants to get serious about couring young professional blacks, however, they have got to expunge themselves of the "good ol' boy" Dixiecrat-descended element that still rolls hard in that party. I'm talking people like Sen. Lott and Helms, etc.

With the way that the more moderate GOPers distanced themselves from Lott when all that mess hit the fan, I think this will actually happen in our lifetime.

And you know... part of me likes the idea of a lot of us buppies signing up to the GOP in droves and changing the party from the inside. The problem (okay, one of the problems) with the African Americans that are currently in the GOP ranks is that there simply aren't enough of them to make an impact. If more of us were willing to go out on a limb and completely abandon the Democratic party and register as GOPers, I think people would stand up and take notice.

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally posted by Sistermadly
A nice idea, but since there are so many issues within our individual communities -- even within the same ethnic group -- I'm not sure it would be viable.

BTW - according to CNN, the Associated Press reported that CMB took money from the Dean campaign to drop out of the race. I'm going to try to find the article, but if it's true, what do ya'll think of that?

Please find that article. That would just be very if she did. If anything why not choose her as your running mate. I know I know, crack kills and America still is not ready for a woman VP let alone a Blackwoman VP.

[abaici]

Originally posted by enlightenment06
I'm tellin' ya'll...we should start the Brown Party...a party which is neither decidely conservative nor liberal, but pushes the issues which directly and specifically affect the Black and Latino communities

We need too!

Originally posted by Sistermadly
A nice idea, but since there are so many issues within our individual communities -- even within the same ethnic group -- I'm not sure it would be viable.

Well, no party completely represents its supporters. The key is agreeing on a platform and sticking with it.

Originally posted by Sistermadly
And you know... part of me likes the idea of a lot of us buppies signing up to the GOP in droves and changing the party from the inside. The problem (okay, one of the problems) with the African Americans that are currently in the GOP ranks is that there simply aren't enough of them to make an impact. If more of us were willing to go out on a limb and completely abandon the Democratic party and register as GOPers, I think people would stand up and take notice.

Now this idea, I love!! History has shown that this is possible. It's happened before. It reminds me of a concept that one of my professors suggested in terms of Black people taking over a state. We simply all need to just move there. Naturally, the demographics will change and we will begin to control the government and other things. Not just move to the big cities, but all over the state. Pick a small state and just move there! Honestly, we can do the same thing with tht Republican party. However, we talk about it, instead of "being about it". Our big problem!!

[brickhouse492]

I'm not as politically savey as I'd like to be. I pay very close attention to current events (reading the NYTimes every day and watching the news).

Braun backing Dean does sway my position (I must admit).

I liked the way Kerry communicated his message on the news last night and this morning. He talked about fighting unemployment, tax cut's for the wealthy, health care for most (reducing premiums) ... It all sounds good.

Because Dean has Braun's endorsement, I plan on investigating his platform a little more closely.

Like many of you said previously, neither the D's or the R's really have Afr-Amer interests at heart. The thing is, if your not a registered D or R, you can't vote during certain elections. That is how I understand the law. You have to be one or the other for your vote to count. We are stuck with chosing the lesser of two evils.

However, let's not even get "all caught up" on thinking that our votes count as much as we'd like to think they do. Votes weren't counted in DC (and in FL) and nobody seems to care. Is Bush REALLY suppose to be our President? We shouldn't forget these injustices as we gain political strength.

[CrimsonTide4]

When are the primaries and in what states? I am not very political savvy but I want to make an informed vote this year.

[brickhouse492]

NH has it's Presidential Primary- January 27, 2004. Then they have their State Primary - September 14, 2004 and their State General Election - November 2, 2004.

I have to find out the difference between the three.

[abaici]

from BellaOnlineThe Difference Between Primaries and Caucuses

The New Year is officially here and the Democratic Party presidential race continues to heat up. What’s on the minds of the candidates lately? Political primary and caucus season, of course. Leading up to the party convention this July in Boston, these elections help determine who will receive the party’s nomination. But, what is the difference between the primaries held in some states and the caucuses held in others, and what is their purpose?

Both primaries and caucuses allow registered voters to influence a political party’s nomination process. Every state is assigned a certain number of delegates (based upon population) who will attend the national convention and vote to select the party nominee. When citizens vote for a particular candidate, they are really voting to allocate their state’s delegates to each candidate. The Democratic Party stipulates that delegates are apportioned based upon the percentage of votes a candidate receives.

In addition to these pledged delegates, the Democratic Party also has unpledged delegates or superdelegates who comprise 15% of the total delegate pool. These superdelegates are high-ranking party and elected officials such as governors, congressional representatives, and DNC members. They may vote to nominate any candidate they choose and are not bound by the state’s popular vote.

The two main ways of assigning delegates are primaries and caucuses. A primary is simply an election that allows voters to go to the polls and cast their ballot for a candidate, thus determining their percentage of the state’s delegates. A caucus is a state convention that provides a public place for party members to gather, hear speeches, and vote for delegates to represent candidates at the national convention. Some states only allow voters to participate in their party’s primary while other states have no party restrictions and allow voters to participate in any one primary they choose.


January 13
District of Columbia

January 19
Iowa

January 27
New Hampshire

February 3
Arizona
Delaware
Missouri
New Mexico
North Dakota
South Carolina
Oklahoma

February 7
Michigan
Washington

February 8
Maine

February 10
Tennessee
Virginia

February 17
Wisconsin

Februrary 24
Idaho

February 27
Utah

March 2
Minnesota
California
Connecticut
Georgia
Hawaii
Maryland
Massachusetts
Missouri
New York
Ohio
Rhode Island
Texas
Vermont

March 9
Florida
Louisiana
Mississippi

March 13
Kansas

March 14
Nevada*

March 16
Illinois

March 20
Wyoming

April 6
Wisconsin

April 13
Colorado

April 27
Pennsylvania

May 4
Indiana
North Carolina

May 11
Nebraska
West Virginia

May 18
Oregon
Arkansas
Kentucky

May 25
Idaho

May 27
Washington

June 1
Alabama
South Dakota

June 8
Montana
New Jersey

August 24
Alaska*


* NOTE: Both Alaska and Nevada will not hold 2004 primaries. Alaska's official primary will be held on August 24, which is after the Democratic Convention, but we're betting the state party will hold caucuses to select delegates some time in the spring. In 2000, Nevada held its caucuses on March 12. If they stick to the same day of the week, their caucuses would be held on March 14, 2004. If you know more, please email us the info. Thanks.

[CrimsonTide4]

Abaici, thanks for this info. I found something last night that listed it state by state while GC was down.