It is a known fact, even, Bush has admitted that he can't win the election w/out more minority support. Why didn't he speak at the largest african american conference in the country. Contrary to popular opinion all of the NAACP isn't democrat, there are many republicans, independents, and conservative democrats. It was his chance to make an impression on those voters in the audience and those who would read about what he said. Sure the leaders of the NAACP are critical of Bush, leader of US is critical of Kerry but there are those who disagree with the leaders of any organization. Bush screwed himself. As a democrat, I'm fine with his decision b/c it further shows how dumb either this president or his advisors are/
The statements of Mfume and Bond toward the President are the reasons Bush chose not to attend. He doesn't need to walk into a hornet's nest just to do a little political ass kissing. The NAACP is their own worst enemy. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=23795
So what. He's the leader of the group, not the group. There are many in the NAACP who disagree with those comments. How many african american organizations or colleges has Bush visited this campaign season. There are those he can persuade, he should do it. he's not a racist, but it's a bad move.
Bush is the first President not to speak to the Black Caucus in an election year since Herbert Hoover. The obvious thing to come out of this is that the Republican Party & Bush are saying that they have conceded the black vote to the Democrats. The interesting story behind the story is that the Republicans are not giving as much credence to the black vote, not entirely because of the above. What they seem to be saying is that the black voting bloc in this country is no longer most desirable OR easily obtainable minority vote. The new minority vote that candidates are actively courting is the Hispanic bloc. Because of this the Republicans seem to think that they can ignore the NAACP. Demographics show that the Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority in the US. Blacks are maintaining population but not growing as a voting bloc. The biggest question out of this is: Due to the fact that it seems as if they are being marginalized by the GOP, what are black voters gonna do about it long term?
What are we gonna do. We as blacks must go out and vote, simple. There are 30 plus million of us. If we vote, Bush can't ignore us.
what i dont understand is why any race would vote as a bloc? you somehow magically agree with each other because of skin color, regardless of issues? i know i dont give a damn what other people of my racial/ethnic background are voting for. i am completely independent of that sort of tribalism. if i was black or latino i would think about the issues exactly as i do now. this is because i think rationally, not as a member of a tribe defined arbitrarily by skin color or any other physical or genetic attribute.
Well the 6 percent of African-Americans who are Republican will vote Republican. Those that are Democrat will vote Democrat. Bush can sign a bill giving reparations to African-Americans and not one black Democrat would vote for him. The main problem for the Democrats is that they take the African-American voters for granted and that is why most do not come out and vote. If they would vote, then most Republican Preseidents would never have been elected.
So 30 million people will vote for Kerry because Bush didn't attend their little Bush Bash shindig? Sounds pretty shallow to me. That's the point. If NAACP delegate Joe Blow accused Bush of having Taliban members in his administration, it wouldn't mean a hill of beans. When Mfume and Bond, the upper echelon of NAACP leadership, resort to such slander, then it's another matter entirely. Frankly, I admire Bush for having the guts to make a decision that may not be politically expedient. Kerry would speak at a Klan rally if he thought he could get away with it and pick up a few votes in the process.
Blacks don't vote in blocs on purpose but if you look at the polls we agree on similar issues. Unlike whites, we have something we share. That is a troublesome history that still sometimes affects us today. During Civil Rights we were forced to be united b/c of wanting equality. That has trickled down to today. We just agree with each other on many issues. But as time goes on, as what has already started to happen, disagreement among issues will erupt. If you think about it, thought, blacks are the most powerful minority b/c they vote in blocs. Hispanics don't do this and they're pretty much ignored. Blacks know this. I do know the democratic party sometimes overcooks my grits with their actions, but I still identify with them with several issues.
