Cracking the Blackwell Code (DKos Poster's Analysis)

[democraticinsurgent]

From an excellent diary on DKos regarding Blackwell's support in the African-American community:


"Ken Blackwell's office recently produced a ruling aimed at undermining voter registration drives in Ohio (Blackwell's changes to voter registration upheld (Columbus Dispatch, June 27, 2006). "It's just another example in a long laundry list of what Secretary Blackwell will do to trample voting rights," said Senate Democratic Leader C.J. Prentiss, of Cleveland.

Blackwell counters that he would never try to suppress the black vote, telling USA Today: "Do you think Mrs. Blackwell raised a dumb child? Why would I suppress the black vote when I understood how well I do in the African-American community?"

But does this claim--that he does well in the African-American community--have any merit? In this diary entry I will examine the results of the May 2nd gubernatorial primary for evidence one way or the other on that point.

<snip>

This result shows how Blackwell can entertain the conceit that he enjoys African American support, but it comes with a big caveat. While the percent of Blackwell support in the Republican primary in these areas is high, the number of black voters electing to vote in the Republican primary is miniscule. That is, only 7% of voters in these polling locations participated in the Republican primary--93% voted in the Democratic primary, where there were no interesting races this time. This is about a typical split in the largely black precincts. If there was ever a time for blacks to cross over to vote for Blackwell, this would have been it, with nothing really happening on the Democratic slate. They didn't do it. In all, Blackwell got 658 votes in these largely black polling places, compared to 33,367 countywide. Clearly, his black support is practically nonexistent--almost at the "friends and family" level. In the inimitable phrase of Congressman J. C. Watts (black Republican from Oklahoma), a black voting for a Republican is like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders. This fellow may symbolize the general black feeling about Blackwell:


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/1/104918/8564

[liberal N proud]

1. The GOP strategy - Claim to be what you are not

Blackwell claims to do well in the black community then a few people believe it because if it is reported, then he must be doing well in other areas of the black community. Then his poll numbers rise a little bit, then they can bolster that claim and buy a few more people who start to think, what is wrong with me, if others thing he is for us, then he must be.
Next thing you know he has the numbers close enough to steal the election with his Diebold voting machines.

[Kolesar]

2. a.k.a. "manufacturing consent", like they did stopping affirmative action

...and promoting school vouchers.