Lack of new black Dem leaders forces first lady to campaign
| 9:27 AM on 10/13/2010 | |
First lady Michelle Obama speaks at a campaign event for Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The ritual is well known. In the waning days before a crucial presidential or midterm election the polls show the presidential contest and races in some congressional districts tightening between Democrats and the GOP. The mood on the ground among the Democrats' biggest, most reliable, and most needed vote group, that's African-Americans, ranges from lukewarm to indifferent.
Panic at the prospect of an election debacle sets in. The call quickly goes out to the old usual suspects: Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and in his post White House days, Bill Clinton. Democratic officials call them for one simple reason. They're the ones who have the name, cachet, and the lung power to stir up a black audience and deliver the message to them that you better get to the polls and vote like your life depended on it. After all, do you want the big bad, mean spirited, race baiting, war mongering, consummate social program slashing GOP to get the upper hand in Congress and even more horribly, the White House again?
This year is no different. Political analysts, pundits, and even Democratic consultants are on edge that their party will lose a significant number of seats in Congress to Republicans. The only real question is how bad the political hemorrhaging will be. A solid and united GOP, and droves of independents who are disillusioned, disgusted and even hostile toward Obama, have made the black vote even more vital in Obama's calculus. There's little margin of error with this vote. He needs a reasonable facsimile of the November 2008 black vote outpouring to save as many Democratic seats as possible, and serve as a partial shield against the withering non-stop attack on his agenda and his person.
WATCH MSNBC COVERAGE OF MICHELLE OBAMA ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:
The ritual of getting the old stand-bys to beat the urban bushes for the Democrats worked in the past because they have a long and respected track record of struggle and sacrifice for civil rights. They have honed to a fine art the ability to turn the right phrase to strike the right emotional chord. This still commands attention and respect from many black voters.
But times are changing. The mood this year is ugly. The GOP and the pack of right wing bloggers, talk show jocks, and Tea Party activists have declared virtual war on the Democrats and the Obama administration. They have the verbal and media firepower, and impassioned named speakers, Palin, Beck, and Limbaugh, and tons of backdoor money, to rev up their base. The Democrats are doing everything they can to counter the onslaught and that means trying to stir black voters.
The ritual of the past has shown terminal signs of wear. Jesse Jackson the elder, is certainly just as willing to beat the vote bushes. The problem is that his civil rights credentials are widely regarded, and even ridiculed, as credentials from another time and place. He is seen as relics of a by-gone past to many younger blacks and recent personal and public missteps have alienated him from the president and the party's black base.
There's also the growing political divisions among younger black voters. More young blacks are college educated, business, and professionals. Though they are still likely to vote Democrat if they vote at all, they find resonance in the conservative, pro-business, and professional development pitch of the GOP. The younger black politicians such as Jesse Jackson Jr., Adrian Fenty, Artur Davis, and Harold Ford who might have been expected to step up and fill the new leadership void have either been kicked to or kicked themselves to the curb through political failure, scandal, or party disfavor. Hillary Clinton, another popular figure amongst African-Americans and women, is sidelined because of her non-partisan role as Secretary of State.
The GOP has spotted the tiny chink in the Democrat's armor and has fielded one of the largest crop of black Republican candidates in decades. Few will win, but just their presence signals that a new breed of young black politicians that aren't beholden to Democrats is now on the political map.
Democrat strategists have searched for a counter to rev up the black vote. One counter is in the White House, and it's not just President Obama, but Michelle Obama. She's young, politically savvy, telegenic, an effective speaker, and most importantly has the widespread popular appeal that tops her husband's. There will be a Michelle political sighting in a number of crucial must win or hold districts for the Democrats in the coming days. Party officials will watch, hold their breath, and hope that Michelle will be the just the spark needed to tip some of the contests to the Democrats.
Her entrance to the political scene is not done out of desperation, but recognition that it's a new time and a new day, and the Democrat's need a fresh political face, message, and name. Sharpton and Clinton, as in the past, will try mightily to rally the black voters. And now Michelle will try to do the same.
Lack of new black Dem leaders forces first lady to campaign
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