Sex matters
What matters in a presidential contest?
That was among the questions bandied about Thursday during a spirited bipartisan panel discussion on one of the topics high on the National Urban League’s agenda — “Will the Black Vote Be Taken for Granted in the 2008 Presidential Election?”
USA Today columnist DeWayne Wickham summed it up by offering cautions to those who support U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., or Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
âGender still matters … race still matters,” Wickham said.
âIf Obama was selected,” for example, he predicted, âthat would bring great joy to the Republicans.”
Throughout the nation’s history, Wickham added, the presidential victor has “been the last white male left standing.”
That was among the reasons why he added that former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina still had a chance, despite some political setbacks in recent weeks.
âHe’s a sleeper and sometimes comes across as soft and weak,” Wickham said. âBut since 1964, no Democrat has been elected to the White House who didn’t come from the South. Region still matters. If you can’t crack the solid South, you won’t win the presidency.”
(The Rev. Al Sharpton also praised Edwards as “brave” for centering his current campaign about poverty and refusing to back his “Two Americas” theme from 2004.)
As for the Republicans, Wickham and the Rev. Joe Watkins – a Republican analyst for MSNBC — both said that Sen. John McCain’s support for the Iraq War has hurt him with independent voters, while fellow Republicans are turned off by his stance on immigration (he agrees with the president on some sort of guest worker program).
Watkins contended that the GOP candidate to watch is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has raised the most money and has strong poll numbers in early primary states. Watkins said those pluses will help Romney overcome his low poll numbers nationally.
Wickham contended, however, that Romney is damaged by his image as a flip-flopper. “He was the Republican governor of a liberal Democratic state, and he now acts like he was the governor of Alabama at the same time as George Wallace,” Wickham said.
Wall also praised Romney as having the best minority-outreach program. To that, Morial replied, âThen call him and tell him I’ve got a mike for him tomorrow” at the presidential forum.
But it was the sparring over former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani that brought down the house. Watkins had praised Giuliani’s image as a take-charge leader in the aftermath of 9/11, but added that his personal problems could cause trouble at the polls, especially with fellow Republicans.
Watkins noted the public troubles that Giuliani “has had with his wives…”
The Rev. Al Sharpton jumped in to emphasize the reference to “WIVES,” as he put it loudly. The crowd roared.
Sharpton then recounted how Giuliani had been taken to court to prevent his then-girlfriend (now wife) from being taken to the city-owned mayoral residence while his current wife and children lived there. Such episodes won’t play when they’re publicized to voters nationally, Sharpton said.
Said Wickham: “I think the female vote will run to the Democrat if (Giuliani) is the nominee.”
Republican commentator Tara Wall then interrupted to note the scandal over former Democratic President Bill Clinton’s dalliances with intern Monica Lewinsky in the White House. “The White House is our (taxpayers’) house as well,” she said, attempting to put Sen. Clinton and Giuliani in the same boat.
The crowd wasn’t buying it. They cheered when Sharpton jumped in, declaring, “This time Hillary is running, not Bill.”
Wall countered that Sen. Clinton has been campaigning a lot lately with her husband, but that didn’t seem to sway the audience.
The moderator, National Urban League President Marc Morial, broke up the verbal back-and-forth to observe that both sides had underscored the same point:
“Sex matters.”
On that point, the audience laughed in agreement.
Rev. Sharpton is a riot. But perhaps somebody could ask him about Tawana Brawley.
Half of the black people complaining (or more) won’t even get out of bed and make the effort to go vote. WHAT A FREAKING JOKE and no the BLACK vote doesn’t matter anymore that is why they were snubbed.
To vote for a woman because she is a woman is stupid. Likewise, to not vote for a woman because she is a woman is stupid. The parties need to let the strongest candidate run — regardless of sex or race and see what happens. The more times that the voters are faced with a non-white male choice the less of an issue it becomes.
For Hillary, there is no separating her from Bill. Bill was the pig and Hillary was looking the other way for years. If she is going to ignore a crisis in her marriage (so she can remain a governer’s and president’s wife) then what crisis will she ignore as President?
Think: Excellent point!
The Question is and remains: is this country ready to vote for a woman for President?
And
Are we ready to vote for THIS woman?
I’m pretty sure that the answer to the first question is a qualified yes.
I’m almost as sure that the answer to the second is no.
We’ll see
I thought the theme of the Urban League convention was empowering Afican-Americans to improve their financial position. In this article, it sounds like just another group of liberals jockeying to get on board with the Democrat candidate who does the best job of pandering.
Whoa!!!! A meeting between the Urban League members has forgotten the poor who are Blacks, Whites, and other races? It has become a chirade of diffent nonsenses to elevate the worthiness of Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson. If that is their goal, plan on having the Urban league as permanent fixtures in St. Louis.
When will they vote on Reparations? Any idea how much they will vote themselves?
This is proof positive to my postulation that It is impossible to overestimate the ignorance of the American public. I will now elevate my postulation to becoming a THEORY.
How can anyone take those clowns seriously?
What next? Hellary Clinton advocating for free sex in the Oral Office in the White House?
Funny Stuff.
johnh,
You appear to be someone full of many good works, but without the right heart in all areas, all those good works are dead and are in vain.
Being American Indian, I certainly empathize with your anger and disgust concerning much of the U.S. government and the majority White America and the attention African Americans are demanding.
THE FOCUS ON WHITE AMERICA SHOULD BE:
Ceasing oppressive policies in this country against the poor and minority, injustices in the U.S. against the poor and ones due to being minority and ceasing the extreme bias policies that exist throughout U.S,. systems etc…
THE FOCUS BY MINORITIES SHOULD BE:
Recognizing that people who practice these behaviors and cause to be in place such policies and behave in such manners are truly children of the devil weather they are proclaiming Christ or not.
To not cause these things from Satan to entrap you into destroying yourselves as has been the case and always remember the real injustices that Christ Himself went through, much like the injust court system against minorites that has always existed in this country.
The only way to overcome these injustices are spiritually otherwise you are no match against Satan, point blank. Remember always, when Christ was crucified, those who follow Him, believe in Him and most important and absolutely a requiremnent is, obey, be doers of all that is instructed have authority over this sort of evilin our world. It’s the only way.
The focus for the majority of those proclaiming to be Christians no matter what your race, it is required of you to behave as Christians and to stop lying to yourselves and making up what God and Christ is relying on your own foolish intellect and desires because, doing so is that wide road leading to Hell.
2008 Democratic National Convention Agenda
7:00 pm Opening flag burning
7:15 pm Pledge of Allegiance to the U.N.
7:20 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
7:25 pm Nonreligious prayer and worship with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton
7:45 pm Ceremonial tree hugging
7:55 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
8:00 pm How I Invented the Internet - Al Gore
8:15 pm Gay Wedding - Barney Frank presiding
8:35 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
8:40 pm Our Troops are War Criminals - John Kerry
9.00 pm Memorial service for Saddam and his sons - Cindy Sheehan, Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda
9:30 pm I’m just a Business Man - AFL-CIO president John J. Sweeney
10:00 pm “Answering Machine Etiquette” - Alec Baldwin
11:00 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
11:05 PM Collection for the Osama Bin Laden kidney transplant fund - Barbara Streisand
11:15 pm Free the Freedom Fighters from Guantanamo Bay - Sean Penn
11:30 pm Oval Office Affairs - William Jefferson Clinton
11:45 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
11:50 pm How George Bush Brought Down the Twin Towers on 9/11 - Howard Dean
12:15 am “Truth in Broadcasting Award” - Presented to Dan Rather by Michael Moore
12:25 am Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
12:30 am Satellite address by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
12:45 am Nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Nancy Pelosi
1:00 am Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
1:05 am Scientology Sayance - Madonna, Tom Cruise and John Travolta
1:30 am Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
1:35 am Bill Clinton asks Ted to drive Hillary home
LEE DOG,
So are you suggesting that Democrats are immoral and Republicans are righteous and moral?
Are you suggesting that Democrats are unpatriotic and Republicans are patriotic.
It appears to me that ones such as yourself and most other Republicans have place their desires and will for this country ahead of the righteous desires that God have commanded for mankind? You know, the God that Republicans claim to follow and are on their side. But, then again they never make clear what God they are following, I never hear much about Christ when they speak about their God.
From the looks of how all things have unfolded and turned out, it certainly could not have been God whose name is Lord, whose Son is Christ.
Who do you think God finds more hope for ones who claim that they know Him and are following Him, but who have truly proved to practice many of the behaviors of Satan, deception, lies, confusion, destruction, death, just as the Pharasees, who were truly the children of the devil.
Or,
Ones who have enough good sense to not play self fulfilling games with God, but do not know God or claim to know Him very well?
That said, there some sincere, obedient and truly repenting Christians within both parties.
Citizens in this country must not confuse this ideal Republicans and others have come up with, their self fulfilling idea of what it mean to be patriotic ahead of what is morally right.
How anyone could ever have sincerely thought invading Iraq was morally right is beyond comprehension, and it should be especially so for anyone who claim to know God and His basic will concerning matters.
To attempt to bring democracy by force to any Muslim country or anyone is certainly not of Godly influences. But, I don’t believe this to be the real reason we invaded Iraq. Then again can’t keep up with the different reasons why we invaded.
Did we invade South Africa by war? Or Russia to force down the wall?
All in Congress who voted for the invasion of Iraq and could not discern through the smoke screen that was placed before their eyes should be voted out of office, both Democrats and Republicans, how can this country be trusted to such one’s hands?
Many of the average citizens and obviously a few in Congress saw the smoke screen from the beginning. So did Obama (D) and John Paul (R).
Let’s see, the question is ‘will the black vote be taken for granted?’
The answer is known before the question is even finished. 90% of the black vote goes towards the Democratic Party every single election, every single year. Why in the world SHOULDN’T the black vote be taken for granted?!? Constrastingly, why should a single Republican show up at these meetings?
With this voting contingent, Jesus Christ could run as a Republican - and he’d still lose handily (!)
Jesus Christ wouldn’t have voting against the 1964 Civil Rights Act.