Neglected by Democrats, blacks jump the party line (McCaskill/Talent)

STLtoday ^

[hipaatwo]

Committeewoman Norma Leggette (4th Ward) isn't sure what the Democratic Party
stands for anymore. She wonders how she's supposed to excite constituents in
her ward about November's elections.

Leggette said there are two Democratic parties in St. Louis - one that benefits
whites and another that ignores blacks. "At one time, Democrats were a solution
for us. I don't know when that changed or why that changed, but it
has," Leggette told me.

Her comments underscore a familiar complaint from blacks who claim the
Democratic Party takes them for granted.

Leggette voiced her concerns Tuesday during a rah-rah session with several
local elected Democrats, hosted by U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill.
After reading the exchange posted on a local Weblog, Pub Def Weekly, I called
Leggette to confirm her comments.

The quotes were correct, the 40-year veteran of local politics told me. She has
no intention of voting for McCaskill's Republican rival, U.S. Sen. Jim Talent,
but, like me, she's grown bored with the dog and pony show put on when major
elections roll around. Democrats show up, throw out the "evil Republican"
mantra, ask for black votes, then disappear without ever addressing our
socioeconomic concerns or needs.

Democrats raise millions for major campaigns that rarely trickle down to
neighborhood committees, like Leggette's, charged with getting blacks to the
polls, she said. It's a "frustrating" experience, complicated by "clueless"
leadership and blacks seeking personal gain.

"My community has been affected by benign neglect. Black political leaders only
interested in lining their pockets with crumbs ought to get the hell out of the
way," Leggette said.

During the meeting Tuesday, Leggette said McCaskill dissed Talent's friendship
with President George W. Bush and criticized the president for letting poor and
black people die in New Orleans. That didn't cut it for Leggette.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I believe that Talent's seatmate, Kit Bond, got somewhere near 25% of the Black vote in his contest against State AG Jay Nixon in '98 after his shameful race-baiting tactics. I don't know what he received in '04, but he won by a wide (for him) 11% margin, so he must've received a respectable percent. If Talent manages a similar margin of Black voters, he'll blow McCaskill clean out of the water.

[demsux]

mark for later

[Clintonfatigued]

It turns out that McCaskill took a page out of Jay Nixon's 1998 campaign handbook. Check it out:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1698226/posts

Hopefully, it will yeild similar results.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Yeah, I saw that. The 'Rats seem to know no depths to which they will sink in order to get votes. I'm sure dear Claire would imply that Dubya keeps Black slaves in the basement of the White House in order to try to foster more hate and paranoia in the Black community towards Republicans.

[Kuksool]

Kit Bond received 33% of the black vote in 1998. In 2004, Bond got 14%. Th big boost in black support in 1998 was due to the hypocrisy of Jay Nixon over the St Louis desegregation case. Nixon accused Bond, Ashcroft, and Danforth of support school segregation. However, Nixon secretly endorsed it as well. In a rare move of intellectual honesty, then Rep bill Clay and the MO NACCP blasted Nixon. MO is a state where the GOP does a tiny bit better with blacks than other states. Bush received over 10% of the MO black vote. Not great, but better than the nation as a hold.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Hmm, that's interesting. You'd have thought if Bond's drop-off in Black support was that much, his margin of victory in '04 would've been slimmer than '98, but that wasn't the case.

[Kuksool]

While Bond's black support eroded in 2004, he increased his rural support by 10 points.

[q_an_a]

deeper in the story it mentions all the spending done by Talent that will benefit blacks that feel nodody in the DemoRat party got around to doing, i.e. Talent got earmarks or other methods to bring home bacon. These actions - spending - have helped him build his base and move black business and civic leaders away from RATS to Republicans. Oh the evil big spenders in Congress. /sarcasm off.

[jmaroneps37]

"At one time, Democrats were a solution
for us. I don't know when that changed or why that changed, but it
has," Leggette told me.
She has no intention of voting for McCaskill's Republican rival, U.S. Sen. Jim Talent.
"
This is the classic road to conversion for hardcore Democrats.
First they question what the rat stands for and why he has not delivered on his promises. This eventually leads to staying home or voting third party when such choice is available. They are NOT ready to vote Republican. This lasts usually for one or two cycles.


Second they go to the polls only if there is a third party to vote for. The enthusiasm is gone. This lasts two maybe three cycles.


Third they hold their nose and vote for some Republicans and out of guilt, some Democrats. This lasts one or two cycles.

Fourth they vote Republican because they have conscientiously, or not, tracked Republicans and need their own reasons for voting GOP. They find those reasons, realize they were there all along and become Republicans.


As you can see it is an eight to twelve year process, but once it starts it is hard to stop. With the political "crimes " the rat continually commits against Blacks there is no reason to think it will stop for those who have started down the road to the GOP.

[goteasier]

I can see how you think that, but he has to deal with the blue STL & KC metro areas as well as the red outstate MO areas. But he is still conservative. He came back to us AGAINST embryonic stem cell research, and he is making inroads with urban blacks.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/sylvesterbrownjr/story/5D2F3249EB4F194F862571E40032E9DC?OpenDocument&highlight=2%2C%22blacks%22+AND+%22for%22+AND+%22talent%22

[goteasier]

this may hearten you :

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/sylvesterbrownjr/story/5D2F3249EB4F194F862571E40032E9DC?OpenDocument&highlight=2%2C%22blacks%22+AND+%22for%22+AND+%22talent%22

[TravisBickle]

Democrats raise millions for major campaigns that rarely trickle down to neighborhood committees, like Leggette's, charged with getting blacks to the polls, she said. It's a "frustrating" experience, complicated by "clueless" leadership and blacks seeking personal gain.

Most likely the truest statement ever inadvertently written by Sylvester Brown.

[AwYeah]

Yep, I've got to agree, McCaskill's comment is so outrageous and reeks of hypocrisy, considering it was some of her own Democrat buddies that left people behind to die and then on top of that, they took their guns away, leaving them defenseless against thugs. Typical Democrat mentality. Wanting people defenseless and dependent, so they'll foolishly keep voting Democrat.This woman claims she is so concerned for our security...wretch... Once in a while, she makes sense, but then she pulls the same old Democrat race card and totally outrageous tripe. I did think she was above that. I guess she was just pandering to her ignorant audience that eats that rot up.