Full article at The Raw Story,
http://www.rawstory.comAfrican Americans' disaffection with Democrats growing
By Recardo Gibson
RAW STORY STAFF WRITER
ST. LOUIS—The Democrats’ 40-year stronghold over the African American vote could be weakening. A recent survey conducted by Black America’s Political Action Committee showed 43 percent of African Americans surveyed say that they feel they are taken for granted by the Democrats.
In what is projected to be a close presidential race, this voting block may hold the key to the White House.
The Rev. Al Sharpton first brought the issue to national attention in the Democratic primary presidential debates. Sharpton openly criticized his party for taking the black vote for granted and vocalized the disappointment many feel toward the Democrats.
The Republicans appear eager to seize the opportunity to court the black vote. Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie told one newspaper that the Republicans are launching a major campaign to make some headway within the African American community. They have a goal of winning 25 percent of the black vote this fall. Gillespie predicted the GOP will make significant progress with African American voters (a task not many Republican presidential candidates in recent memory have been able to accomplish).
The Republicans have an arduous task ahead of them. President Bush’s stance on issues like affirmative action, and his record on the economy could serve as a deterrent to potential black voters. The political action committee also indicated that 52 percent of the African Americans surveyed said the GOP ignores the black community completely.
William Sampson, DePaul University public policy professor, stated his amazement that this figure was so low. Sampson asserted that the figure should be higher because the Republicans have a long history of ignoring blacks.
Chris Garrett, director of the Grass Roots Program for the Republican National Committee, dismissed the program’s critics. Garrett said that the Republican Party has been “aggressively recruiting African Americans to run for office and participate in the process.”
Garrett also explains that the Republican National Committee has been “
team events and going into African American communities ... trying to get people involved in the local Republican Party.”
The theme for this presidential election looks to be “energizing your base.” But according to Professor Sampson, no one really is going to energize the black community. “Courting the black vote is risky,” he says. “It will alienate others that are not directly affected by poverty and drugs.” Citing Sharpton as the case in point, Sampson asserted that Sharpton’s message did not resonate with voters because, “he turned off a lot of people.”
Notwithstanding, the Democrats have taken umbrage at what this poll implies. “African Americans are the most loyal group of Democrats the party has. We can’t take one single vote for granted. And we won’t,” vowed Democratic National Committee press secretary Tony Welch.
The New African American Voter
Leviticus Turner, a 24-year-old African American female and second-generation college graduate from Chicago, defines herself as an Independent and was a self-described Democrat until 2000. When asked what prompted the switch she responded, “I don’t just vote on party lines anymore. I used to. Although I was never, explicitly, told to vote Democratic, it was implied: That’s what black people do. But now, I look at each candidate individually.”
Turner is not alone in this trend that sees African Americans moving toward the status of Independent voters. The Joint Center for Politics and Economic Studies, in another poll, revealed that 24 percent of African Americans identify themselves as Independents, and 10 percent as Republicans, each up from 2000. The poll went on to show that the number of blacks voting Democratic in the 2002 election was 63 percent, down from 2000. This survey suggested that many black Democrats are rethinking their political affiliation.
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