Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bush Shouldn't Write Off the Black Vote (NYT Editorial)
The New York Times ^ | 6-16-04 | Juan Williams

Posted on 06/16/2004 9:50:14 AM PDT by JulieRNR21

WASHINGTON - With the presidential election only a few months away, it is time for President Bush to unleash his secret weapon - his relationship with black and Hispanic voters.

The president is already winning a third of the popular vote among Hispanics, according to a Zogby International poll taken this spring. With advertisements and outreach focused on reforms to allow easier immigration for workers, the president has a good chance to add to his numbers among Hispanics.

But in a close race, the key to re-election rests on the president's ability to increase his percentage of the black vote. Here, he has the chance to make tremendous gains - if only because he now has practically no support among black voters. A May Washington Post/ABC News poll showed the likely Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry, with a 79 percent to 6 percent lead over Mr. Bush among black voters. If the president gets only 6 percent of the black vote this year he will have achieved the near impossible task of getting a lower percentage of black votes than he did in 2000, when he won 8 percent.

But the president has the opportunity to flip the script. With a direct appeal, President Bush could win at least 20 percent of the black vote - and the White House.

How can he attract those votes?

Continued here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/16/opinion/16WILL.html?ex=1088386784&ei=1&en=4b70924f6edba46f

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004election; africanamericans; blackvote; bush; election; juanwilliams; republicans; whitehouse
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-130 next last
To: Landru

What's that supposed to mean?


101 posted on 06/16/2004 3:53:55 PM PDT by oblomov
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: vanmorrison
You might have a point. My unfavorable view of the colonists stems from the deadly way they pitted Tutsis against Hutus.

So you think the whole continent is a write-off?
102 posted on 06/16/2004 4:01:22 PM PDT by Rate_Determining_Step (US Military - Draining the Swamp of Terrorism since 2001!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]

To: JulieRNR21; mhking

We must not sit back and let just the president "get the message out!"

Both of you have been doing an excellent job of informing people of the truth....You are to be congratulated.....and proving that MLK "dream" can come true.

What America needs is more exposure to leaders like you! More talk show appearances, more editorials, more call ins to talk radio, more, more, more...

Continue to speak out......Take your role in the leadership of our country. You can make a difference.


103 posted on 06/16/2004 4:04:52 PM PDT by hoosiermama (prayers for all)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 97 | View Replies]

To: rarebird
To some people here -- So when Bush appeals to conservative whites, it's getting the vote. When Bush appeals to conservative blacks or conservative Hispanics, it's pandering? Oh, puhleeze!

For some here, you have it exactly right. It doesn't upset me anymore, however. That's just how it is.


THREE the hard way.

104 posted on 06/16/2004 4:20:33 PM PDT by rdb3 ($710.96... The price of freedom.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 100 | View Replies]

To: rarebird

Thank you for the links.

I, for one, hope that my contributions to Bush and other members of the GOP are being used to campaign for the votes of blacks. I do not live in a swing state, but I live in an urban neighborhood with a lot of economic and racial diversity. People seem surprised - AND NOT UNPLEASANTLY - when I have gone door to door in my part of the city asking for their vote for GOP candidates. It's clear that GOP outreach efforts are still small compared to those for the Dems. I wish it weren't so.


105 posted on 06/16/2004 4:40:29 PM PDT by oblomov
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: JulieRNR21

I missed Hume, but Cavuto repeats at 1:00 a.m.


106 posted on 06/16/2004 5:52:57 PM PDT by windchime (Podesta about Bush: "He's got four years to try to undo all the stuff we've done." (TIME-1/22/01))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 97 | View Replies]

To: DM1; JulieRNR21
Bush does not need the black vote to win. In fact, if Bush panders to the unattainable black vote, while neglecting his white base, he will lose. Enough disgusted white voters will stay home, vote for a third-party candidate, or simply not vote for president. If, conversely, Bush ignores blacks, and cleaves to his base, he will win. Statisticians have done the work on this.

The disgusting part of this story is that as Williams points out, in 2000 blacks voted against Bush to a large degree, due to the racist demagoguery of the NAACP. IOW, according to Williams, their votes had nothing to do with anything Bush had done.

But I'm not so sure about that. If Bush came out and publicly embraced affirmative action, he would get up to 20% of the black vote (but lose so many more white votes, that Kerry would surely win). Bush's racial stupidity has been in supporting AA, but doing so in a sneaky way, that turns off whites and blacks alike. He supports stealth AA through numerical formulas (admitting the top 5% or 10% of each high school's graduating class, their objective abilities be damned), which guarantee admission to mediocrities from low-performing, predominantly minority high schools, and rejection to superior students from high-performing, predominantly white and/or Asian high schools. Meanwhile, he publicly lies, in claiming to oppose AA. (If his public statements were honest, it would mean that he had no idea what he was talking about re AA.)

Blacks want Bush to bear witness to racial preferences by making a public testimonial on behalf of AA and hate-crime legislation. It doesn't matter to them that such legislation could not have killed two of James Byrd's killers any more than the death penalty already did, or that a group that already claims to oppose the death penalty could not have punished the third killer any worse, without the death penalty. The point in publicly supporting AA and hate-crimes legislation, is to publicly testify to blacks' moral superiority over all other Americans. Until Bush does that, blacks will refuse to vote for him.

Before hatching schemes to get the black vote, keep in mind the sort of psychotic claims still popular in black communities about Bush: he stole the 2000 election; he used police and dogs to stop blacks from voting; he had thousands of blacks dropped from the voter rolls; he had voting machines magically programmed, to switch black Gore votes to Bush votes; he had the Supreme Court "select" him as president.

107 posted on 06/16/2004 6:03:28 PM PDT by mrustow
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: oblomov

Just a very subtle form of racism, is all.


108 posted on 06/16/2004 6:15:32 PM PDT by AM2000
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 101 | View Replies]

To: eureka!

I work daily with many African-Americans. What I hear is the faint sound of ice cracking. These are not Bill Cosby upper middle class Buppies, either, but just ordinary folks, who are sick of Jesse Jackson's jive and who do experience acceptance in the workplace and the world at large. If you have that kind of relationship, ask a young Black American sometime when was the last overt act of racism s/he encountered personally. The answer I usually get is "Its out there" but trouble coming up with much of a concrete example.



There are many in the older generation who will vote democrat till they die, even if Jesus himself was running on the GOP ticket. So be it. But I sincerely hope and pray that GW makes a concerted campaign, directly and through the Black media, and tells the good news of 21st century America under beneficent republican leadership.


109 posted on 06/16/2004 6:29:52 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: AppyPappy

"Never pander to people who won't vote for you anyway. Concentrate on getting out the base, regardless of race."



If GW can win as much as 20% Black support, the dems are goners. I don't think he has to pander to do it, but he does have to speak directly to them and ask for their votes. One thing for sure, if he doesn't ask for their support, he won't get much. Black America will assume that nothing has happened to change their jaundiced views of the GOP.

We really can do better than Nixon's Southern Strategy.


110 posted on 06/16/2004 6:48:19 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: hinckley buzzard

Bush will never get 20% of the black vote. The Dems are guaranteed 90+% because of the way the system works. We need to concentrate on getting the base to vote, regardless of their race.


111 posted on 06/16/2004 7:01:07 PM PDT by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 110 | View Replies]

To: windchime

I missed Hume, but Cavuto repeats at 1:00 a.m.




Juan wasn't on Hume tonight.

Thanks.....I'll try to tape Cavuto at 1AM.


112 posted on 06/16/2004 7:15:12 PM PDT by JulieRNR21 (One good term deserves another! Take W-04....Across America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 106 | View Replies]

To: Cicero

Much wisdom in your post.......thanks.

I will be passing it along to my friends who are doing outreach to the Black community in FL.


113 posted on 06/16/2004 7:20:44 PM PDT by JulieRNR21 (One good term deserves another! Take W-04....Across America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 98 | View Replies]

To: MEGoody

All you have to do is listen to the great change that suddenly overcomes his philosophy while on NPR.

Why do you think I would waste my time on this pipsqweak if I didn't know what I was talking about?


114 posted on 06/16/2004 7:50:03 PM PDT by Solamente
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies]

bump for later


115 posted on 06/16/2004 11:06:16 PM PDT by Annie03 (donate at www.terrisfight.org)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: hinckley buzzard

Re#109 Thanks for the anecdotal evidence. The ice is indeed cracking. What blows me away is that for Blacks (and Hispanics), so so many share core GOP values--family, faith and hard work for success. Methinks more and more will convert. Here's hoping a lot more do so soon in the '04 election. I want to see very sad presstitutes come November....


116 posted on 06/17/2004 6:54:06 AM PDT by eureka! (May karma come back to the presstitutes and Rats in a material way.....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies]

To: hoosiermama

Thanks for your kind words.

Grassroots are the key to winning in November!

Everyone needs to work in their communities.


117 posted on 06/17/2004 1:01:48 PM PDT by JulieRNR21 (One good term deserves another! Take W-04....Across America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies]

To: Solamente
"All you have to do is listen to the great change that suddenly overcomes his philosophy while on NPR."

Why are you listening to NPR? LOL

118 posted on 06/18/2004 6:07:57 AM PDT by MEGoody (Kerry - isn't that a girl's name? (Conan O'Brian))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 114 | View Replies]

To: mrustow; Mata-Sherry; SAR_dude; floriduh voter; dorben; gatorman; Fearless Flyers; Luke FReeman; ...

Update on the Juan Williams editorial: Young Blacks Discover the GOP


OpinionJournal's Political Diary

June 18, 2004
In today's Political Diary: -Young Blacks Discover the GOP

Black Vote Begins to Fracture

Juan Williams, a correspondent for National Public Radio and author of best-selling books on the civil rights movement, says younger black voters are no longer willing to vote Democratic automatically. He notes a survey by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies that found that 34% of black voters between 18 and 25 now identify themselves as independents; among all blacks the number is 24%. "Young black Americans seem ready for a forthright conversation about race and politics. While many older blacks responded with anger to Bill Cosby's recent call for poor black people to take more responsibility for their problems, the young people I encountered were uniformly supportive of Mr. Cosby's words," writes Mr. Williams.

The attitude shift that Mr. Williams is noticing is also being picked up by the unusually large number of black Republican candidates running in the South this year. In Georgia, former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain is getting many invitations to black churches "and that's before I win the Republican primary for U.S. Senate," he says. A total of 14 black Republicans are seeking state legislative seats in Georgia this year. One of them, Willie Talton, is running unopposed and will take office next year as the state's first black Republican lawmaker since Reconstruction. Dylan Glenn, a former aide to President Bush, is also a top-tier candidate for a vacant Congressional seat.

In North Carolina, Vernon Robinson is the front-runner for a U.S. House seat centered on Winston-Salem, where he serves as a city councilman. The fiery Mr. Robinson is an unapologetic conservative and uses the slogan: "Jesse Helms is back! And this time he's black."

Black Republicans are also making an impact in other states. Rep. Johnny Ford, who became one of the first black mayors in Alabama in the 1970s, switched parties last year and now serves as a Republican state representative. In Florida, Jennifer Carroll, a former career military officer, was elected to that state's legislature in 2003.

One reason for the growth of black Republicans in the South is the burgeoning ranks of the minority middle class. Rasmussen Research surveys show that while only 6% of all blacks identify themselves as Republicans, that figure jumps to over 20% if the voter owns $5,000 or more in stock. In Georgia, black household income has increased by 655% over the last 30 years, outstripping the 469% rise in white income. "People who are moving up the income ladder are deciding that Republicans like me might have a message about how they can best reach the next rung," says Mr. Cain.
--John Fund


119 posted on 06/18/2004 8:51:58 PM PDT by JulieRNR21 (One good term deserves another! Take W-04....Across America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 107 | View Replies]

To: The Ghost of FReepers Past; Conspiracy Guy; MEG33; saveliberty; AppyPappy; Warhammer; Dr Snide; ...

Please read Post #119 .....John Fund adds comments on Juan Williams editorial on how Bush can attract more Black voters.

Including the many Black Republican candidates in the South.


120 posted on 06/18/2004 9:01:27 PM PDT by JulieRNR21 (One good term deserves another! Take W-04....Across America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-130 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson