The Color Line in the 21st Century
By, Clifford Wallace Thornton, Jr. – Cliff is an internationally recognized and respected drug policy reformer and advocate for drug legalization.
The race issue once again takes center stage. As usual, it has turned or is turning inward. This race slash class issue has taken hold of the Democratic Party. The "Bradley Effect" maybe in play at this point?
The Bradley Effect refers to an electoral phenomenon first identified in the 1982 California gubernatorial election. Tom Bradley, the popular mayor of Los Angeles, was the Democratic nominee for governor. Polls showed the African-American Democrat running well ahead of white Republican candidate George Deukmejian. Yet when the votes were counted, Bradley lost by more than 50,000 votes. So analysts took a new look at the polls, which seemed sound.
It was then that they hit on the notion that white voters, not wanting to be thought of as prejudiced against an African-American candidate had told pollsters they were for Bradley when they had always planned to vote for Deukmejian. This is much like people being asked by telephone interview if they ever used an illegal drug, like most are going to tell the truth of those that use illegal substances. Over the years this Bradley Effect has occurred in Virginia with Governor Doug Wilder, and Harvey Gantt against Jessie Helms for the congressional seat of North Carolina.
This situation has the potential to fracture the Democratic Party in ways that would take decades to repair.
If Clinton wins the nomination watch out for a back lash from black, brown, white liberals, and moderate Republicans voters. BET, the television’s former owner/executive really put this race issue out there and we all know many of the old guard support the Clintons. It is feasible that many young, talented, black, white and Latinos will leave the Democratic Party, thus weakening it considerably.
This could lead to another Republican president. Far fetched, well Bush was elected around lets say under "Shady Affairs". The next debate could be devastating if it remains the same as the last one.
Am I all wet here?
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"THE DRUG WAR IS MEANT TO BE WAGED NOT WON"
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2 comments:
That is so true about the Brady Effect. We need continue to have the discussion on race and politics. So many whites proclaim they are not racist, but you cannot deny the results at the end of the day.
The question remains...A Black Man or a White Woman? Who will the real White America choose.
Ron Paul has been under attack for some racist newsletters penned in his
name a couple of decades ago, thus he has been responding on the race issue
and mentions the drug war pretty aggressively. The quote below may be of
some use.
"I attack two wars that blacks are suffering from. One, the war overseas. In
all wars minorities suffer the most. So they join me in this position I have
against the war in Iraq. And what about the war on drugs? What other
candidate will stand up and say I will pardon all blacks, all whites,
everybody who were convicted for non-violent drug acts and drug crimes. And
this is where the real discrimination is. if you want to look for
discrimination, it's the judicial system. So I am the antiracist because I
am the only candidate, Republican or Democrat, who [wants to] protect the
minority against these vicious drug laws."
How do you guys respond to this statement???
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