The Nation: Jesse Jackson Jr....Dean's New Southern Strategy

[helleborient]

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20031201&s=jackson

Excerpts...


"Historically, the Confederate flag is a symbol of the Democratic Party. Today, however, Republicans can fly and wave it, but Democrats can't talk about it--and current Democrats don't know how to handle it.

As a result, the symbol Howard Dean used got in the way of his substance, but his substance was on point--and the point was that Southern whites and blacks together must focus on their common economic needs: jobs, good schools, affordable healthcare.

Howard Dean has a new Democratic Southern strategy."


"John Kennedy put Lyndon Johnson on the ticket in 1960. LBJ went with Hubert Humphrey in 1964. Jimmy Carter's running mate in 1976 was Walter Mondale. In 1988 Michael Dukakis ran with Lloyd Bentsen. And as the Southern white Democratic vote continued to decline, Bill Clinton used a two-pronged strategy in 1992-96, appealing to social conservatism and putting a second Southerner on the ticket. They campaigned in support of the death penalty, ending welfare as we know it and putting an end to the era of big government. Most recently, in 2000, conservative Northern Democrat Joseph Lieberman ran alongside Southerner Al Gore.

Rather than repeating this stereotypical and condescending approach of appealing to whites in the South with a "balanced ticket" and "social conservatism," Howard Dean dares a new approach--to join whites and blacks around a common economic agenda of good schools and healthcare."

[eileen_d]

1. Is this really a "new" strategy

Or is Dean just the first one to invoke the Confederate flag as a means of communicating it?

No, I don't think Dean is a racist. I do think joining "whites and blacks around a common economic agenda of good schools and healthcare" is an honorable thing to do. But I am honestly asking, is this really a Dean innovation.

[helleborient]

3. It seems different from writing off most Southern white people as...

Republicans and just pushing for heavy black turnout.

I do think trying to draw out commonalities between white and black voters in the South is a different approach for a Democratic presidential candidate.

[chimpymustgo]

22. Different from John Edwards? Wesley Clark? Al Gore? Bill Clinton?

Oh, I forgot, Howie Dean invested the wheel!

[Racenut20]

2. You need to

come down South and drop in at the soda shop when high school lets out and listen to the boys talk.

[ramapo]

5. and hear what?

I'm afraid to ask but what do they talk about?

[candy331]

10. At least someone

is looking for ways to confront the the problems in the South with the voters. It is so sad to see people vote against their own interest because of being misled and then used only when they need their votes. Someone needs to ask not so poor and poor whites what has the Repugs given them for all their loyalty? Are they better off now than 3 years ago? Just as Blacks are now starting to ask Dems the same questions. Jackson maybe on to something and if it is Dean/whomever that pushes it then I say go forward. The South may get written off for Dems as well as a lot of other states and possibly the party itself if the Dems don't get leadership that will stand strong and fight for issues.

[silverweb]

4. Every time this subject comes up again...

...I think of Howard Zinn's book, "A People's History of the United States." In that remarkable book, he shows quite effectively how blacks and poor whites were skillfully pitted against one another by the wealthy landowners specifically in order to keep them from joining forces against their oppressors.

Gov. Dean and Rev. Jackson are finally tackling that old issue head on. I just hope we've learned enough since the civil rights movement of the 60s to stick together and avoid the same old race-baited traps again!

:grouphug:

[sandnsea]

6. Democrats talk about that flag

They've been demanding it be removed from statehouses all over the south. Democrats haven't evaded anything. Howard Dean is evading. Let's ignore racism and talk about schools and health care. Handouts. Yeah, that's going to sell with the white southern (non-Democratic) voter. :eyes:

[helleborient]

8. Demanding removal isn't "talking about"

It's telling someone else what to do.

If you say to a child "You can't eat candy!" - Is that talking about candy?

[sandnsea]

11. They live there

Democrats in the south ought to be able to talk about that flag, wouldn't you say? And Presidential candidates ought to lead on it. That flag has kept the reminder of slavery and inequality alive and fed racism for 140 years. It needs to go. You can't deal with racism and the affects of racism by ignoring it and pretending a school and a health care plan is going to cure everything. It's just not that simple.

[helleborient]

13. Exactly...you don't engender support from people...

Simply by telling them what they are doing is wrong and they have to stop doing that particular one thing (as if it is part of their entire life) before you're willing to talk to them about anything else.

Otherwise, they probably won't like you or listen to you.

If someone tells me that being bisexual means I'm going to hell...I'm not going to talk to them about ANYTHING else, most likely.

If I tell someone from the South who displays the Confederate flag that they have no choice, they are unforgivably racist, and they must get rid of it, I don't expect them to listen to me on anything else I might have to say. I would expect a door slammed in my face.

So, in my estimation, approaching Southern people who display the flag by instantly telling them they must get rid of it means you do not want their vote, support, or participation in anything connected with you.

Being willing to actually listen and discuss is something different entirely.

[sandnsea]

16. Who said that?

Look, Howard is the one who said he wanted to be the candidate for folks with confederate flags on their trucks. He's the one that tried to run a southern campaign based on some bizarre notions of that flag and what it does and doesn't mean and who does and doesn't fly it. Nobody else was making it a central campaign issue. But if blacks in the south choose to make it an issue next year, we can't have a candidate who backs away from it or says just vote for schools and health care. That's all I'm saying.

[helleborient]

17. Talk to Sheila Jackson Lee or Elijah Cummings, Chair of the

Congressional Black Caucus about it.

Both proud supporters of Howard Dean.

[sandnsea]

18. That's their right

They accept Dean's explanation, alot of people accept alot of explanations from Dean. The Indians are probably going to accept the gaming explanation. The reregulators are probably going to accept his deregulator explanations. It goes on and on. Sooner or later he'll just make one too many of these 'explanations' and it'll all tip over. Maybe it is like you say, people really haven't been paying close enough attention.

(Fixed the re and de)

[helleborient]

19. More elitist whining that people don't know what they're doing (n/t)

[sandnsea]

21. This is the man's character

It isn't elitist whining. Talking out of both sides of his mouth, that's what the Abenaki Indians say. It's not just me. These are busy people and they really may not have had time to thoroughly look into all of Dean's positions over the years and what he says now, how do I know. But the man's character is important to me, we've got a man with no character in office now.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/bfpnews/news/1000h.htm

[Cocoa]

20. those endorsements are important

and they give Dean some credibility.

But the discussion isn't over. Al Sharpton for example has some things to say about going home with the person who took you to the dance.

[Nazgul35]

24. Last time I checked I live in...

the United States of America!!!

And not matter where injustice occurs....it is something I can talk about! By following you logic....white Democrats shouldn't be able to talk about afirmative action....males shouldn't be allowed to discuss abortion....non-believers shouldn't be able to talk about prayer in school....only vets should talk about wars...

If it affects anyone of us...it affects me! You implication that the flag is what keeps alive the issues of inequality and fed racism is backwards...logic wise...

Stop focusing on the outcomes and talk about the root causes (as Dean does)....stop assuming that just because someone is from a region or gender or ethnic group that they have some kind of moral or informational high ground when it comes to a particular issue.....

Solving the underlying problems that feed racism...like education, health care, job security, decent housing for all Americans isn't going to cure racism...but it'll do alot better job than pretending that fighting the flags display is somehow moving us closer to a more perfect union!!!

[JohnKleeb]

12. I told you what the flag means to me didnt I

Mind the fact I am only kinda of a southerner. When I go to my capitol building, do you think I want to stare at something that represents a shameful period in our nation's history or something that represents slavery to me at least? Also I think Dean tried to have good intentions, he is no racist really, the words came out bad is all, if he had said it likely differently, I bet the outcry wouldnt be so.

[CMT]

7. Jesse, Jr. hits it on the head

instead of trying to balance tickets in the traditional way or of putting two southerners on the ticket just to win the votes of southern whites we should be talking, as Dean does, of issues that all people can relate to: jobs, healthcare, and education. Dean gives the same message in the south as he does in the north--except he challenges southern whites to put aside the politics of hate: gay bashing, race baiting, ect and join him in a campaign to uplift people of all color, creed, and sexual orientation.

[helleborient]

9. Challenge and empowerment....

Instead of telling everyone you know what they should do.

That is a cornerstone of the Dean campaign. Thanks for reminding me.

[w4rma]

14. Dean: substance over image. Good. (n/t)

[Cocoa]

15. I hope this is true

This sounds like a sound and well-thought-out strategy, but like a lot of things I hear about Howard Dean, my response is "is this really what Howard Dean is about?"

In this case, I wonder, is Jackson making too much out of Dean, is Dean simply ignoring race, which is not very original, especially in the South.

I wish Jackson had said something about gun control here.

But like I said, I hope it's true, and it might be, given Jackson's endorsement, and Shiela Jackson-Lee's.

[american_punk]

23. I am a southerner...

who hasn't thrown their full support behind any democratic candidate yet. If Dean wants to win the South, he's gonna havta o more than bas Bush(however, it is fun to hear him do it). He is gonna havta show us that he is a true leader and how he is the best man for the job. That's how you get people in the south.

[sandnsea]

25. Duty, truth and responsibility

That's my impression of how you win the south.

[Liberal_Andy]

26. The South lost, and we're sensitive about it.

I'm from the south, Born in Virginia, live in NC. I'd vote for Dean or Kerry in a minute, but for a lot of folks down here, I think it's easier to hear all about where we went wrong from one of our own, as opposed to from some "Yankee".

There I said it. Flame away.