Is Hillary Banking on the Black Vote?

[politicasista]

Snip:

Is Hillary Banking on the Black Vote
By Pamela Gentry, BET News Senior Political Producer


Posted Apr. 6, 2007 – In February of this year I sent a request to the Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign for an interview with BET. I never received a response, so I decided to call the office Thursday to find where the request was languishing.

Perhaps Clinton considers the Black vote an easy get and that she doesn’t need to target her message to the Black community because of her husband’s popularity. Not to mention, she’s courted several influential Black agents and secured them in her camp.

But she must realize that Black folks haven’t all decided she’s the only option. They know she isn’t Bill Clinton. The race is starting to heat up, and when Clinton comes face to face with the African-American community, I think they’ll find she isn’t the southern gentleman with a warm smile, like challenger John Edwards, nor is she Black like Obama. I’ve seen both of them in action, and these guys are well received in communities of colors.

Clinton has managed to get members of the Congressional Black Caucus to endorse her over their colleague Obama. A smart move, but she’s banking high-profile Black elected officials and activists will deliver the Black vote, which could be a costly mistake.

This is how politics works, but I suspect that Black folks will demand more before signing onto the Clinton campaign. If Black members of Congress are bartering their influence, they better make sure they get an appointment that counts. If they aren’t going to be able to secure a prestigious cabinet post, or a shot at being the ambassador to France, they may want to hold out until after the primary.

It’s only been two months since I made my interview request. I’ll just have to wait and see how Clinton polls with Black voters and see if and
when that’ll translate into an interview.

http://www.bet.com/News/pamelablogbankingonblackvote.htm?wbc_purpose=Basic&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished&Referrer=%7BF039956B-9AF7-4605-8D9F-14FC7A8B687F%7D

[babylonsister]

1. So she dissed BET, did she. Not smart politically at all; I'm

surprised.

[RacingBobbie]

2. She needs

all the help she can get!!!
She will not get in without them.

[Solo_in_MD]

3. Every democratic nominee counts on the house constiuencies

but in the primary they tend to be split. I don't think she has a lock on any of them yet.

[KingFlorez]

4. BET is a poor excuse for a station

I don't necessarily blame her for not returning their call, the channel hardly represents anything positive they way they play rap videos all day. Her not returning the call has nothing to do with her thinking the black vote is an easy get.

[Captain Hilts]

6. The depiction of women in much of the programing is upsetting. nt

[politicasista]

8. As a woman, I agree with the point about BET

I remember when BET used to be a repectable network. They used to have videos that were classy, a newscast, and positive shows (i.e. Teen Summit) Now, it's just trash. I look at VH1-Soul now.

[Township75]

9. Right On! Turn on that channel and it's a Skin-amax wanna-be.

Who the fuck cares if they fill dissed?

[goclark]

12. BET may not be perfect in the eyes of some but it is

very popular with the African American population, especially the young voters.

Edit: Just as CNN and MSNBC are not perfect in the eyes of the overall population that understands the Corporate Owned Media.

[beaconess]

23. I don't think that BET is any more popular with the "African American population"

than MTV is with the "white population." Some black people watch it. Most don't since the majority of us are much more highly evolved in our taste and our choice for entertainment and information.


Hillary Clinton - and anyone else - is more more likely to be seen by me and many other black folk by appearing on CNN or ESPN or PBS or any number of channels watched by all sorts of people than she would be by showing up on BET.

Black people are not some special cases who are living in bubbles so distant that we can't keep up with what the rest of Americans are following unless the message is specially crafted just for and directed just at us. Candidates who treat us like they treat other voters, instead of assuming the stereotypes about us are true - may be surprised at how far they'll get with us.

[NormanYorkstein]

24. I totally agree

It's full of trash and unwatchable.

[Captain Hilts]

5. ALL Dems bank on the black vote. The worst they'll do is not vote at all. nt

[loudsue]

7. Yes, but the candidates need to worry about the primaries first & foremost.

Unless, of course, they're very closely tied to the big corporations, some of which are COUNTING THE VOTES with their secret programming.

I don't PERSONALLY know ANY Democrat who supports Hillary. I see posts here on DU, and on some other blogs, of Hillary supporters. But in real life (as opposed to cyber life or tv life), I don't know any of them.

:kick:

[Captain Hilts]

10. Relationships are self-selecting. So, folks like ourselves tend to think as we do.

I was a pollster for 8 years.

[ShortnFiery]

11. Well, I have been successful at getting my husband to turn from HRC to Obama.

Now the above is no small feat! My husband convinced me to vote for Clinton the second time and not to vote for Nader (but Gore and Kerry) two times (2000 and 2004).

I'm a dyed in the wool liberal but TRY to keep perspective on who can win a Presidential election when I finally cast my vote.

All I did was encourage my husband to research more on Obama and to also realize that HRC is is the back pocket of the big money and corporate DLC. During times of prosperity, Bill Clinton served us well. However, in these dire times when the Military Industrial Complex is gutting our Treasury (OUR tax dollars) to pay for endless war, we need someone who's NOT a Washington Insider OR who's beholden to special interest PACs. :-)

Go Obama! :applause:

I also have not met anyone, save for right wingers who are only going to vote for HRC in our open VA primary ... so that ANY Republican can win the Presidency in The General Election. :shrug:

[Captain Hilts]

13. I like Obama a lot too, but...

again, your friendships - and mine - are not indicative of the general voting population.

[ShortnFiery]

18. My right winger acquaintances are co-workers and neighbors,

not even CLOSE to what I would consider friends.

The right wing may even vote for her in the open primaries BECAUSE they know that she hasn't a snowball's chance of winning.

IMO, only Terry McCallif <sp?> and other delusional DLCers TRULY BELIEVE that HRC can win. They honestly think that THE PEOPLE think like the damn Corporate M$M tells us to. :rofl:

BTW, it was so funny this A.M. to see Tweety once again get put-down by *all* his guests (even Whora O'Donnell) that his beloved present "man crush", one each, Fred Thompson doesn't stand a chance and won't even enter the Presidential race. Oh the sadness on Tweety's face when the truth was allowed to be revealed. :P

Tweety, Blitzer, Roberts, Tucker, Hannity, Gibson and C. Wallace all live in "the parallel universe" of those who serve the POWER Players of The Military Industrial Machine. They are smooth but not smooth enough.

The difference = Valid Internet sources can shine a light on the TREASON of our present day USA M$M.

It's only in the dark recesses of the Ultra Wealthy's delusional minds that entertains even a Primary Victory for HRC. The base of the party WANTS CHANGE and my numerous Right Wing acquaintances hate her so much they won't go out in droves to even vote for her in the Primary albeit it would cinch a Republican General Election Win. Right Wingers of modest income can only follow like sheep "for the moment" or the particular wedge issue. These "hate filled" wingers can not think too many steps ahead. ;)

No worries, all will soon be revealed when the Primary votes are counted and the M$M is jumping through hoops trying to justify why they are CLUELESS. As it should be. :thumbsup: ;)

[ShortnFiery]

20. Actually counting The Black Vote in Florida would have guaranteed the election for GORE

The Black Vote should not ever be marginalized. It IS important!

[BenDavid]

14. I believe HRC understood the

Black vote in this election would not be taken for granted way before Obama even thought about entering the race. She will work hard to get the black vote even during the campaign and will work harder when she is the nominee and you can take that to the bank...All this crap about her taken for granted the black vote because Bill is highly thought of in the black community is nothing more then a lie and I would like to ask one question. Is Hillary Clinton not the most investigated woman in America? My answer is yes she is and what is it you all that hate her are afraid of? What you want her to grovel and apoligize for the Iraq vote? i believe that is what most of you want her to do, but she id not going too and has no need too...and one other thing I would like to write....Anyone attacking Her for her vote must be able to explain why they gave Kerry a pass. So far, nobody's been able to explain their selective accountability.Obama is the Republicans's dream come true. If Gore couldn't carry Tennessee, how can Obama? If Harold Ford could not win a Senate seat because of some late minute racial overtones by his white opponent, just think what will be done to Obama and this will not only be in Tenn. but in all the 50.....

But seriously, between Obama with two years experience and the only team to win back-to-back presidential campaigns since FDR, (the team that beat war hero Bush and war hero Dole), ...who do you think the super-racist GOP wants to run against?

[flpoljunkie]

17. Then explain why the R's are working so hard to promote HRC as our nominee, while trashing Obama.

Obama can win some of the Southerns states that Kerry lost. If Hillary is our nominee, the Republicans will crawl to the polls to vote against her and whomever they select for their nominee.

Don't tell me Obama can't win in the South, and win the presidence. Name one state in the South that Hillary could win that Obama couldn't.

[beaconess]

25. Are you just cutting and pasting in thread after thread?

This is almost verbatim the anti-Obama diatribe you foisted into another thread - a discussion that didn't have anything more to Obama than this one does.

It's really sad that you can't hold up your candidate without consistently trying to tear Obama down. And I can't imagine you're attracting any support for her with this tactic. Obama must be scaring the pee-pee out of you for you to obsess over him the way you do.

Why not just tell us why you think that Hillary would be a good president rather than trying to hijack thread after thread with your Obama bashing?

[DFW]

15. I know it won't happen in my lifetime

Maybe not ever, but I look forward to the day when there
won't be a "black vote" or a "white vote," but just a vote.

"You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one."

[ShortnFiery]

19. Oh no, I can feel that it's happening now - a great groundswell for Obama.

He is the leader who can help bridge this divide.

Obama is "The Genuine Article" that even the whorish M$M can't dig enough dirt on to Swiftboat.

I love it!

All the hype about inexperience makes me more drawn to him because FAR too often, experience at being an political insider equates to cronyism and corruption.

Go OBAMA! You're THE MAN! :applause:

[job777]

16. Results will count

So she has two major problems Edwards and Obama and it doesn't look like they are going away anytime soon.

and "I think they’ll find she isn’t the southern gentleman with a warm smile, like challenger John Edwards, nor is she Black like Obama. I’ve seen both of them in action, and these guys are well received in communities of colors."

They out stump her easily.

[Nedsdag]

21. It'll also be a problem for her in the general.

Especially if Thompson is the nominee. Instead of the racial proponent, she'll have the Southern and Red state problem

[NormanYorkstein]

22. Yes she is, and she can't win without them