South of the James

by Webster Brooks III

 “Last week President Bush asked the question; does the Democratic Party take the black vote for granted? Well tonight I have an answer for the President…. It was those that earned our vote that got our vote. This vote is sacred to us. This vote can’t be bargained away or given away. With all due respect Mr. President, our vote is not for sale!” — Reverend Al Sharpton, 2004 Democratic National Convention

Sadly, this smörgåsbord of demagoguery served up by Rev. Al Sharpton, braised with racial animus and stewed in the evocative cadence of a black Baptist preacher was deemed a highlight of the Democratic National Convention. But, for all the fire and brimstone Rev. Al summoned from above, the target of his rhetoric was not President Bush or the Republican Party; it was the Democratic Party leadership. His message was clear; “Don’t worry massah. (Read Terry McAullife-DNC Chairman) Your Negroes won’t desert the plantation this election year.” Lamentably, Sharpton’s performance has become part of a pathetic ritual developed over the past three decades in which the Democrats’ Head Negro In Charge (HNIC) delivers a high profile and quite obligatory “we still be loyal to da party boss” speech.

One is tempted to ask, “On whose authority Rev. Al was anointed to speak for Black Democrats?”

As a presidential candidate, Sharpton barely surfaced as a blip on the radar screen, winning 2%-3% of the vote in every primary he lost. His best showing was in South Carolina, where he won a mere 10% of the vote in a state that Blacks comprised half the primary electorate. Black voters correctly rejected Sharpton’s campaign as a fraud-something not to be taken seriously, even as a protest candidate.

In truth, Sharpton’s campaign had nothing to do with running for president. It was a cynical deception to use the primaries as a vehicle to supplant Jesse Jackson as the new “HNIC.” According to Sharpton, he ran because the Democratic Party had tilted too far center/right, and abandoned issues vital to the Black community. Sharpton’s stated goal was to win enough black votes and delegates to force the Party to recognize him as a power broker at the convention on behalf of the “Black agenda.” This is the same game Jesse Jackson played at a number of conventions since 1984; the only difference being that on two occasions Jackson had enough delegates to threaten the party with a walk-out. But Rev. Al didn’t have any delegates. Thus, his status resembled what Jesse once characterized as “a bargainer without a base is a beggar.” If anyone was guilty of attempting to “bargain” with the Black vote” in exchange for his own personal aggrandizement, it is Al Sharpton!

Notwithstanding Sharpton’s opportunism, another valid and perhaps more important question arises; if Democrats have been charged with ignoring its most loyal constituency, (as it is claimed every four years) why should African-Americans continue to support the party?

Despite Sharpton’s embarrassingly ineffective campaign, the Democratic Party bosses still have need for Sharpton and his politically challenged mentor Jesse Jackson. By giving Sharpton and Jackson speaking slots, the Party insulated itself from charges of “dissing Black Leadership” As compensation for his presidential campaign and as a reflection of Jackson’s diminished status, Sharpton received the better speaking time. In the Democrats bifurcated world of racial politics, Sharpton and Jackson are seen as indispensable to maximizing the Black vote among those who feel angry and disenfranchised. At the same time, Democratic party bosses are still searching for a permanent replacement for them both.

Democrats want a Black equivalent to the Republicans’ Colon Powell to represent them in the political mainstream—someone palatable enough to placate centrist leaning white swing voters. In the 2000 campaign, U. S. Representative Harold Ford Jr. (TN) was the alternative voice. In 2004, it is the promising young U.S. Senate candidate from Illinois, Barack Obama. It was no accident that Obama, wasn’t just assigned a prime time speaking slot. He was elevated to the status of the convention Keynote Speaker. In other words, he didn’t just speak for African-Americans or to African-Americans; he represented the new face of the party speaking to all Americans. There is already talk that Obama could be part of the national ticket in 2008.

After everything is said and done, Sharpton’s speech and the rousing ovation he received was no more than background noise. In truth, Democrats could run almost anyone for President and still receive 90% of the Black vote—that reality hasn’t changed in 30 years with one exception. Remarkably, Independent candidate Ross Perot received 8% of the black vote in 1992 despite the fact that he didn’t campaign for the Black vote. What the Perot phenomenon of 92’ tells us is that Democrats have little to fear from Republicans challenging their dominion over the black vote, the real danger arises if African-Americans are offered an authentic independent alternative. For the moment Black voters have nowhere to go but to vote for Democrats or stay at home-which is precisely what half of all registered African-Americans do.

No, Rev. Al, the Black vote isn’t for sale. It never has been. As for Black Democratic Party leaders and Civil Rights leaders; well that’s another story. A strong case can be made that black leadership is captive to special interest money and influence. Anyone that argues the Democratic Party represents Black peoples best hope for future progress is insisting that we abandon our communities’ loftiest hopes and aspirations and settle for leadership by the lesser of two evils. In our view that is not a very compelling choice. Our community deserves better than that.

This may come as a surprise to Rev. Al, but many in our community feel they haven’t been well served by Black leadership since Martin Luther King died in 1968. If the number of votes Sharpton received in this year’s primary is any indication of our communities’ evaluation of his leadership ability, then perhaps he should take up gardening. It is only a matter of time before an advanced section of our community acts to develop its own political alternative to Democrats and Republicans. The dissidents of the Low Country and Chesapeake Society are doing all that we can to hasten that day.