Mississippi 2003

[NHPolitico]

Its a sad state when you can tell whether someone will vote Rep or Dem just by looking at them. I bet Barbour won 80%+ of the white vote and Musgrave won 80%+ of the black vote. Tell me if I am right, David.

It's the African American voter who votes more on party than ideology. They've done polling on things like vouchers and Social Security partial privatization. They do well with black voters-- until you tell them that those are "Republican" ideas.  

[NHPolitico]

Its a sad state when you can tell whether someone will vote Rep or Dem just by looking at them. I bet Barbour won 80%+ of the white vote and Musgrave won 80%+ of the black vote. Tell me if I am right, David.

I'd add to my post that Gov. Riley tried to raise taxes in Alabama to benefit poor Alabamans, like most Alabama African Americans are.  The result? They didn't support the idea at the ballot box because they thought it was some kind of conspiracy-- imagine, a Republican trying to help a black person (like Col. Sanders helping a chicken as JC Watts' dad used to say to JC).

Still some Republicans score well with blacks-- comparatively speaking. Ashcroft got nearly 20% of the black vote in 2000 but lost because he just got barely over the 50% mark among whites. Ohio blacks are quite receptive to the GOP.

Take Mississippi. The Dem nominee for Lt. Governor was a crazy woman. I mean a nutburger who had no business running for a very powerful position in the state-- which lt. gov is in MS. She got plenty of black votes.  Maybe they didn't know she was a nut because they didn't really follow the race, maybe they just vote Dem by reflex, but she got over a third of the general election vote and you could probably count on one hand the number of white people who voted for her.

[NHPolitico]

Its a sad state when you can tell whether someone will vote Rep or Dem just by looking at them. I bet Barbour won 80%+ of the white vote and Musgrave won 80%+ of the black vote. Tell me if I am right, David.

I keep thinking of things on this subject because it annoys the hell out of me.  Even Al Gore knows that you can scare blacks into voting Dem.

"They use colorblind the way duck hunters use their duck blind. They hide behind it and hope the ducks won't figure out what they're up to."  Hmmm.. what do you do behind a duck blind? You shoot ducks. Well what would you do behind a "colorblind?"

Bob Kerrey denounced the NAACP ad saying that Bush not signing a hate crimes law was the same as dragging a black man in chains behind a truck again.

I'm still researching this subject so I may post more.

[NHPolitico]

I personally find the GOP whipping up racial tensions to win close races in the Deep South(ala Barbour 2003) even more disgusting.
Divide and Rule.

Urgh...

This is like the GA Senate race from last year. Democrats say that Chambliss won and Cleland lost because voters believed Chambliss' lie that Cleland was an unpatriotic traitor and Democrats just repeat it over and over as if it were a fact.

Same thing with this lie that Barbour is governor because he celebrated racism.  It's garbage. First, the "racist" event Haley went to was not sponsored by the CCC. The CCC sponsored a barbecue at the event, but the event was sponsored by the Black Hawk (private school) Bus Association and the Carrollton Masonic Lodge.  Ronnie Musgrove said he had attended the Black Hawk rally in support of raising money for these buses in the past but didn't then because of a scheduling conflict.   If the BHBA wants to accept a check from the CCC that's their damn business.  And that "racist" Southern Cross flag he wore was supported by a huge majority of the population of MS in the ballot vote a few years ago.  I suppose most of the whole state are racists, and I suppose it's only proper they have a racist governor.

[NHPolitico]

Do you realize how racist your posts on this thread look(I'm not calling you a racist but the stuff you wrote looks bad)
I accept that this will cause an enraged responce, but the tone of what you wrote seems to me to be quite unsettling.
No offense ment.

It's hard for me to follow the chains of posts, but I'm guessing you're replying to me. I'm not a raging person, so no, I won't be posting an enraged response.  What exactly did I write that "looks" racist?  I did say that if one thinks that the flag on his lapel is racist and that one thinks that those who'd wear it or support it are racists or foster racism, then most of the state is apparently racist or fosters racism, which, of course, is ridiculous.  

[NHPolitico]

Do you realize how racist your posts on this thread look(I'm not calling you a racist but the stuff you wrote looks bad)
I accept that this will cause an enraged responce, but the tone of what you wrote seems to me to be quite unsettling.
No offense ment.

And there are plenty of nutburgers of all races. Barbara Blackmon just happens to be black. She could happen to be purple, but she is a nutburger regardless.  I don't know exactly what it means about the Democrat primary voters of Mississippi that they'd nominate her.  It could be that she was the only one literally crazy enough to run against Tuck.  I'd think it would be better to not nominate anyone like the AR-GOP does with great frequency.

[NHPolitico]

The way you talk about "blacks" voting stupidly, I guess. It's a little careless, perhaps, I myself did not react much but I can see how one definitely could. Maybe you should just think about it.

Exactly.

When did I say blacks vote "stupidly"?

[NHPolitico]

The way you talk about "blacks" voting stupidly, I guess. It's a little careless, perhaps, I myself did not react much but I can see how one definitely could. Maybe you should just think about it.

Exactly.

Hah! I'm a mind-reader!

When did I say blacks vote "stupidly"?

[NHPolitico]

Do you realize how racist your posts on this thread look(I'm not calling you a racist but the stuff you wrote looks bad)
I accept that this will cause an enraged responce, but the tone of what you wrote seems to me to be quite unsettling.
No offense ment.

It's hard for me to follow the chains of posts, but I'm guessing you're replying to me. I'm not a raging person, so no, I won't be posting an enraged response.  What exactly did I write that "looks" racist?  I did say that if one thinks that the flag on his lapel is racist and that one thinks that those who'd wear it or support it are racists or foster racism, then most of the state is apparently racist or fosters racism, which, of course, is ridiculous.  

I haven't read all of the posts carefully, but I would just like to point out that the use of symbols should be done with some consideration. The "Heil Hitler salute" is not racist, it's Roman, the Swastika is an ancient Asian symbol and calling oneself a national socialist does not necessarily correspond approval of Hitler's deeds. All these things are true. Nevertheless, I would never use any of these symbols, since I know how most people look at them, and b/c everyone knows that those who use it are viewed as racists, only actual racists feel comfortable doing so. That is not strange, it is natural.

So, because ACT-UP uses the rainbow, religious groups should reconsider using the rainbow, because people may misinterpret what it means?  If some loony Koresh-ite were the leader of a nation and made genocide on his people (because we had a government that didn't want to intervene like FDR didn't) and he used the cross as his symbol, should Christians let the cross be as worthless as a positive symbol as the swastika? You can't let people steal your symbols.

[NHPolitico]

The way you talk about "blacks" voting stupidly, I guess. It's a little careless, perhaps, I myself did not react much but I can see how one definitely could. Maybe you should just think about it.

Exactly.

Hah! I'm a mind-reader!

When did I say blacks vote "stupidly"?

This could be interpreted that way, for example: "She got plenty of black votes.  Maybe they didn't know she was a nut because they didn't really follow the race, maybe they just vote Dem by reflex"

I am not accusing you of being racist, just that your language could be interpreted that way. Personally, I am not bothered by it, as I state above, since I am rather tolerant, but other people well could.

Plenty of uninformed people vote of all races.  They aren't voting stupidly, just unwisely and without due diligence. Some don't even bother to wipe hanging chads off their ballots despite having been instructed to do so multiple ways.

[NHPolitico]

The way you talk about "blacks" voting stupidly, I guess. It's a little careless, perhaps, I myself did not react much but I can see how one definitely could. Maybe you should just think about it.

Exactly.

Hah! I'm a mind-reader!

When did I say blacks vote "stupidly"?

This could be interpreted that way, for example: "She got plenty of black votes.  Maybe they didn't know she was a nut because they didn't really follow the race, maybe they just vote Dem by reflex"

I am not accusing you of being racist, just that your language could be interpreted that way. Personally, I am not bothered by it, as I state above, since I am rather tolerant, but other people well could.

And what do you think could be the explanation, out of curiousity? Uninformed? Reflex? How do you come down?

[NHPolitico]

It's the African American voter who votes more on party than ideology. They've done polling on things like vouchers and Social Security partial privatization. They do well with black voters-- until you tell them that those are "Republican" ideas.  

I have statistics that show that blacks are receptive to some Republican ideas, if you don't connect it to the party itself. I don't disagree with you, but if it's true that blacks vote on party moreso than ideology, why are most black congresspeople strongly liberal?

I think because they are anti-Republican more than strongly liberal. The liberals are the most anti-Republican in their speeches and that's what black voters want to hear.  It's not especially about ideology.

[NHPolitico]

FYI, I actually meant to write "I have SEEN statistics that show that blacks are receptive to some Republican ideas, if you don't connect it to the party itself."

rather than

"I have statistics that show..."

I interpreted it that way.  Regardless, it's interesting that this bloc of voters vote in an almost totally reactionary way.   It would be interesting to have a national black candidate who could get votes from only black voters so we could really see what pro-active things they'd want in policy.  I don't think we get that with blacks in black CDs.