Can Artur Davis get out the black vote?

[Padfoot]

Will having another black candidate on the top of the Alabama ticket help Parker Griffith and Bobby Bright at all in their re-election bids?  Having Obama at the top of the ticket almost certainly pushed these two over the top in 2008.  I'm wondering if Artur Davis will have the same effect.

[Lunar]

He doesn't want to be the "black candidate" that's for sure.  I think this race is going to tell us a lot about racial politics in the South during the Obama era. 

If you want a good quick read about, I suggest this Smith blog post:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1209/Race_and_politics_in_Alabama.html

Artur would love to have a ton of Sister Souljah moments.  He knows he'll have to take the black vote for granted to some extent since even if they are super motivated, that won't be enough to win a majority unless he faces off against Mr. 10 Commandments (and even then it'll be an uphill climb).

He'll likely lose, but he'll get a position in the Obama administration afterward and we'll all get some great information from that race.  It'll teach us a lot about what works and what doesn't work in this sort of context.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I'm not sure we can say that Obama helped both Bright and Griffin in 2008. Griffin comes from a district which has been in Democratic hands for generations: northern blue collar Alabama, while Bright won mostly due his own popularity in the district. 

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I'm not sure we can say that Obama helped both Bright and Griffin in 2008. Griffin comes from a district which has been in Democratic hands for generations: northern blue collar Alabama, while Bright won mostly due his own popularity in the district. 

I don't think Bright would have won had Obama not greatly increased black turnout, but I would argue that Obama's presence on the ticket actually hurt Griffith a lot.

[timmer123]

I highly doubt black turnout is high enough to save either of them.

[The Age Wave]

I sadly doubt it.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Black turnout caused by Obama undoubtely helped Bright, but not Obama himself. Nothing would hurth Bobby more, than President comes to his district.

Griffin? His district is mostly white anyway.

[timmer123]

Just listen to yourselves.  This conversation is pathetic.  Basically what you're saying is that Democrats can't win elections unless on issues and candidates, they have to rely on blacks come to the polls to vote for a black guy, and at the same time vote for a Democrat for the House just because he has a D next to his name. 

[Lief 🗽]

Why does it matter whether we hold Bright and Griffith's seats? They both vote like Republicans; they've opposed the stimulus, health care and cap and trade. They're useless and they'll be draining DCCC money.

[timmer123]

With respect, friend, thank God you don't live here and you can't vote here.

[Lief 🗽]

With respect, friend, thank God you don't live here and you can't vote here.

Live where? Alabama? I also thank God each and every day that I do not live there.

[timmer123]

Alabama's not too bad a place, but, I meant the US in general.  If you support the economic "stimulus," cap and trade, and Obama/Reid/Pelosi health care reform, I am glad you cannot vote here.

[Lief 🗽]

Alabama's not too bad a place, but, I meant the US in general.  If you support the economic "stimulus," cap and trade, and Obama/Reid/Pelosi health care reform, I am glad you cannot vote here.

Er, I do live in the United States. I attend university in DC and my permanent address is in Texas. Also I'm a US citizen and vote.

And yes, I support all of those things, because I am not a crazy person and those are all pretty moderate, pragmatic reforms.

[Bo]

He probably could, but the extent depends on how the African-American community in Alabama views Davis's conservative positions on some issues. I have a feeling that he might be more conservative than they want, so that might somewhat depress turnout. However, he will probably have at least some success in getting out the black vote due to identity politics.

[DariusNJ]

Yes. He may be conservative, but blacks in Alabama are going to support his candidacy just like they did with Obama.

The key is the white vote.

[Vepres]

Alabama's not too bad a place, but, I meant the US in general.  If you support the economic "stimulus," cap and trade, and Obama/Reid/Pelosi health care reform, I am glad you cannot vote here.

Er, I do live in the United States. I attend university in DC and my permanent address is in Texas. Also I'm a US citizen and vote.

And yes, I support all of those things, because I am not a crazy person and those are all pretty moderate, pragmatic reforms.

LOL, maybe in France

[War on Want]

Alabama's not too bad a place, but, I meant the US in general.  If you support the economic "stimulus," cap and trade, and Obama/Reid/Pelosi health care reform, I am glad you cannot vote here.

Er, I do live in the United States. I attend university in DC and my permanent address is in Texas. Also I'm a US citizen and vote.

And yes, I support all of those things, because I am not a crazy person and those are all pretty moderate, pragmatic reforms.

LOL, maybe in France

More like in almost all developed nations, slugger.

[Hash]

Yes. He may be conservative, but blacks in Alabama are going to support his candidacy just like they did with Obama.

The problem is making black voters actually turn out, not how they vote once they do.

[timmer123]

Yes. He may be conservative, but blacks in Alabama are going to support his candidacy just like they did with Obama.

The problem is making black voters actually turn out, not how they vote once they do.

Yup.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

It isn't so much an issue of black voting, to me, as it is white voting.  Davis may be able to match Obama for black voting, but even a decreased white vote won't give him the election.  He needs to find a way to appeal to enough white voters to win, which I doubt he can do.

[Хahar 🤔]

Alabama's not too bad a place, but, I meant the US in general.  If you support the economic "stimulus," cap and trade, and Obama/Reid/Pelosi health care reform, I am glad you cannot vote here.

Er, I do live in the United States. I attend university in DC and my permanent address is in Texas. Also I'm a US citizen and vote.

And yes, I support all of those things, because I am not a crazy person and those are all pretty moderate, pragmatic reforms.

LOL, maybe in France

Think before you talk. Do you have any idea of the history of labor relations in France?