GOP drive to woo blacks via church alarms Brazile

The Washington Times ^ | March 3. 2005 | Donald Lambro

[Coastal]

An aggressive Republican campaign to court black voters with the help of church leaders "should be cause for alarm" among Democrats, who risk losing a larger share of their most loyal political constituency, says Democratic strategist Donna Brazile.

Miss Brazile, one of her party's most respected voter outreach specialists, warned Democrats at the start of the 2004 election cycle: "Don't take African-American voters for granted." At the end of that cycle, President Bush had increased his share of the black vote to 11 percent nationally and by 13 percent to 16 percent in battleground states such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.

[justshutupandtakeit]

She probably had it pretty rough since Blacks were not particularly welcome in any state during the 1800s for the reasons I referenced earlier. They were not treated well in the North or the South.

[Marysecretary]

Yes, Dems are known to be very stupid about such things, or about EVERYthing! They never learn.

[Marysecretary]

It amazes me that the dems can go into the pulpit at black churches and nobody says anything. If a pubbie did the same thing, the IRS would go after the church! Amazing.

[Marysecretary]

Colin Powell is Afro-Caribbean. You only need a drop of black blood to be considered black in the eyes of the government.

[teenyelliott]

You only need a drop of black blood to be considered black in the eyes of the government.

Then I guess I am black. Who knew?

[Larry Lucido]

The next senator from Michigan:

Charismatic Pastor 'Would be a Clarion Voice' in U.S. Senate

[Larry Lucido]

I am proud to be a 100% pure non-hyphenated American.

Then go all the way and take the hyphen out of your screen name. Around here, we are all simply 1701s! :-)

Of course, some of my posts have been rated NC-17....

[zbigreddogz]

You should be. We want to know what they are thinking so we can be better at stopping them.

[trubluolyguy]

92% brightness


I got a chuckle at that, remembering the first time I slept with my VERY dark American Indian ex, she said "my God you are so pale You glow in the dark!"

[zbigreddogz]

This guy sounds interesting actually. His lack of much electoral experience concerns me a little, I'd rather have Candice Miller or John Engler, but this guy actually seems like he'd be better then a random county chairman or congressman. If he can do well in Detroit, the sky's the limit.

[Truthsearcher]

"The only thing missing from this is a warning from her that the Dems need to pay here more to prevent the loss. LOL"

I think you hit the real reason she's issuing this "warning". This has nothing to do with whether the Republicans are making in roads in the black community, this is all about her getting paid.

[Political Junkie Too]

An aggressive Republican campaign to court black voters with the help of church leaders "should be cause for alarm" among Democrats...

Jesse Jackson Jr. Says Church Politicking 'Supersedes the Law'

Tuesday November 7, 2000; 9:37 AM ET

Jesse Jackson Jr. Says Church Politicking 'Supersedes the Law'

It may be against federal election law to campaign in church. But for Democrats seeking to get out the vote in minority districts, politicking from the pulpit has become indispensable.

In the last days of this year's campaign, Vice President Al Gore, Senate candidate Hillary Clinton and her husband have all made regular appearances at African-American and Hispanic churches.

Even when parishioners objected to Mrs. Clinton campaigning from the altar at a Rochester, N.Y., Catholic church last week, the rules were not enforced. Those who didn't like it were simply ejected by police while the first lady continued her campaign speech.

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., whose namesake is both a reverend and one of the Democratic Party's most vocal boosters, was challenged on the issue Monday during a Tennessee radio interview on WLAC-AM by "Nashville This Morning" hosts Steve Gill and Terry Hopkins.

GILL: Let me ask you about this. It's against IRS regulations for politicians to campaign from the pulpit. Why are these politicians campaigning in black churches?

JACKSON: I'm not totally convinced that's true in the African-American community. Certainly there's a separation of church and state. But in our community there's little distinction between our religion and our politics. ... And so in many African-American churches born out of experience in this country, the role of the churches has evolved into a very, very active political institution which has been very effective for a number of causes in the black community.

HOPKINS: And that supersedes the law?

JACKSON: Absolutely. Oh, absolutely.

-PJ

[the Real fifi]

She was furious Kerry and the DNC didn't give her a major position or a lot of business to her consulting firm.

[cyborg]

That's why I don't check anything. None of the government's business.

[cyborg]

LOL

[Marysecretary]

Interesting, isn't it?

[speekinout]

Not many people remember, but the KKK originally was against Blacks, Catholics and Jews. I remember sometime back (maybe in the 70s) when the NJ chapter was running low on members. They decided to admit Jews as a way to bolster membership.
As a Catholic, I was quite pleased with their choice. :-)

[T Lady]

So now the Dims are 'alarmed.'

...They certainly have good reason to be, especially after the way Barbara Boxer, Robert Bryd, Ted Kennedy, and a few other Dimocrat Senators attempted to rake Dr. Rice over the coals during the confirmation hearings. Very, very bad career move.

In a recent column by Delroy Murdock, he highlighted some of the GOP's accomplishments throughout America's history featured on a calendar produced by members of the House of Representatives, which have resulted in Black achievement over the years.

Someone needs to ask Ms. Brazile this: What have you (Democrats) done for me lately?

-Regards, T.