Black Vote Is Key For Kerry-High African American Turnout Could Swing Election To Democrat

CBS ^ | Oct. 20, 2004 | David Paul Kuhn

[MinorityRepublican]

With expectations of a record African American turnout on Nov. 2, voter trends suggest that if John Kerry wins the White House it will be in large part due to overwhelming support among black voters.

However, if African Americans turn out at levels equivalent to previous elections or are offset by drastic shifts in outside voter trends, President Bush is likely to earn four more years.

In an interview, Rev. Jesse Jackson says it point blank: “The black vote is the swing vote.”

And, as Jackson knows, Kerry cannot win the presidency unless the black vote swings heavily in his favor.

Four years ago, African Americans turned out as never before. Nine out of ten went for Al Gore, making up 18.9 percent of all those who voted for the Democratic nominee. Comparatively, the black vote made up 15.4 percent of former President Clinton’s support in 1996. In 1992, 17.1 percent of the voters who cast ballots for Mr. Clinton were African Americans.

Though Lyndon Johnson won a higher percentage (94 percent) of the black vote for the Democrats in 1964, African Americans made up a far smaller portion of the electorate then.

“There is every indication there is going to be a good turnout and that breaks in the Democrats favor,” says David Bositis, an expert on African American politics at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “There will be a significant increase in black turnout and those new black voters are going to vote overwhelmingly for Kerry.”

Conventional wisdom has it that new voters favor the challenger. Contempt drives people to the polls. Content voters make apathetic voters.

And in the same way that Republicans benefit from a high turnout among evangelical whites, more African Americans at the polls increases the Democrats chances.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I have noticed many more black faces behind him, on the TV.

[HammerOfTheDogs]

The black vote, and the Youth vote....yeah, that’s the ticket.

[ohiogrammy]

yes those who ride on government programs and pay no taxes. I think a law should be passed,if you do not pay taxes then you do not get to vote! There would never be another worry about voter fraud or a huge socialist win!

[SolidWood]

I think a law should be passed,if you do not pay taxes then you do not get to vote! It used to be that way in large parts of Europe until the early 1900's and in the US until 1830.

[freeplancer]

If Kerry pulls this out, I will be pi$$ed. God what I would not give to see that photo of him waving the ears of corn out of the window bus. That was priceless.

[Fishtalk]

The youth vote. Heh.

This is a liberal dream that never comes to fruition, does it? The liberal story is that the fresh-faced, dewey-eyed young people, all blessed with a liberal education that showed them the way, instructed them to head towards the light, will stand in long lines in the rain, the snow, the frosty winds, to vote for the liberal candidate of their pubescent dreams.

And yet they all sleep in on election day as the day before the beer flowed fast and the flesh was loose and free.

Heh.

[HammerOfTheDogs]

The liberal story is that the fresh-faced, dewey-eyed young people, all blessed with a liberal education that showed them the way, instructed them to head towards the light, will stand in long lines in the rain, the snow, the frosty winds, to vote for the liberal candidate of their pubescent dreams.

Those fresh-faced, dewey-eyed young liberals are moldering in the back dumpsters of Abortion clinics.

[MinorityRepublican]

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[MinorityRepublican]

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