Cain’s assertion that he could win over black voters is dismissed by analysts

[alp227]

Herman Cain’s turn atop the polls in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination captured the attention of journalists and pundits and sparked excitement among grass-roots conservative activists. But is it really possible that he — a black man who overcame poverty in the segregated South to become a wealthy entrepreneur and front-runner in the GOP race — would be the one to bring African American voters back to their original political home?

Cain seems to think so. In a mailer sent to Iowa voters recently, the candidate says “as a descendent of slaves I can lead the Republican party to victory by garnering a large share of the black vote, something that has not been done since Dwight Eisenhower garnered 41 percent of the black vote in 1956.”

It is a proposition that was quickly dismissed by political scholars and analysts, including some members of Cain’s party. Although he has done better than any other black Republican presidential candidate in terms of attracting support, few believe Cain could snare a sizeable number of black voters in a general election, especially against President Obama.

“If he’s talking about 41 percent of black voters in the Republican primary he might be right,” Michael Dawson, a black political science professor at the University of Chicago, said with a chuckle. But in a general election against President Obama, who got 95 percent of the black vote in 2008 and remains popular among African Americans, Dawson said Cain “would be lucky to get 10 percent” of the black vote.

full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/cains-assertion-that-he-could-win-over-black-voters-is-dismissed-by-analysts/2011/11/21/gIQAeUZZtN_singlePage.html

[Empowerer]

1. Funny-he thinks that voting Democratic means blacks are brainwashed but voting for him because he's

black is just fine.

[JoePhilly]

6. He has to many things twirlling around in his head again.

[msongs]

2. it' the pizza - has vote changing drugs in it lol nt

[TheDebbieDee]

3. One word: plantation

I don't think Herman Cain was ever a serious candidate for President, anyway. This is just a long book tour in which a half-assed Presidential campaign broke out!

[safeinOhio]

4. He'll never win the Dearborn Michigan vote. n/t

[customerserviceguy]

5. Silly fool, he's soooo October

Sometimes the pizza sticks to the top of the box.

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. I can only speak for myself, but I know one he definitely "can't win".

;)

[CoffinEd]

8. The Cain Sideshow Continues

Not only does he deal the race card (descendant of slaves) to a group of people who are always accusing black people of playing the race card, but he also thinks that a "large share" of us are going to forget or overlook his comments about us being Democratic plantation-dwelling brainwashed idiots.

As for this:

"Although he has done better than any other black Republican presidential candidate in terms of attracting support, few believe Cain could snare a sizeable number of black voters in a general election, especially against President Obama."

The only other one that immediately comes to mind is Alan "Crazy Train" Keyes and even a lot of white conservative religious types thought he was too extreme. So like now there really hasn't been a creditable and sane black conservative running for president.

And if I were to sum up the reaction of the black political science professor when asked about Cain's chances of attracting a sizeable number of black voters in the general election, it would be:

"I ain't that clown and my crew ain't that crew."
-Dwight Arrington Myers (RIP)

[AtomicKitten]

9. Rachel is right. Cain isn't running, he's doing a performance art project.

[Number23]

10. This whole "I am the descendant of slaves" is such craven bullshit I can't even explain it

Black people don't give a shit about this idiocy. This is ONCE AGAIN Cain's idiotic attempt at appealing to clueless whites.

[CoffinEd]

11. Don't even try to explain Herb's "tactics"

Just continue to call it what it is: bullshit

[Number23]

12. Absolutely right

Good to see you again! :hi:

[CoffinEd]

15. Back at 'cha! n/t

:hi:

[ShadowLiberal]

13. I don't think black republicans ever do better than 25% of the black vote usually

The highest profile black republican I can think of to run for a major office (governor in Ohio, a race the guy lost) won around 25% of the black vote. That's probably the best Cain could realistically hope to do.

Though than again, that black republican ran against a white guy, so maybe the comparison of Cain vs Obama won't work.

Obama vs Keyes in his senate race wouldn't be a good comparison either though, given how Obama won by 20+ points, which shows how much Keyes sucked as a candidate.

[JI7]

14. i think Powell could have done better, but this is before he was in W Bush's administration

he wouldn't do well now.

i think too much happened with Bush administration and things like Katrina, and then the treatment of Obama and racist attacks on him that it has become tougher for republicans to win minority voters than before Bush got into office.

but certain people like Cain would never have done well.