Saturday, November 04, 2006
Last and Final Call: Harold Ford Jr. in Tennessee
Harold Ford Jr. released his final ad in his race to become a U.S. Senator from Tennesseee. It's called, "Make You Proud."
Ban on Affirmative Action in Michigan Likely on Tuesday
Recent polls are showing that the ban on affirmative action in Michigan may go into effect on Tuesday. While voters in Detroit are divided on the issue, those in other parts of the state favor banning affirmative action. The Detroit News reports:
Read more.
Proposal 2, which would ban most government affirmative action programs, leads 49-41 with 10 percent undecided, according to the survey of 600 likely voters taken Sunday through Tuesday by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA.
Read more.
Ralph Arza is Out Over Racist Voicemail
Ralpha Arza, the Republican legislator from Florida who recently came under fire for leaving a threatening voicemail with racist slurs for another lawmaker, surrendered to police. The Miami Herald reports:
Read more.
In the cellphone messages, Arza called Barreiro a ''bitch'' and a racial slur, and Barbon threatened to ''crack [Barreiro's] face open.'' Arza later apologized for his calls to Barreiro, blaming his actions on alcohol.
Read more.
CSPAN Discussion: Cardin and Steele in Maryland
CSPAN hosted a program recently where they discussed the close race between Ben Cardin and Michael Steele in the Maryland senatorial race. Steele has increased his numbers, although Cardin is still leading. Several African American leaders in Prince Georges county have come out in support of Steele in the past few days. Shawn Parry-Giles from the University of Maryland gave commentary. They also show the most recent ads being run by Cardin and Steele. Watch here.
Obama Stomps for Cardin in Maryland
It's a heated contest in Maryland for the U.S Senate. African American Republican candidate Michael Steele has been aggressively trying to win over black voters to the Republican party. The Democrats have been trying to get blacks to vote for Ben Cardin, the white Democratic candidate, in spite of blacks' concerns about the Democratic party ignoring their votes. Barack Obama weighed in on the contest today by going to Maryland and campaigning for Cardin. The Washington Times reports:
Read more.
Sen. Barack Obama yesterday commended Republicans for fielding a black candidate in Maryland's U.S. Senate race, but told a crowd of thousands that they should vote for a Democrat who will oppose President Bush.
"I think it's great that the Republican Party has discovered black people," the Illinois Democrat said with a touch of sarcasm during a rally for Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin at Bowie State University.
Read more.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Black Commentator: A Policy Agenda for the Democrats
The Black Commentator today released an article describing a set of policy agenda action items for the Democratic Party that will help African Amerians. They write:
Read more.
The Democratic response to these priorities will give African Americans a clear indicator of where the party stands with regards to black issues and will help determine whether African Americans will continue to stand with Democrats after the party is over.
Read more.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
GOP Not Getting Far in Wooing Black Voters
MSNBC is reporting on the new poll of black voters. They are showing that although there is lots of money behind a few black Republicans who we see all over the media, the GOP isn't really getting very far in winning over black voters. They write:
Read more.
Black voters are far less likely to approve of the way President Bush is doing his job than voters generally and they are more likely to feel that the country is on the wrong track, disheartening news for a Republican Party that has been trying to curry favor with minority voters in recent years.
Read more.
Recent Debate: Deval Patrick vs. Kerry Healey
In another much-watched election, Deval Patrick, is leading Kerry Healey in the Massachusetts gubernatorial election. Patrick is predicted to be the first black governor of Massachusetts.
Watch their most recent debate here.
Watch their most recent debate here.
Recent Debate: Michael Steele vs. Ben Cardin in Maryland
In one of the most watched elections in the U.S., particularly for African Americans, African American Republican senatorial candidate, Michael Steele, recently debated his Democratic challenger Ben Cardin and Independent Kevin Zeese. Polls show Cardin leading Steele.
Watch the debate from October 25 or the most recent debate from October 29.
Watch the debate from October 25 or the most recent debate from October 29.
CSPAN: Discussions on Blacks and 2006 Elections
CSPAN recently had a segment on Washington Journal with Professor Lorenzo Morris of Howard University about the role of African Americans in the 2006 elections. They discussed Michael Steele, the African American Republican senatorial candidate for Maryland, and his recent endorsements. They also discussed other issues relevant to African American voters. Click here to watch.
CSPAN also aired a discussion with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies on black voters and the midterm elections. On this program, they especially focus on black voter turnout. Click here to watch.
CSPAN also aired a discussion with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies on black voters and the midterm elections. On this program, they especially focus on black voter turnout. Click here to watch.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
New Poll Data on African American Voters Released
The Associated Press and AOL Black Voices recently released the results of their national poll of black voters. They find that black voters overwhelmingly think the country is headed in the wrong direction and that Bush and the Republican-led congress are not doing a good job. A sizable percentage also felt their votes would not be properly counted.
Read more.
Read more.
New York Times: Affirmative Action Vote in Hands of Voters
In Michigan, voters will decide on November 7 whether to continue allowing affirmative action policies or not in public institutions. While proponents of the Proposition 2 initiative argue that it is about "race-preferences," opponents are successfully showing that it is not just about race but also about gender discrimination and other forms of discrimination. The New York Times reports:
Read more or visit One United Michigan to see how you can help oppose Proposition 2.
The ballot initiative, Proposition 2, which would amend Michigan’s Constitution to bar public institutions from considering race or sex in public education, employment or contracting, has drawn wide opposition from the state’s civic establishment, including business and labor, the Democratic governor and her Republican challenger. But polls show voters are split, with significant numbers undecided or refusing to say where they stand.
Read more or visit One United Michigan to see how you can help oppose Proposition 2.
Panel May Expel Florida Republican over Racist Voicemail
Legislators in Florida are still deciding what to do about Republican Representative Rafael Arza's drunken racist (and sexist!) voicemail sent recently to a fellow legislator. The New York Times reports:
Read more and listen to the voicemails.
Representative Rafael Arza, Republican of Hialeah, directed the racial slur at Representative Gustavo Barreiro, Republican of Miami, in a phone message on Oct. 21. The slur came in response to a complaint filed by Mr. Barreiro charging that Mr. Arza used racial epithets to describe Rudy Crew, the schools chief in Miami-Dade County, a charge Mr. Arza has denied.
Read more and listen to the voicemails.
Monday, October 30, 2006
More on November 7 and Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is on the ballot in Michigan on November 7. Groups such as One United Michigan are working to support affirmative action by voting "NO" on Proposition 2. The University of California system is still reviewing the devastating effects of ending affirmative action programs on their schools. The percentage of black students at some schools has dropped to 2% of the student population. The San Francisco Chronicle reports:
Read more.
Across the University of California system, black freshman enrollment has dipped and Latino freshman enrollment has risen, but neither has kept pace with the growth of minority high school graduation rates.
At the premier campuses -- UC Berkeley and UCLA -- enrollment of black freshmen has plummeted. At UC Berkeley, enrollment of Latino freshmen also has fallen. And though Latino enrollment has risen at UCLA, the proportion of Latino freshmen has dropped.
Read more.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Alabama School Attempts to End Racial Integration
The Boston Globe reported today on the Vestavia Hills High School in Birmingham, AL that is attempting to end an order issued during the 1970s that integrated the school. Opponents of this effort suggest that the school is bringing back segregation. They report:
Read more.
Those fighting to keep the desegregation order in place are particularly disappointed that the issue would be revisited in Birmingham, where much of the civil rights movement's history was made.
In the last 15 years, city leaders have built museums and monuments to commemorate the four schoolgirls who died in a 1963 bombing of a black church, and the demonstrators who were met by attack dogs in a march led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. the same year.
Read more.
Affirmative Action on the Ballot in Michigan
On November 7, voters in Michigan will decide on whether to maintain or outlaw affirmative action policies in public business dealings and educational systems. Proposition 2 will "amend the state constitution to ban affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes." WZZM 13 reports:
Read more.
A growing number of minority and women business owners in Michigan are speaking out against Proposal 2, saying that passage of the initiative would kill affirmative action and hurt Michigan's economic competitiveness.
Opponents contend the proposal would limit opportunities for minority-owned businesses to earn contracts with the state and reverse the trend of growth of women- and minority-led companies in Michigan.
Read more.
Harold Ford Jr. Appears on Fox News Sunday
Harold Ford Jr. appeared on Fox News Sunday today in an effort to continue building the momentum to lead up to his race. He discussed the final days of the campaign, the now infamous but still "smut" ad run by the RNC, and several other topics. Watch the interview above.
The Boston Globe Endorses Deval Patrick for Governor
The Boston Globe endorsed gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick today and discussed his vision for Massachusetts. They write:
Patrick brings an unusual set of experiences and values to the Massachusetts political landscape, and the state is better for it. He has a solid executive background both in the public sector — as chief of the civil rights division in the US Justice Department — and in the corporate world, as a lawyer for Coca-Cola and Texaco. He grew up poor and mostly fatherless on the South Side of Chicago and was blessed with extraordinary chances that brought him to Milton Academy and Harvard. His personal history resonates with chords in the American anthem that seem almost too corny to sing out loud: opportunity, hard work, community, justice. When he says he wants to extend those opportunities to others, the voters can believe it.
Read more.
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