Ark. Blacks Can’t Break State, Congress Barrier
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Andrew Demillo, AP, November 11, 2008
Arkansas remains the only state from the former Confederacy not to elect an African-American to Congress or any statewide office since Reconstruction—and last week it soundly rejected the man set to become the nation’s first black president.
Barack Obama lost by 20 percentage points, even though fellow Democrats control all of Arkansas’ statewide offices, both chambers of the Legislature and three of its four congressional districts.
Many blacks say race is the reason, and consider the poor showing to be another frustrating chapter in Arkansas’ long and tortured civil-rights history.
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Exit polls conducted with Arkansas voters last week showed that 68 percent of white voters went for Republican John McCain, with 30 percent voting for Obama. In 2004, President Bush carried 63 percent of the white vote, compared to 36 percent for Democrat John Kerry. Among white women in 2004, 60 percent voted for Bush; this year 68 percent went for McCain.
Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are the only states where President-elect Obama fared worse among white voters than Kerry did in his 2004 loss.
“It says to me that race is still a predominant issue in those states and that it was race that was the explanation” for Obama’s loss in those states, said David Bositis, senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington.
One reason no blacks have been elected to Congress in Arkansas is demographics: Unlike many Southern states, it has no predominantly black congressional districts. In a state of less than 3 million people, about 16 percent of them black, it would be difficult to draw up such a district.
For statewide offices, meanwhile, it took until 2002 for Democrats to even nominate a black candidate. Ron Sheffield, a lawyer in his first political run, lost in lieutenant governor’s race that year to billionaire GOP incumbent Win Rockefeller.
Sheffield said he wanted to show other minority candidates what was possible.
“Why run for a legislative seat that is in a district that is 80 percent minority? OK, you know a minority is going to be elected in a district that’s predominantly minority, but should a political candidate only run in districts that are safe districts where they know they’re going to probably get elected?” Sheffield said. “I don’t understand that.”
In 2004 and 2006, Appeals Court Judge Wendell Griffen lost statewide bids in nonpartisan state Supreme Court races while simultaneously fighting a disciplinary panel over the rights of judges to speak out on political issues.
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Democrats also say they think the state’s 2010 elections will offer a chance for them to shine, with at least one black state senator eyeing a race for secretary of state.
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Black leaders in the state say both parties need to do a better job of recruiting black candidates who can run for higher office and win. If not, the state could suffer economically as much as politically, they say.
“That’s why we’re having a migration out of Arkansas of talented young black professionals,” Griffen said. “They don’t see an opportunity for real long-term progress in public policy involvement if they stay here in this state.”
(Posted on November 12, 2008)
Comments
“OK, you know a minority is going to be elected in a district that’s predominantly minority, but should a political candidate only run in districts that are safe districts where they know they’re going to probably get elected?” Sheffield said. “I don’t understand that.”
Ron Sheffield should be made an honorary Rebublican.
Posted by Mr. Pibb at 6:40 PM on November 12
I want to know. How will not electing incompetent people will hurt the economy and politics in Arkansas? Of all the failures and shortcomings of white civilisations. I assure you it was not caused by a lack of “diversity”. The White South even survived the 10 years of forced “reconstruction”. Look at the South now. We are growing by leaps and bounds with industry. Even though we are still restrained by civil and reconstruction acts. We continue to out do the nation as a whole. This is all the more reason to separate ourselves from those people who wish us harm, politically and economically. DeoVindice
Posted by GrayGhost at 6:46 PM on November 12
“That’s why we’re having a migration out of Arkansas of talented young black professionals,” Griffen said. “They don’t see an opportunity for real long-term progress in public policy involvement if they stay here in this state.”
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Sounds like the whines of black power supremacists whining because they don’t control things. I can’t wait until I move out of Las Vegas and get back down south.
Posted by RHG at 7:00 PM on November 12
The way that African - Americans get elected to office is by:
(1) coming from a district that is predominately African - American;
(2) coming from a district that is predominately liberal; and by,
(3) a combination of the two.
I am so sick of the liberal drive by media lambasting whites who do not vote for their chosen candidates.
This country needs to be divided up into sections whereby those who want to forever cram affirmative action down our throats can live among those they champion. That does not mean that they should be able to enforce their perverted views upon the rest of us who do not share their enlighten views.
A Japanese friend of mine brought the real issue home to me today when I asked her the real reason that Asians support our current President Elect. Her answer. “We are in competition with you!” Japan is a country about the size of New England that has an inhospitable climate, no natural resources, no large population, AND NO DIVERSITY. It seems to do all right.
Suppose that the entire country of Japan was composed of nothing but African - Americans? How well do you suppose the country would do then? Anyone ever heard of Hatti?
MoMo
Posted by MoMo at 7:03 PM on November 12
“Unlike many Southern states, it has no predominantly black congressional districts. In a state of less than 3 million people, about 16 percent of them black, it would be difficult to draw up such a district.”
Translation: Gerrymandering has not arrived yet to artifically rig the election process.
JR
Posted by at 7:12 PM on November 12
“That’s why we’re having a migration out of Arkansas of talented young black professionals,” Griffen said. “They don’t see an opportunity for real long-term progress in public policy involvement if they stay here in this state.”
NAACP, Rainbow, ACLU, leadership conferences, Job field racial associations, racial ‘community centers’, EEOC… I would think blacks would have Greater prospects of public policy influence.
Posted by DB at 7:15 PM on November 12
“One reason no blacks have been elected to Congress in Arkansas is demographics: Unlike many Southern states, it has no predominantly black congressional districts. In a state of less than 3 million people, about 16 percent of them black, it would be difficult to draw up such a district.”
Another reason for segregation. If they had their own communities, they would form a united voting block.
Posted by sbuffalonative at 7:44 PM on November 12
“That’s why we’re having a migration out of Arkansas of talented young black professionals,” “
He means there are no affirmative action positions for blacks.
They should get in touch with George Soros, Penny Pritzker and the Annenberg foundation. I am sure they would be happy to create and fund numerous black office holders.
Posted by at 8:29 PM on November 12
“Many blacks say race is the reason, and consider the poor showing to be another frustrating chapter in Arkansas’ long and tortured civil-rights history.”
Of course blacks blame race if they want somethng and can’t get it because of a lack of qualifications and/or inadequate intelligence.
They’re not very bright, but they do understand that the only way they’re going to get something they’re not qualified for is by intimidating whites into voting for them.
The whining will never stop.
Posted by Ranger at 9:07 PM on November 12
Sounds like a good place for me to continue my retirement.
BTW, the article stated that 30 percent of Whites voted for Obama. Nowhere in the article did it state what percent of Arkansas’ wonderful African population voted for McCain. I wonder why?
Posted by Annoyed In Illinois at 10:04 PM on November 12
Arkansas survived the latest Reconstruction during the years Bill Clinton was Governor. (He did a two-year term from 1978-80 and was re-elected 1982-1992.)
I was in Camden, Arkansas in 1991-92 when Bill Clinton and the state Attorney General forced the City to surrender its charter and recharter the City without at-large positions on the City Council. Clinton was convinced that at-large positions prevented local blacks from electing people to the City Council. (Two local school districts, Fairview and Camden, were forced to merge to combine a white school district with a black school district.)
At another nearby school district (Harmony Grove), Clinton forced the white school board members to resign, and required new special elections to fill their positions, with three positions RESERVED for black candidates only.
The tactic was always the same….threaten lawsuit and offer a one-sided consent decree as a solution.
Yes, Arkansas has many people who remember Reconstruction in their lifetime.
Posted by Memphomaniac at 11:12 PM on November 12
My wife was born and raised in Arkansas, we are planning to move there and she is looking for property at this very moment. Though when the country collapses totally in 2012, state borders will no longer be recognized.
Posted by SKip at 1:38 AM on November 13
This article makes me want to move to Arkansas. I was there once and thought it was a beautiful state with very friendly people.
I have a preference for the Mid-South states that resisted Obama. Southeastern states such as Virginia and North Carolina just aren’t the same anymore, too many yankees migrated there and ruined things.
Posted by Jay at 2:12 AM on November 13
Poor Blacks, they have everything handed to them on
a golden platter today. And yet they can never get ahead
because they see racism everywhere. They will never be
happy ever, yet Liberals are too stupid to figure this out.
Posted by Tolerance means putting up with the Intolerable at 12:22 PM on November 13
Black African leaders wish to redistribute the land where American black leaders only want to redistribute the wealth.
Yes I can see a big difference. Arkansas will be called Little Detroit and not Zimbabwe.
Posted by Daniel at 2:13 PM on November 13
Did I miss something?
They gave the voting breakdown for whites between McCain and Obama but not the blacks. I guess we will never know who black people voted for.
Parties must do a better job recruiting blacks to run for office? How about blacks trying harder to become elected?
So blacks are leaving Arkansas? Are they moving to Africa or are they going to stay in the (evil for them) United States?
Posted by Dennis at 3:30 PM on November 13
Reply to SKip who said:
“Though when the the country collapses totally in 2012, state borders will no longer be recognized.”
If the Obama Adminstration fails at getting America up and running again, and becomes that much of a failure. Then in 2012, Sarah Palin could be elected to become the first woman President.
If the Obama Administration fails, another consequence is that angry blacks and white liberals who voted for him, could become angry and disillusioned, and then take to rioting in the streets.
To everyone reading this post, would you want to be the President of the United States? I would not want the job because such issues as getting our nation’s economy running again, the war in Iraq, global warming, terrorism, illegal immigration, the threats to our freedoms being taken away because of 9-11, and other major issues would be my responsibility to solve!
Posted by Ross at 5:36 PM on November 13
I have a preference for the Mid-South states that resisted Obama. Southeastern states such as Virginia and North Carolina just aren’t the same anymore, too many yankees migrated there and ruined things.
This is true. I live in S.C. and northerners come to my area (a beach resort) and look for places like “a touch of Pittsburgh” comes to mind. I wonder why they just didn’t stay in Pittsburgh if they like the crimestyl……I mean, LIFESTYLE of Pittsburgh. A sign posted at the visitors welcome center for a while said, “thank you for visiting S.C. please leave your money and go home” it didn’t last long as you might imagine
Posted by Skip at 5:05 AM on November 16