Saturday, October 30, 2004
Kerry and African-American vote
John Kerry's been doing a lot of black churches campaigning lately, trying to convince the African-American community that he would be the second African-American president in US history.
If the polling is anything to go by, his efforts aren't paying off:
Pundits are skeptical:
Still, a swing by African-Americans towards Bush would more than compensate for any swing against by Arab and Muslim Americans. We'll find out soon enough.
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If the polling is anything to go by, his efforts aren't paying off:
"Senator John Kerry beats President Bush among African American voters (69 to 18 percent) according to a new poll released today by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.Twice as many , in fact.
"Only 22 percent of African Americans give President Bush high job ratings, 67 percent of them view him unfavorably, and almost three-quarters of them disapprove of the president's handling of Iraq.
"And yet, in a surprising contradiction, more African Americans say they are willing to vote for President George W. Bush on November 2 than did in 2000, even though his favorable rating is lower now than it was four years ago."
Pundits are skeptical:
" 'If they're saying Bush is at 18 percent among black voters, that's a non-starter,' said Morris Reid, a Democratic communications strategist who said blacks consider Mr. Bush's record so terrible that 'if he gets 5 percent of the African-American vote, I'll be shocked.' Some Republicans also scoffed at the numbers privately, saying Mr. Bush will be lucky to match the 8 percent of the black vote that he received in 2000."For the Republicans, it's just hosing down expectations, for the Dems it's some very tortured logic - don't believe the African-Americans when they say they'll vote for Bush; it's impossible.
Still, a swing by African-Americans towards Bush would more than compensate for any swing against by Arab and Muslim Americans. We'll find out soon enough.
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