Day By Day© by Chris Muir.

April 06, 2006

Black Voters Leaving the Plantation?

That's what I thought when I read this (via Drudge):

An internal document prepared by a top Democratic strategist warns that a majority of African American voters in Maryland are open to supporting Republican Senate candidate Michael S. Steele and advises the party not to wait to "knock Steele down."

"Governor Ehrlich and [Lt. Gov.] Michael Steele have a clear ability to break through the Democratic stronghold among African American voters in Maryland," says the March 27 report by Cornell Belcher, polling consultant for the Democratic National Committee, which bases its findings on a survey of 489 black voters in Maryland conducted last month.

What's next? A revelation that not all black people enjoy eating fried chicken and watermelon?

It's this kind of attitude toward black voters that is causing them to leave the DemoPratic party in droves: taking their loyalty for granted and offering them no real reasons to stick with the "Party of the People."

Maryland Democratic Party Executive Director Derek B. Walker said the study verified what, internally, party strategists had already concluded: that African American voters who have served as a reliable base for generations cannot be taken for granted.

"It confirms that in this day and age, everyone expects us to do more than just rest on history," Walker said. "We knew we were going to have to engage. But we also know it will be easier for us to forge that relationship because we're right on the issues."

As usual, the DemoPrats feel that it's not the message that's the problem, but how that message is communicated. Big mistake, especially since the poll showed Steele has a good deal of support from churchgoers. Values typically espoused by religious types aren't exactly a DemoPrat forte.

I like what Steele himself had to say about the subject:

In an interview in his State House office yesterday, Steele clutched the DNC report like a football coach who just got his hands on the opposing team's playbook. He said a copy "landed on our doorstep" in the past week.

"This explains everything," he said. "They're afraid of what I represent. They're afraid of the fact that African American voters have options, and I'm one of them."

Yep. But that won't stop the DemoPrats from trying to smear Steele by what they call "exploiting" his connections to President Bush. Why engage him on issues when you can paint him as an Uncle Tom or a house slave?

This race will be a big one. Keep your eyes on it.