Minorities await Dr. Dean's house call

[govegan]

Dean was in Seattle last weekend. Here is an interesting analysis by Robert Jamieson from the Seattle P-I. He is one of the best journalists writing in Seattle today, imho. He often has some very insightful comments. Judge for yourselves.

This is not meant against Dr. Dean, although I support Dennis Kucinich as my candidate of choice. I think the article is very well written and Dean supporters should give serious consideration to these words, as should we all.

The last Meetup that I attended for the Kucinich campaign addressed this issue as well, realizing that our Meetup group also needed to work on developing our own diversity.

From the article:


There is a bloc of young minorities (not to mention people of all backgrounds) waiting to be informed, inspired, touched.

Blacks between the ages of 18 and 35 make up about 40 percent of the black voting-age population -- but they made up just 2 percent of the entire vote in the 2000 elections.

That apathy concerns Democratic leaders nationwide.

The New York Times recently reported that 74 percent of African Americans identified themselves as Democrats in 2000. By last year, that number dropped to 63 percent.



Link to article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/136769_robert27.html

[CWebster]

1. Another not-intended -to -bash Dean thread from a

Kucinich supporter?

Kucinich, who cancelled his appearance at NAACP forum. Kucinich who has charges of racial divisiveness in his own political past?

Why is Dean singled out for this alone unless it is understood that his candidacy is the one that matters most?

[clar]

2. Sorry,

I don't agree. I see nothing duplicitous about this post. Would that all candidate bashing (if that's what this is) took this form.

[CWebster]

11. Well hey

the poster refers to it isn his intro.

[Desertrose]

3. You see this as a bash?

maybe you need to take a few deep breaths...I think this is something all candidates need to look at...its important.

As for Dennis missing the NAACP conference...HellO?...the man was working ...in DC...he has a job....he is a Congressman?? remember...the one with 100% voting record even thought he is campaigning.

So everytime you perceive something as a Dean bash...you'll just go right out and bash another candidate? well, that sure makes me respect you as a Dean supporter.....oh yeah...we sure are all behaving quite well for those who lurk here...great example...

Peace
DR

[JohnKleeb]

5. DR there are exceptions to the rules

Ive met some Dean supporters who frankly should be in our camp but sadly they play the unelectable game. At least they dont ridicule him, sigh why hasnt he got any attention and I hate to lament,

[CWebster]

14. the feeling is mutual

now who does this serve? ;-)

[diamondsoul]

32. The GOP.

Much like your supercilious, holier-than-thou posts in most threads in this topic list.

[Cocoa]

41. it serves Dean

if it's a problem, it's good to know about, so it can be fixed. Primaries are still months away.

[Nicholas_J]

37. Dean is largely disliked

In the minority communities.


He is the only candidate they have made fun of in minority newspaper political cartoons.

[acerbic]

38. Kerry is a KKK Grand Whizzer

It's true but nobody dares talk about it because of fear of retaliation, which proves that it's true.

[deutsey]

39. Do a google for "African Americans for Dean"

or "Latinos for Dean".

Then do the same for Kerry.

[ProfessorPlum]

43. Well, at least I can't say that you failed to back up your wild claims

with some facts and/or figures. Oh wait . . .

[Cocoa]

45. on the contrary

Dean is extremely popular in the black community.

They're calling him "the third black candidate."

[govegan]

15. I don't know about you, but ...................

I plan to to my bashing in January of 2005.

In the meantime, life goes on.

Dr. Dean was in Seattle last weekend.

The chimpster was in Bellevue last week, glad-handing the oh-so-proper, oh-so-filthy-rich-but-not-too-bloody-smart socialites.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/136225_robert22.html

From Mr. Jamieson again:

But word around here is you're going to a $2,000-a-plate lunch today in Hunts Point on the Eastside. Some mighty fine grubbing; some mighty swank digs.

Not to burst the party bubble -- but what about average folks, Mr. President?

Those people who won't benefit from your tax cuts for the rich? Who live check-to-check? Who plop down a few bucks -- never a few grand -- for a meal?

We vote, too.

[blm]

17. Those charges against Kucinich were BOGUS

and made by a black councilman who was siding with the ENERGY company OVER the good of the people of Cleveland. The CBC can tell you firsthand that Dennis is NO RACIST.

[JohnKleeb]

18. yep

and you know who the first to speak out in his defense when he was at the NAACP meeting, the honorable John Conyers, this man is probably the longest serving black congressman, and he has done much for his constiuents, John Lewis, Charley Rangel, among others are also great people who will tell you so.

[dsc]

22. It was made by more than one

and not all of them sided with the energy company. I don't agree with the charges but your dismissal of them the way you are doing slanders a few good former councilmen.

[diamondsoul]

33. I recognize you as a voice of reason-

so may I ask for some resources to the others making similar charges, please? I've only seen them from one or two and some interviewers who took the words of those one or two as gospel truth.

I'm rather curious because, aside from a few disgruntled folk from Cleveland at the time of Kucinich's Mayoral term, I haven't seen much to support the charge. If he did ever use the racial divide as a political tool, I'm more than ready to take that up with him directly, but first I have to see something that convinces me he isn't as honest as I percieve him to be.

Thanks much for your input all the way around, dsc, you're good people.

[dsc]

36. I will try to find the piece that I saw

but I can't promise anything. I am relying as much on memory (I grew up in the Cleveland area) as I am on anything else. I know he did oppose busing (for the purpose of integration) and that ticked black people off. I think he was right in retrospect but I do think that black people could be ticked off by that, call it divise, and not be shills for energy companies. That doesn't make them correct but they were basicly being called dishonest which I think is unfair in at least some cases.

[dsc]

40. Here is part of what I am talking about

Nonetheless, Kucinich was checked only momentarily. Last January he brought the school busing issue, one of the most controversial in the nation, to Cleveland. He introduced an antibusing resolution into City Council, after passing out press releases. The resolution, asking Congress to oppose school busing as a method of achieving racial integration, was predictably shunted to committee to be buried under mounds of other nonlegal trivia. Meanwhile, Kucinich's views were beamed to the forgotten people in District 23.


www.clevelandmagazine.com/editorial/thismonth_features.asp?docid=267

Again I will concede in retrospect his decision on this may well have been right. But at the time this was a divisive issue and many blacks, not just power company shills, were not happy with his position and found it divisive. He also supported Perk for mayor of Cleveland in 1972 and that was a racially divisive campaign as well.

[dsc]

21. Kucinich had a valid reason to miss that forum

due to his doing the job he is being paid for doing (casting votes in the House). Also you need a link for his racial divisiveness in his past. I think I know what you are referring to but you should supply a link.

[UnapologeticLiberal]

44. Hey, that is not fair

First of all, Kucinich missed the NAACP forum because he was in Washington doing his job...Kwefe Mfume was ridiculous to go after him the way he did. Secondly, I think the person who posted this was doing his or her best to be fair...he/she admitted that it is a problem that their campaign has also had to contend with. I am guessing it is a problem that a lot of campaigns are having, particularly those that rely heavily on the internet.

[CMT]

4. well I think Dean is doing what he can

and recognizes the need to reach out. Two of his most recent endorsements have been from prominent minority congressmen--Grijalva (not sure of the spelling) from Arizona and Major Owens of NYC. He has hired a past campaign manager who worked with CMB in the past and has impeccable credentials in the minority community to work on his campaign. He attended the NAACP convention and the March on Washington event last weekend (where were some of the other candidates at that?)

[JohnKleeb]

6. well I cant defend Lieberman or Gephardt but Kucinich

was doing his job and protecting medicare. John Conyers forgave him why cant some of you.

[CMT]

7. I'm not talking about the NAACP

or Kucinich--I accept that he had a vote. I'm talking about the event in Washington last weekend where Dean was one of the few candidates who attended. This wasn't a slap at Kucinich--who by the way is my second choice for nomination. I'm also responding to the poster who specifically mentions Dean and his problem and gave examples of what he is doing. If you want to preceive that as an attack on DK that is up to you.

[JohnKleeb]

8. just wanted to say

CMT dont have a problem with you, Ive seen you defend Dennis in the past. I didnt perceive it as a slap but I wanted to explain just to explain, dont worry not mad at all, I am mad at the fact that we dont get good press. That makes me mad more so sad.

[CMT]

12. yeah

I know. He deserves good press, it is that darn "he can't win" lunacy.

[JohnKleeb]

13. yep

and it naturally frustrates the hell out of me and others. Thanks though you're a good person. I really would love to see him in the white house, thanks for not being a doubter and a mocker, I really get furious about things like that.

[Khephra]

47. That's one of the things I most like about Kucinich

He manages to vote almost every vote AND he's running a campaign.

[diamondsoul]

35. Last weekend, I think Kucinich was where his

supporters expected him to be...with them, in ONE place as all the candidates must be. No offense meant or taken, just a point of fact. I have no doubt there were a number of events that weekend that all of the candidates wished to attend. They're each limited by being only one person and capable of being in ONE place at a time.

Howard Dean is a good man with his heart in the right place, no question about it, in my mind. I'm not entirely convinced he will FIGHT for the common man when such a combat is necessary. There are things he's opted not to really fight for, and that makes me look twice at other candidates.

[Rose Siding]

9. Serious consideration....

has been and is being given to the inclusion of Americans in all kinds of neighborhoods.

From Trippi's WP chat yesterday:

Milwaukee, Wis.: I am troubled by the lack of social diversity among the audience in the city rallies. I saw few minorities at our reception here in Milwaukee and the Times article today said that absence was the same in the other cities. Are you aware of the problem and is their some way to highlight Afro-American support by getting an endorsement or have a minority prominent in Dean's campaign?

Joe Trippi: Two things. One, when you start with seven people and $150,000 in the bank you have to keep a very small focus. You can't do too many things in that situation. We determined that we had to focus on four things - Iowa, New Hampshire, the Internet and fundraising. For the first six months of this year, that is all we had the resources to do. With the June 30th quarter surge, we have now been able to hire outreach coordinators in the African-American, Hispanic and Asian-America communities as well as others.

For example, Andy Pringle who was until recently Carol Mosley Braun's campaign manager for president, has joined our campaign. He is our deputy campaign manager and is taking on the responsibility of outreach in these communities. Congressman Major Owens endorsed us last night in New York, a key African American congressman. Many other supporters are joining. We expect you will be able to see significant progress in the next 60 days.

Another indicator that we are on the right track: at one of our rallies in Austin, Tex. several weeks ago we emailed the 481 people we knew supported us in Austin. When we got to the rally there were 3200 people there. That was because the initial email group went out and leafleted the Latino community of Austin as well as others. Of the 3200 people who showed up, nearly half were Latino and nearly two-thirds didn't own a computer. We are seeing more and more that the grassroots movement is reaching beyond the Internet. I would also say that if we are now ahead nationally, as the Zogby polls suggest, than we are probably fairing as well or better than the other major candidates in the race at this stage. It is something we continue to work on but we are making lots of progress.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53796-2003Aug27.html

It is worth noting that only Dean, Sharpton and Mosley Braun were present on the dias for the March on Washington. It suggests these candidates' priorities and continuing efforts to not take anyone's vote for granted.

[DuctapeFatwa]

10. What do any of the candidates really have to offer "minorities?"

Minorities tend to be more concerned about a Living Wage and job training than campaign finance reform or capital gains tax.

Since any candidate who made a serious committment to anything that would significantly improve the lives of minorities, or low income people in general (in which group minorities are disproportionately represented) would in so doing, obliterate any chances he might have to acquire the corporate money needed to be elected.

In addition, US society is in a process of rapidly escalating polarization, along political lines to a degree, but more emphatically along a rich-poor divide, as that gap widens.

This means that even if money were not a factor (and face it, money is the primary factor, no pun intended), any candidate who sincerely attempted to resonate with minorities would risk alienating his base.

[NNadir]

16. This "White Man's Candidate" is just more bullshit.

When Dr. Dean addressed the crowd in Philadelphia a few weeks ago, over two thirds of the other speakers were African American.

The other night in New York, minorities constituted at least half of the speakers.

In our Dean committee here in New Jersey we're going to be working extra hard in African American communities to register voters, and to help make sure they are able to get to the polling places.

The Dean campaign is still young and still new. I would think that anyone who is opposed to Bush would be thrilled to see a Democratic candidate generating excitement and buzz. You don't have to support him for the nomination, but you certainly don't need to gratiutiously bash him either.

[bread_and_roses]

19. I don't consider it bashing to ask

what Dean's stated positions have to offer minorities? It is not just about the campaign, but alternatives to the policy of letting the inner cities rot and their inhabitants live in third world conditions for the last thirty years or so. What is Dean offering that someone working to mobilize low-income people and minorities to vote can honestly say would make a difference in their lives? And this is true to a greater or lesser extent of all the candidates. But this thread is about Dean.

[NNadir]

29. You should have watched CSPAN

I assume you did not watch Dr. Dean's speech in New York.

He talked about Vermont's health care initiatives, it's parenting visitation programs and specifically addressed the anticipated charge that this was a program that could only work in "White" Vermont by pointing to a similar successful program in minority Los Angeles.

He promised to discuss the issue of race in SOUTH CAROLINA, to point out that what happens to African Americans is exactly what happens to ALL Americans. He discussed the fact that when Bush and the Bush league discuss race in the south, they usually do so just before the election, using scare terms, like "Quota". He pointed out that the University of Michigan in the famous Affirmative Action case had no "quotas," just a commitment to fairness. He specifically pointed out that "even the most conservative Supreme Court since the Dred Scott decision" agreed on that.

I am very satisfied to see the profound and growing minority support for Dr. Dean, and I note that some of his earliest support came from an important minority in the United States, gay Americans.

African-Americans have given generously to American culture in general and to the Democratic party in particular, especially in the last election, all for very little reward. They are among our most important and precious constituency. As Dr. Dean reveals himself, I trust he will be worthy of their support.

[bread_and_roses]

46. The Dems have sold out minorities for years

but this thread looked like it was focusing on Dean? He supports the current welfare reform, he does not support universal health care, he has been known to pander to the law and order crowd on civil liberties..do I remember correctly that he cut funding for Legal Aid? Or was that another Dem candidate? These are critical issues for all of us, but minorities bear the brunt, as usual.
BTW, though I am sure it was not meant as a command, I do resent being told I "should" do or have done something. And I never watch any candidate on TV, I try to read as much as I can of their statements. That's not intended as some sort of one-upsmanship, it just works better for me. And again, I focus on Dean because I thought he was the topic of this thread, though all the Dems have a long way to go in this area, as someone else, or several someone elses noted.

[renie408]

20. Read the article again...

I don't think that the article posted was particularly 'Dean bashing'. It was more like Democratic Party bashing. It pointed out that while the Democratic message is getting to the white voter successfully, it is either not similarly received by black voters or is not reaching them. It is basically saying that unless they want those voters to go Independent, the Democrats running for nomination need to find a way to reach that bloc.

I got that it was a wake up call for all Democrats and only used Dean as an example because while he has had impressive turnouts, there was little racial mix in the crowds.

[mandyky]

23. So, Kucinich is going into the ghettos of every city he

appears in? Haha, I really doubt it.

Dean was on a very time constrained schedule. Not to worry, Dean and Deaners are reaching out to minority communities. And Generation Dean and Students for Dean is starting with college students with computer access first. There is rumor of a college tour, as well.

You know it is bad enough we gotta put up with crap like this from the wonderful corporate media, hearing play backs from people who should know better is mind boggling.

[govegan]

28. Responses like this remind me to NOT vote Democratic in 2004

The article quoted never mentions Dennis Kucinich.

In my comments, I mentioned Dennis and our local supporters because my avatar makes the connection pretty obvious.

If you have a candidate to support, or campaign strategy to discuss, by all means do so.

These trite words on your part do no one any good, except perhaps to bolster your own insecurities.

If Dr. Dean's campaign is doing well with minorities, that is great. We did not see evidence of that in Seattle. If Dr. Dean becomes the Democratic nominee, the chances of the party will be adversely affected should he not garner significant minority support.

The other issue is how to dispel apathy in the youth, and to inspire them to get involved in political action and voting.

FYI: The article quoted is from a major metropolitan daily newspaper, and the writer often speaks for the unfortunate, disaffected and disenfranchised among us. He does this despite having to answer to his "wonderful corporate media" bosses.

Do you have a problem with a minority journalist addressing issues of concern to minority individuals? Or is that something we are to leave to the educated and oh-so-very-white (and therefore oh-so-very-respected) media watch-people?

The nerve of those uppity minority folks these days!!! Why the hell can't they fork over the big bucks and buy a place at the big table?

[dsc]

30. Why isn't Kucinich's record here relelvant

I agree that Dean has work to do in this regard but frankly so does Kucinich. And I guarentee you that Dean has immensely more minority support than anyone running in 2000 had who wasn't Al Gore. So if you really aren't going to vote Democratic then you have no business at all lecturing anyone about minorities.

[govegan]

34. Does it have a good beat?

And can you dance to it?

PEOPLE POSSESS FOUR THINGS

People possess four things
that are no good at sea:
anchor, rudder, oars
and the fear of going down.

Tr. Robert Bly
from the Spanish of Antonio Machado

[helleborient]

24. It's something to work on and I don't think Dean's campaign is ignoring...

At the Sleepless Summer speech in Chicago the warmup speak was an African-American male and there were a number of African-Americans in the audience...

Yes, the Democratic Party has a lot of work to do whomever our candidate may be.

[RobertFrancisK]

25. You bring up an interesting point

I think Dean does need to try and gain some support outside of college students and rich white liberals. I heard he speaks Spanish, so why not go to a hispanic community and have a forum in all spanish? What Dean still needs to do is prove he's not a Yaley-elitist like Bush, and then I think there will be no stopping him.

[acerbic]

26. Yet another article complaining that the Democrats or a Democrat

..."is not reaching out to minorities" but doesn't say much about HOW EXACTLY one should reach out. Obviously e.g. demanding the end of racial profiling, supporting affirmative action, improving education and health care for the poor etc. is not very "inspiring"... what then would be?

That "I'm mad at you and I won't tell why!!" thing can get a bit infuriating... :-)

[dsc]

31. I think that

they would like a civil union type accomplishment to point to and Dean doesn't have that. I know that I am way more psyched about Dean on gay rights than any of the others and I know that his support of civil unions is why. When he was in Iowa giving his speech recently (Arnold's Park) I almost teared up to see a crowd of mostly middle aged, presumedly largly straight, Iowans cheering him on civil unions. I never, never, never thought I would see such a thing in my entire life. I think blacks would like something similar and Dean, to my knowledge, doesn't have that. He needs to go with what he has, work within those communities, and hope for the best.

[deutsey]

27. There are African American and Latino groups forming for Dean

Check out:

http://www.africanamericansfordean.com/AA/

http://www.latinosfordean.com/

http://deanparapresidente.com/DPP/main.shtm

Do a google for "African Americans for Dean" or "Latinos for Dean". At least there's activity and outreach going on.

[loyalsister]

42. It's a valid point

However, the blame is misplaced.
It's largely a result of digital divide and the Dean campaign is aware of it. The fact is, the Dean campaign cannot be blamed for what the independent organizers fail to do.

[genius]

48. It's not surprising that minorities don't care for him

given his attack on civil rights (and if anyone hasn't read the articles on this, they won't read them if they are reposted again for the fifth time)and his support for a racist death penalty.

[dsc]

50. given you don't even know the difference

between civil rights and civil liberies you ain't much of a genius. BTW care to give figures for Dennis K's minority support. Any pictures of his rallies teeming with minorities. As the original poster his says both our candidates are having problems in that regard.

[madfloridian]

49. Well, well, another one. Not meaning to bash but doing it.

:hi: