TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS :

Bush's strategy to win black votes bypasses NAACP (JULIE MASON, July 9, 2002, Houston Chronicle)

For the White House, sidestepping the more politically grounded, traditionally liberal civil rights groups like the NAACP is a key part of the strategy for narrowing the gap among black voters.

In search of a more receptive audience, Bush is taking his message of home ownership, welfare reform and faith-based initiatives directly to the African-American churches, service providers and others who may be more likely to embrace it.

This is great but he's got to sell these plans hard and often. He should be going to black churches, neighborhoods, fraternal organizations, business groups, etc., etc., etc. on every trip he makes. The GOP should run ads on black radio stations and print ads in black papers. They should be recruiting black candidates for office and for judgeships and for staff jobs.

It would be great for the party if it could just get up to about 30% of the black vote. But it would be even better for blacks, who could actually become power brokers, with the two parties courting them, instead of marching in lockstep behind the Democrats.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 9, 2002 11:54 PM