WP: Kerry Urged to Do More to Get Black Votes

[DeepModem Mom]

Kerry Urged to Do More to Get Black Votes
Lack of Diversity Among Top Campaign Officials, Absence in Community Are Concerns
By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 29, 2004; Page A04


A month before Sen. John F. Kerry is to accept the Democratic presidential nomination, African Americans who are experienced in getting out the vote say the candidate has done little to energize a constituency that could help ensure his election.

Although the Massachusetts senator has many black supporters, civil rights leaders and academics are grumbling about his absence from black communities and a lack of top black officials in his campaign.

"You pick up the paper . . . and you see a picture where he's surrounded by all whites," Ronald Walters, a University of Maryland political scientist who helped run two presidential campaigns, said of Kerry. "That's sensitive to black Democrats. It raises questions about the lack of blacks and Hispanics in his inner circle."

Nine out of 10 black Americans voted for former vice president Al Gore in 2000, following a decades-long trend of crucial support for Democrats. A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showed that Kerry has similar support among black Americans, but Walters and others said he must do more to make sure they vote.

"What usually do is wait until the last minute and try to stir up interest in the black community, which would be a serious mistake," said the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta and current chairman of the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda. "They tend to take us for granted."...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13190-2004Jun28.html

[WindRavenX]

1. He is. He's not George W. Bush

Kerry's voting record speaks for itself; he is an ally to the minority community.

[sniffa]

2. not according to

some guest coLumnist for my LocaL right wing rag, whom i can onLy assume is bLack. he said kerry is against minorities because he is against schooL vouchers. the whoLe articLe was about vouchers and how kerry wants to keep bLack peopLe uneducated and poor.

[John_H]

4. I think your're minimizing a real problem.

African-American voters are no different from any other voting block--having a good record on the issues they care about is important, but to get people excited about going out and voting for you, you have to court them. One of the few things Gore's team did well was courting minority voters. Kerry and the DNC are not doing a good enough job this time around.

[JI7]

5. Kerry is doing it and did it well in the primary

the author of this article must not be paying attention. in the primary kerry got a very large majority of minority votes in most states. he got over 60 percent ofthe votes in most states.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. A picture says a thousand words.

It would be helpful if he could visit black communities and we can be reassured that he feels comfortable in that setting. We who are minorities know what it's like to have good white friends, thinking that somehow we've befriended someone who will make a difference out there in the community and will counter those generalized arguments about minorities that white people tend to do when they think they're among their own. But then we feel terribly betrayed to discover that when they're among their racists friends, the last thing they do is even acknowledge that they're friends with a minority member. If Kerry hasn't found his way into black communities by now, I fear that he's just going to be another vanilla flavored American President.

[Triana]

6. Michael Moore said the same thing...

...I went to a F911 House Party last night and Moore implored Kerry to get in touch with Blacks, Hispanics, and Women - the most disenfranchised voters who didn't vote in 2000.

Moore said Kerry should NOT move more to the Center to attract 'swing' voters but rather needs to reach out to blacks, hispanics and women.

I think Moore is right.

[dolstein]

8. When was the last time Moore backed a winning candidate?

The argument that Kerry should run to the left would be more persuasive if any Democratic presidential candidate had managed to do so successfully in the past 35 years.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. So it's okay to continue ignoring blacks, hispanics & women?

I'm confused? What was so wrong with what Moore said? This country is composed of more than white men.

[JI7]

14. the point is he IS

he HAS been doing what you said he should do. just now he finished giving a speech at the rainbow push coalition gathering. but like most issues people on here don't really pay attention to what kerry is doing. they think if they don't see it on the big media it's not happening. when manyt imes the things they complain that kerry should do he has already done and will continue to.

[CBHagman]

7. Oddly, the article doesn't quite match the headline.

When I got into the article, there were repeated references to actual staff who were African-American, Kerry's civil rights rating from the NAACP, and outreach efforts Kerry had made. I support the whole notion that one never should take any group of supporters for granted, and I definitely think Kerry should redouble his efforts. That said, he seems to have been making efforts anyway, and his voting record is solid.

[dolstein]

10. If the Post thinks Kerry has a problem with black people, it must be true

That's their story and they're sticking to it.

Never mind that Bush is about as popular as James Earl Ray among African Americans. Apparently it's ok for Republicans to piss off African Americans. But all Kerry needs to do is ruffle the feathers of a few American American politicos and alarm bells go off. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the people mouthing off the the Post have other axes to grind against Kerry which have nothing to do with his outreach efforts.

[GOPBasher]

9. What's wrong with Kerry?

Why doesn't he go into black communities and churches more and tout his proud record? It's like he's taking the black vote for granted, and that's a serious mistake.

[dolstein]

11. How do you know he isn't?

Sorry, but any journalist worth his salt could round up a few African American politicos to gripe on the record about the party's nominee. I think this article says more about the journalist who wrote the story than it does about Kerry.

[Dulcinea]

12. I hope not.

Sen. Kerry needs all the minority & women's votes he can get to help balance all the stupid white men who will vote for Boy George no matter what because "he won't take my guns."

[JayS]

15. "he won't take my guns."

I know this is a statement that is used a lot...but it really does not look into the issues in any depth. My area of the country is said to vote "God and Guns" but that is a simplistic statement that does not convey much understanding of the issues involved. If one thinks of the "God and Guns" statement as a litmus test of sorts then they will be closer to the heart of the matter. How a candidate votes on gun issues will strongly correlate with how they approach crime issues. Kerry is not doing well in this area.

[JayS]

16. I am voting for King George the Junior...

...if he uses whatever power is Constitutionally available to him to release from prison non-violent drug offenders, remove the drug charge from their records, and end much of our violence, especially gun violence and illegal gun sales, by changing the way we "fight" the War On Drugs thereby stopping the expense of locking these people up and creating jail space for violent criminals, and letting these people get back to working and paying taxes. It won't happen so let's talk about Kerry.

From what I have read, the vast majority of those in jail for simple drug possession are poor minorities. Most of the rest in jail are poor whites. If Kerry will show some compassion to those that are in this ridiculous situation he will truly show that he cares about minorities and the poor. He can dispense with the "soft on drugs" accusations he will surely get by saying that drug abuse is a medical problem, not a criminal one, and should be treated as such.

[AspenRose]

17. "Will Dems Invest in Black Vote?" FYI

From the Northstar Network:

"For some time now Black political leaders have complained that despite loyalty to the Party, the Black vote is often overlooked or seen as less of a priority when it comes to shaping the message, developing campaign strategy and allocating resources for important campaigns. There is a sense among Black political leaders that they are virtually ignored or brought to the table as an after thought. The late Maynard Jackson complained bitterly about the failure of the Gore Campaign and the Democratic Party to invest sufficient resources in a number of states where a substantial increase in voter registration and turnout among Blacks might have changed the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. If Kerry and the DNC make the same mistake in the crucial election ahead, George Bush will still be in the White House."

http://www.thenorthstarnetwork.com/news/opinion/182787-1.html