Dean: Blacks Annoyed by Party's Outreach

[wicket]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050524/ap_on_el_pr/dean_minority_voters

Black voters are upset with the Democratic Party for coming around just weeks before elections seeking their votes, party chairman Howard Dean said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Taking black voters for granted is a long-standing problem for the party that dates to the 1960s, said Dean, who promised changes in strategy even as he cited diversity at the top of the Democratic National Committee.

"African-Americans are annoyed with the Democratic Party because we ask them for their votes four weeks before the election instead of being in the community now and that's a mistake I'm trying to fix," he said. "There's a new generation of African-American leaders and a new generation of African-Americans. We can't go out and say could you vote for us because we were so helpful during the civil rights era."

-snip-

Dean said he was not concerned that there might be a major erosion in the black vote but was worried about people staying home on Election Day. "We're going to treat every vote as a swing vote," he said.

[applegrove]

1. Good point. I'm often annoyed when people start calling me, and

I've volunteered in their campaigns. And I'm not African American.

[bigluckyfeet]

16. I am White

No one called me for my opinion,the only calls I received was for moey.

[applegrove]

21. My point is that even though I have volunteered and know how

earnest and devoted the people are ... I get a call and I still say to myself 'oh this seems so phony'. And it is not phony. I know they care about my issues. That is why I vote with them when I can (I'm from Canada and strategically vote as many do in a three party system.. or is it now a 5 party system). That is why I volunteer. And I am not a minority.

So it could be all the more jarring for people who are a minority and not so integrated into everyday life or politics. Can create apathy. If you don't watch yourself.

This is one great point Dean makes.

[renaissanceguy]

2. How about gay Americans?

We're taken for granted even more.

[droidamus2]

13. Here's one of our problems

Progressives and Democrats need to unite. Dean says that we have to do something for the Black members our party and what happens another group jumps up (gays) and says how about us. We do this over and over if the party helps environmentalists the pro-choicers say how about us. If the party helps women's rights the energy alternative people say how about us. The point is there should be an 'us' that as a group works towards general progressive objectives. Will each group get what they want now or always get what they want? The answer is obviously no. One thing we could learn from the neo-cons is the idea of getting our people to agree on some general principles that will unite all the groups that see themselves as progressive under one 'big tent'. Should blacks and gays and hispanics and women, etc. not be taken for granted, absolutely, but lets make sure we keep our eyes on the bigger picture and not fight over our piece of the pie.

[Eloriel]

23. It's not an either/or -- it's an "ALL OF THE ABOVE" problem

People want to forget that.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

34. Welcome to DU, droidamus2

[Skypilot 18]

36. I completely agree

We need to unify our message and all be under the same tent.

[xultar]

3. YUP... I was saying the same thing back in the day and got flamed...

Now that DEAN as said it everyone will think that it is WONDERFUL.

[KittyWampus]

10. And I Think You Also Pointed Out That Ethnic Communities Need To

participate in the local party and start getting elected.

[xultar]

25. I sure did. I'm going to run for something once I find a job that doesn't

require weekly travel!

[applegrove]

22. That is why he is the current leader. Because he has earned enough

trust to teach us the issues we must face. And to kick some ***.

But mostly he is going around and talking to people. And getting the good information we need. And then passing it on.

[Cha]

40. I wouldn't have flamed you

back in the day. This is the way it always should have been.

[blm]

4. Real longtime community activists knew Kerry has always shown up for them

and especially legislatively. He never showed up 4 weeks before an election.

I disagree with Dean's implication, and I disagree with the younger black journalists who make similar accusations before they checked the actual record. Kweisi Mfume was behind Kerry from the get go because he KNEW his long commitment and advocacy for fairness over three decades of public service.

[tinanator]

7. I was going to say that as well

for lack of a better term or more accurate assessment, it apears "Blacks" were hard and fast in Kerry's corner long before we could talk them into supporting Kucinich.
Is Dean lacking substantial things to discuss?

[XemaSab]

42. You think it's not substantial

that the black vote is taken for granted by most democrats?

I've seen quite a few folks here who disagree.

[tinanator]

45. I think its hardly a legitimate issue when the world is on fire

but then the troops need to stay and fix what they broke, right?
Do you actually expect any subset of any demographic to take our politicians seriously? Its damned hard to get past the mealymouth bullshit let alone the concrete hypocrisy. I dont think sending out a Dean squad earlier than 4 weeks before an election is going to accomplish any good when the sad facts are better understood by those at the bottom rungs than those higher up the economic ladder. What is needed is for the black community to come out and engage the clueless whites on their turf. THAT would do some good!

[politicasista]

8. But the problem was lots of people believed the spin also

therefore, they stayed home. And some said, "Kerry didn't connect with me, he didn't reach out to me, so I am not showing up to vote." I do agree the party takes us for granted. My grandparents used to say that when they were voting Democratic in the 60s.

[KittyWampus]

11. Kerry Isn't The Party Machinery. Kerry Isn't Helping Black Americans Get

elected locally and eventually nationally.

Kerry is just one small part.

[blm]

15. I understand that aspect, but, the basic implication is based on spin used

against Kerry by some younger black activists and pundits who had no grasp of the workhorse aspect of Kerry's advocacy for their issues for over 30 years.

And Kerry is the one who gets the generic blame for everyhingcirca2004.

[politicasista]

17. True

Hey blm, check your mail. :hi:

[politicasista]

5. self-delete

[DeaconBlues]

6. "We're going to treat every vote as a swing vote"

And that's why the Democrats need to get into places like Appalachia and persuade voters we've lost with economic populism. Say what you will about the Republicans, they do make a consistent effort to entice voters like Hispanics and African-Americans that they are perceived as having little chance with. We need to keep our base and to reach out, no matter how difficult that may be.

[tinanator]

9. I dont think they are worried about enticing them as much as claiming them

Sure are a lot of Viva Bush stickers on the cars of some pretty trashy lookin white folks out here. Its all an illusion, except for the blood on our hands.

[DeaconBlues]

14. still, if I remember correctly, Bush got more than 40 % of the Hispanic

vote in the last election. They saw they had an opening when it comes to cultural conservatism and they ran through it. The result was that many Hispanics voted for a party that offers them nothing in terms of their economic well-being and civil rights.

The Democrats need to be smart and constantly "sell" themselves even in off-years. We need to let people know what we offer them instead of taking for granted that they already know whats in their best interests. Otherwise, the Republicans will continue the successful strategy of peeling away votes.

[tinanator]

19. I would hate to be in the business of selling Democrats

Its surely much easier and more profitable to buy Republicans?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

28. Yes, yes, yes...taking for granted ANY group of voters is folly..

The Dems must secure their base, just like the repugs. IMHO, this shouldn't be as difficult for Dems as repubs, because we are now united in a "common enemy".

And as you said, we have to reach out to the:

NASCAR folks

Church goers

Southerners

NRA followers

and all other groups who are considered "red staters".

Within each of these groups there are substantial numbers who are disillusioned, or more, with gwb. We have to connect with them regarding health care, jobs, economy and security. MKJ

[Iowa]

12. I'm sorry, but African-Americans

should be leading the charge - not whining that they are aren't "asked for their votes" soon enough. They shouldn't need to be asked for their votes; they have as much (or more) at stake here as anyone else. Saying they need to be courted and coddled implies that they're outsiders - that they don't fully share in the ownership of a progressive agenda. It also implies that they don't understand what's at stake and need to have it explained to them by party insiders.

Whenever the Democratic party calls me, I tell them to STOP WASTING THEIR TIME on me - that I'm a soldier on the front lines! African-Americans deserve to be viewed likewise. They have traditionally been with us, and there SHOULD be a presumption that they're with us! They should be treated like owners - not outsiders.

[EST]

33. AMEN!

How can you threaten to leave the democratic party when you are the democratic party? It's up to all of us if we are to succeed. It's not the responsibility of any group of us to have to coddle some other group.
Help, support, pick you up when you fall--all that must be done from time to time, but to repeatedly have to beg some group to stay and help win over the forces of evil merely shows that that group is totally out of touch with reality and needs to retrain itself, with, of course, the help and total support of those who understand the the enormity of the enemy (and I use that term intentionally.)

So I say to those who think they have been somehow left out, I will make an offer. That offer is: if you will take over the leadership and bring this country to a standard of integrity, respect, and citizenship that we have been working for, I promise you that I will stand behind you, march with you, and never, ever, ever threaten to walk out on you because I didn't get attention and sweet talking.

[ecstatic]

47. Talk about missing the point

Both you and the poster you replied to. It's not about needing "sweet talk." Of course Blacks are out there taking charge and demanding to be heard (like everyone else in this party). And yes, we are treated like outsiders. That's evident even on boards such as this.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

35. Welcome to DU, Iowa.

[LittleClarkie]

37. It is an odd sort of game of playing coy, isn't it

You must come court me.

And sometimes some leaders use complaints for their own purposes, as when Jesse complained that Kerry didn't come to his rally, when Kerry was at another rally with Stephanie Tubbs across town that day. He hadn't been booked at Jackson's rally, but apparently the good Rev. expected Kerry to just show up.

[Kagemusha]

18. I think a lot of people can agree there can be *improvement*

Regardless of how we got to this point or why or whatever, the best solution would seem less angst, more positive action. Fighting for votes in your base when cynicism about politics is so high is not wasted effort.

[mod mom]

20. I heard Greg Moore (NAACP) speak recently of how Sen Kerry had

promised to make sure every vote would count . NAACP and others organizations that blacks registered in record numbers and despite the obstacles they faced to vote, they came through for John Kerry. Yet Sen Kerry did not bother to consult African American leaders before he conceded. They attempted to reach him, but couldn't get through. The African American community came out in 2000 for the Dems, and encountered significant disenfranchisement and as Fahrenheit 911 aptly portrayed, the dems (with the exception of the CBC) did not stand up for them. In 2004, they encountered challengers, UNAMERICAN rethug caging techniques, extremely long lines and guess what? Another deaf ear.

Why didn't the Dems listen to John Conyers and others? Why wasn't John Conyers asked to be on the DNC OH Election Investigation Team? Or the Carter-Baker Commission?

I canvassed in several low income African American neighborhoods for Kerry on the east side of Columbus OH. I found that I was very welcome. I was invited into homes and had long conversations with registered voters who were eager for change. I am appalled at how this population was disenfranchised and I am equally appalled that the Dems let it happen without a fight AGAIN!

The Repugs are offering Faith Based Initiative Money to the African American suburban mega churches. What are the Dems offering? Empty Promises.

I truly hope Gov Dean and the Dem Party addresses this problem-but it may be to late.

[journalist3072]

24. Finally....the Democrats get it

The Democratic Party can't ignore the fact that there is a rising increase of Independent Blacks (like me). They are tired of having their votes taken for granted.

One party ignores us completely; the other takes us for granted.

[nine30]

26. Don't ever take your base for granted !

The Pukes did the opposite..they focused ONLY on their base. And look where it got them !

[Plaid Adder]

27. Well, it's about time somebody brought this out in the open.

The big problem as I see it is that Democrats are so uncomfortable with economic justice (makes the corporations and the 'moderates' nervous to start talking about moving money around) that they are unwilling to tackle most of the issues that would make a real difference in how African-Americans live in this country. Now that de jure racism is mostly dead (though it survives in a lurking sort of way in the criminal justice system), the fight is really about what to do with the economic aftereffects of the apartheid era--gross inequities in public education, economic segregation, and of course the way the entire society pisses on poor people. Nobody has yet come up with a good plan for tackling any of that, and if we could, it would be a big deal to a lot of people.

We can hope, I guess,

The Plaid Adder

[livinginphotographs]

29. This picture says it all...

http://www.epicmra.com/news22.htm

[mod mom]

32. This is a sad testimony to how Dems treat an important and deserving

constituency. It was this very issue, how African Americans, were treate both by the Rethugs and the Dems, that lead me to close my business of 17+ years to invetigate the election, and fight for reform.

[SoCalDem]

30. Dear Dr. Dean..

As part of the outreach, may I suggest:

1. Securing VALID and acceptable ID for all black voters
2. Making sure that they are all correctly registered
3. Follow-up with registrars' offices to erify that they are on the rolls
4. TEACHING sessions that explain the intricacies of the ballots, and what constitutes a "spoiled ballot"..and how to avoid it..
5. Helping people get their names off bogus felons' lists..


That would be a good place to start, and by doing it EARLY, there would be tons of money saved by not having to do everything at the last minue.

[SoCalDem]

31. and then there's this.. ( I wrote this a while back, but it applies, still

SoCalDem (1000+ posts) Sat Feb-12-05 04:38 PM
Original message
Dr Dean's Agenda... Suggestions for our trip back from the brink


Have a meeting with all democratic "leaders"...ASAP..

Clue THEM into the "no response to unattributed quotes" doctrine..and make them adhere to it..

Ask them to PLEASE avoid screaming head"talk shows" where they will undoubtedly be out-numbered,ignored, derided and interrupted.

Make sure that the ones who DO go on shows are PREPARED...and KNOW what they are talking about.. It;s like fingernails on a blackboard to see them reply.." I hadn't heard about.... or.... especially when ... has been on the news for DAYS..

Remind them that republicans are NOT our friends, our "colleagues across the aisle", our partners.. They are our ENEMIES, who seek to humiliate and destroy us. They have not been shy about admitting this. They have accused us, as a party...as a group, of being Godless, indecent, amoral, liars, cheats, and a multitude of other "sins". There is NO middle ground on this.

Pound home the idea that the media...ALL of it.. is NOT our friend. The smiling, well dressed man or woman with the microphone is only interested in getting a sound byte that can (and will be) used against us ad nauseum. The media is not interested in facts.. Facts are kryptonite to them. They want spin..pizzaz..confrontation.

Work hard on the language... People do not take time for policy renditions.. Modern marketing techniques have taught the public to listen for the "hook"..the buzzwords. Just look at the way ideas have been bastardized by the republicans:

Logging old growth forests has become " Healthy Forests"
Canceling a woman's right to choice has become "Pro Life" (as if we are Pro Death)
Testing children relentlessly, while subtracting real teaching time has become "Leave No Child Behind"
Destroying working public programs while funneling public money to fundamentalist church organizations has become "Faith-based Initiatives"
Removing taxes from super-wealthy inheritances became "Death Taxes"
Allowing polluters to self-regulate and swap credits became "Clear Skies"
Under-educated common people who vote against their own interests is "Heartland"

In the absence of our own buzzwords, the very least we SHOULD be doing is outing these scams in the loudest voice possible..NOT agreeing to them like a whipped stray dog.

Develop a "farm team" of TV savvy, photogenic, well-spoken young people who can "hit the road" and spread our message. Kennedy and some of our other leaders have become "radioactive" by the massive propaganda machine the republicans use, and almost anything said by these democrats is immediately "on the radar screen".

Use the media you have... Air America would certainly welcome regular visits and their audience is building. Sometimes preaching to the choir is a good thing. We need reassurance that you are still with us.

Use the "sugar daddies" we do have to good advantage. There are many small communities with REAL people doing their own radio shows.. They are not the "big time" radio guys, but they are often paying out of their own pockets to spread YOUR (and our) message. They need some financial help. A very small amount of help can mean the difference between them being on the air or not. Guy James down in the belly of the beast (Florida) is just such a person..

Make sure there is NEVER another unopposed republican running in ANY office. It has to start somewhere. The excuse often given is "Our candidate has no chance, so why "waste" the money?" Here's why we "waste" the money.... Never give the republican a free ride.. MAKE them spend money..OFFER the people a choice. How many democrats are eager to run out and vote when they do not even have a candidate to vote for?

Encourage the republicans amongst us to "hear their momma calling them" and to run along home..Lieberman comes to mind. We really won't miss them much. If we cannot count on their loyalty, and if they crave "face-time with Bush", they are a liability..not an asset.

Carve out a set of "rules".. Number one on that list should be "Do not give the enemy ammunition". When we form circular firing squads and embarrass our own, we might as well be writing the script for the next republican commercial against us. Our candidates should feel free to debate policy with each other, but if they cannot win without demonizing fellow dems, they do not deserve to be the candidate.

Lacking the gazillion think tanks of the republican machine, USE the people you have. There might even be MORE advice available via the web, through the many left-leaning websites. They are full of REAL people with REAL ideas. Good ideas are not limited to well paid advisors in $1,000 suits. Where better to get public opinion, than from the public? These are FREE researchers, at the click of a mouse. They are there...use them...

Admit you use polls, BUT explain to the public how FEW people are actually polled, and how polls can be (and ARE) skewed by the kind of questions asked, the time of day people are called, the zipcode choice, and the political leanings of the pollsters. Lots of people do not know this..

Can the gobbledygook-speak. Use real language..Encourage our people on the ground to speak TO the people..not AT them.

The republican mantra, for decades has been "attack..attack..attack", and look what it's gotten them... The white house, the senate, the house, the supreme court, control of radio, tv, and newspapers.

Good Luck, Dr. Dean. We need your help, and are eager to have you make a real difference in our party.

[XemaSab]

43. Word

:kick:

[wicket]

38. great ideas

:kick:

[Cha]

39. Good, Dean! Because I am

sick of that,too..that's bogus!

I don't agree with Dean on the pickles thing though..that's also bogus.

[bread_and_roses]

41. The Dems, like the Rs, have left the inner cities to rot for thirty years

Our inner cities have child mortality rates comparable to the third world, and as Plaid Adder points out, gross inequities in health care, economic development, educational $, and every other social marker of well-being one can think of.

And Plaid Adder is also right on target, imo, on the cause - the Dems unwillingness to speak to economic injustice.

I would argue though that racism is alive and well in it's institutional manifestation which is reflected in those socio-economic statistics. The Dems don't speak to that either; witness the instances noted above (sorry, I forget which poster) of the gross irregularities and injustices perpetuated upon individuals and communities of color in the last two elections.

I am NOT a Dem but I work every year on local elections, mostly for Dem candidates. I have gone door to door in poor communities and communities of color and turned out those votes for candidates who absolutely needed those votes to win - only to see them turn around and totally ignore those constituents as soon as the election was won. I see NO evidence of a commitment to racial and economic justice - words that make our Corporate Masters nervous - from most Dem politicians.

I will not work to turn out those votes again for those same representatives - I am not going to lie and tell people that a Dem is going to stand for them when I have no evidence that s/he will do so.

[desi826]

44. Dean has it right

Here's what happens:
about 4 months before an election, Rove buys radio time on black and latino radio stations, that basically boils down to "Why do you vote for Dems? They only take you for granted. They could care less about you once they have your vote. That's why you never see them until a couple of weeks before an election."

About a day after this, we'll see an article from Al From talking like he is the biggest racist in the world.
Railing again and again about black people.
Almost sounding like a member of the KKK.

So you'd think Dems would either rap him, or distance themselves from him right?

Dems do nothing.
This makes it appear that the commercial they are hearing on the radio, is right.

So they stay home.

Make no mistake: this is a very orchestrated situation designed to disgust younger black voters. And it's working.

On election day, the things that blacks and latinos have to go through is reaching Jim Crow proportions.
We have to fight just to GET to the polls.
The only reason you haven't seen a mass defection yet is because blacks hate Bush. Vehemently.

And Bush only got 31% of the latino vote, not over 40%.

But blacks and latinos are the Dems margin of victory. The Repubs KNOW it. Every Repub analyst said so before the election.

It's ironic that the people who SHOULD know it(Dems), don't have a clue. And if they have to learn it the hard way, all of us will suffer.
Des

[davidinalameda]

46. Dean: Blacks Annoyed by Party's Outreach

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/05/24/politics/p122314D00.DTL

Black voters are upset with the Democratic Party for coming around just weeks before elections seeking their votes, party chairman Howard Dean said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.


Taking black voters for granted is a long-standing problem for the party that dates to the 1960s, said Dean, who promised changes in strategy even as he cited diversity at the top of the Democratic National Committee.


"African-Americans are annoyed with the Democratic Party because we ask them for their votes four weeks before the election instead of being in the community now and that's a mistake I'm trying to fix," he said. "There's a new generation of African-American leaders and a new generation of African-Americans. We can't go out and say could you vote for us because we were so helpful during the civil rights era."

[wicket]

48. kick

:kick:

[Moderator]

49. kick to combine

[ProudToBeLiberal]

50. Dean: Blacks annoyed by party's outreach

Dean: Blacks annoyed by party's outreach
Democratic leader says "we" can't come around every four years

By WILL LESTER
Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press
Updated: 5:14 p.m. ET May 25, 2005

WASHINGTON - Black voters are upset with the Democratic Party for coming around just weeks before elections seeking their votes, party chairman Howard Dean said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Taking black voters for granted is a long-standing problem for the party that dates to the 1960s, said Dean, who promised changes in strategy even as he cited diversity at the top of the Democratic National Committee.

Resting on the past
"African-Americans are annoyed with the Democratic Party because we ask them for their votes four weeks before the election instead of being in the community now and that's a mistake I'm trying to fix," he said. "There's a new generation of African-American leaders and a new generation of African-Americans. We can't go out and say could you vote for us because we were so helpful during the civil rights era."

Marking 100 days as the party's boss, the former presidential candidate addressed several issues in an interview with AP reporters and editors, including the compromise in the Senate on President Bush's stalled judicial nominees and the right of Democrats to filibuster.

more at...
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7981966/

[brindis_desala]

51. Bravo Dean! If you are serious the Democrats can get

a huge infusion of new voters. Of course you'll be making the establishment queasy and you'll still have to find the money to upgrade the voting machinery.

[ikojo]

52. I am a single childfree working class woman

and I get tired of the Dems assuming that working class equals union member: MOST working class Americans are NOT in a union and we need to be heard.

I am tired of Democrats voting for stuff like NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, and China's entry into the WTO.

I am tired of Democrats not standing up for working class Americans who depend upon wages instead of investments for income.

The bosses have two parties, isn't it time working class Americans have our own?

[roseBudd]

53. My impression before the election is that the various groups...

Kerry, ACT, MoveOn, assumed the black churches would do their part and they probably did, but there are a lot of African Americans that don't necessarily go to church and I did all my GOTV with them, even though I'm white.

Which is why I wrote:

George W. Bush is a punk ass bitch
Crony capitalist all about the rich

Dumbass sat for 7 minutes like a dope
While schoolkids read "My Pet Goat"...

Punk ass bitch can kiss my ass
back to Texas like rained on trash

Nov. 2 is when I vote
Not for the fool that read "My Pet Goat"

[wicket]

54. kick

:kick: