Jesse Jackson: Blacks in South key to winning

CNN ^ | 7-18-2003 | CNN

[RockyMtnMan]

MIAMI BEACH, Florida (AP) -- Blacks in the South are key to the Democratic Party recapturing the White House and Congress next year, the Rev. Jesse Jackson told one of the country's foremost civil rights group.

At Thursday's closing session of the NAACP's annual convention here, Jackson likened the role that blacks need to play in 2004 to that of Republicans in the 1960s and 1970s, when they successfully employed their "Southern strategy" to woo white voters in the former Confederacy.

[RockyMtnMan]

The longtime civil rights advocate and president of the Rainbow/PUSH coalition Jackson was scheduled to lead a march Friday in Montgomery, Ala., to target disenfranchisement laws for ex-offenders.

AKA, Felons who can't vote for Democrats.

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[alloysteel]

Jesse Jackson has recognized a truth that Nixon realized nearly forty years ago, and started to build his momentum to victory in 1968 from that base.

But it involved changing the hearts and minds of the people of the South. Once solid and unshakeable in their faith in the Democrat party, the reality set in when Johnson proved to all that it made no difference what Democrat got elected, the war in Viet Nam would go on until somebody had the testicular fortitude to stand up and say it was being managed poorly. The Democrats had neutered themselves, over and over, and the majority of the voters in the South came to despise that.

Jesse believes he has the key to winning a majority of the vote in the South, by appealing to the Americans of African descent. Unfortunately, there is a bigger minority out there, and they are nothing like a reliable Democrat constituency.

You started the Southern Strategy too late, Jesse.

[bourbon]

It's interesting that Jackson saw fit to leave out a more telling statistic (below), which is so big that even the liberal NYT couldn't miss it.

Alabama has one of the nation's most sweeping disenfranchisement laws for felons, who are stripped of the vote for the rest of their lives. It is unfair because it bars people from participating in the democratic process long after they have paid their debts to society. And it disproportionately hurts blacks: 31 percent of the black men in Alabama have been stripped of their right to vote. The Alabama Legislature passed a law this year that would have restored the vote to released felons, but Governor Riley vetoed it.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Sounds like a partisan, taxable organization to me.

[onyx]

You're so right. JJ registering prisoners, parollees, and the dead.

Crack is whack and Jesse's been smoking some if he truly believe that blacks in the South can sway the election.

[RockyMtnMan]

Seems like the same ol' tactics are in play and something tells me some of the "disenfranchised ex-offenders" will be voting anyway.

[onyx]

Along with dead. JJ's hometown of Chicago is notorious for that!

[RockyMtnMan]

Jesse has always been the go to guy for the Dems whenever race... I mean diversity needs to have more relevence in an election. Can you imagine the side show specticle of Al Sharpton running for pres? Jesse would probably lose his mind with all the new opportunities to make money, err I mean, fight the good fight.

[RockyMtnMan]

I think I've figured out his formula:

1 dead guy + 1 ex-offender = 1 living legal voter!

[onyx]

LOL! I LOVE IT!