Posted on 01/18/2011 6:57:23 AM PST by markomalley
A leading civil rights leader in Congress believes the Democratic Party is losing too many white voters.
In an interview, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said Democrats need to "go all out" to win back white Southern voters before the next election.
White voters preferred Republican candidates by almost two-to-one in the midterms last year. Their support helped the GOP win 22 seats in the states that make up the Old Confederacy. The Democrats' only pickup in the region was the New Orleans district where the party holds a registration advantage.
Since November, there have been a string of defections by Southern Democratic state lawmakers, which has prompted renewed speculation about the party’s future in the region. Former Alabama Rep. Artur Davis (D) said Democrats should even consider running as Independents if they want to succeed.
Lewis, who was a civil rights activist before being elected to Congress in 1986, said he's concerned the party is losing its diversity, which will make it difficult to reclaim the lost seats.
"We've got to go all out and get white voters, especially white men, to come back to the Democratic Party," he told The Ballot Box. "I just think it's important for the Democratic Party to roll out and try to reveal itself and not become a party that is split along racial lines."
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
That would just be a fake, a ruse and insincere and unbelievable coming from them.
hey, I had a dream !
You know, I've been a teacher in an inner city high school for over 15 years and I just found out what that word means last year! Of course I've been cursed at for years and been called Cracker many times. But last time that happened I just had to ask the what that meant? So when I informed one of my black kids he was predictably FAILING the class (he wanted to pass without either doing any work AND without even coming to class) he just detonated. So here is the kid ranting and I suddenly interject with:
"Wait a second! I gotta ask: Why is the term CRACKER considered so bad? I mean, I really like SALTINES but I'm not so fond of the Ritz." The whole class was shocked speechless, eyes wide.
One of the kids said "That means WHIP CRACKER! You know like the slave masters?" And so I said:
"Okay I get that slavery was an awful institution, but you're still accusing me of being the BOSS. It's only horrible if you look at it from the perspective of having been a member of the oppressed race. See?" I could see they were rolling that one over and over in their minds. It wouldn't surprise me if these specific kids never used that term as a pejorative again.
That is an EXCELLENT story! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks neverdem.
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