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DEAN IS WHISTLING DIXIE ABOUT BLACK VOTERS |
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by Eugene Kane Dec. 10, 2003 Presidential candidate Howard Dean wants to represent all those Americans with Confederate flags on their pickup trucks. To which many African-American voters are likely to respond: "Say what?" The Confederate flag, mind you, is a symbol of a way of life that once included slavery, an era most blacks don't recall with any great nostalgia. So when Al Gore throws his support behind Dean as the best choice for Democrats in 2004, it's time for some head-scratching. Exactly who is this guy Gore wants 90% of black voters to support? Never mind that Dean is also the former governor of Vermont, a state that might very well have a state motto that says: "Not many black folks live here." I asked Ald. Fred Gordon, a local Democrat who keeps a keen eye on national politics, what he thought about Gore's surprise announcement. "My first reaction was, 'What would make me vote for Dean just because Gore endorsed him?' " Gordon said Wednesday. Like me, Gordon also was puzzled about the location picked for Gore's endorsement. Harlem, New York. Otherwise known as "Black America, USA." Also, the place where former President Bill Clinton has an office. "Now, if Clinton had endorsed him in Harlem, that would be something," said Gordon. I agree. I've been watching the assortment of Democrats run for the presidential nomination with an eye out for the one with the right stuff to topple Bush next fall. Dean has been lauded for using the Internet to galvanize young voters and strongly criticizing the decision to invade Iraq. He doesn't even mind being called "a liberal," which is encouraging for those who think too many weak-kneed Democrats run away from that label. But I don't know enough about Dean yet to know whether he's a good choice for African-Americans. I haven't seen him singing hymns inside a Baptist church, or eating a soul food dinner, or mingling with a predominantly black crowd. For many black voters, that's a litmus test. Call it the Bill Clinton "Let's see who is the most comfortable around black folks" test. That's not to say a white presidential candidate can't reach out to other constituencies. I'm even willing to consider the Confederate flag comment a politically astute "wink and a nod" to white voters in the South and elsewhere. Hey, it worked for Clinton, who criticized black rapper Sister Souljah at a Jesse Jackson-sponsored event in 1992 but retained his popularity with blacks. As for those who think that makes blacks gullible or foolish, I've got two words for why most blacks don't think the Republican Party is serious about inclusion: Trent Lott. Two more words could be, "Rush Limbaugh," or any number of polarizing figures on the Republican side of the ledger. With friends like these, who needs enemies? It's insulting to assume many blacks don't recognize the Democratic Party often takes their vote for granted. They do. But, there's also something to be said for that old wisdom, "Better to trust the devil you know than the devil you don't." If Clinton - and other black leaders - gives Dean a nod of approval in the coming months, maybe his stock with blacks will rise. Until then, perhaps he should concentrate on that Confederate pickup truck vote. Just in case. |