STEPPIN' FETCHITISM

Democratic Candidates Court Black Voters: At the 32nd annual conference of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the Rev. Jesse Jackson's organization, seven Democratic hopefuls seemed to disagree on little. (MONICA DAVEY, 6/23/03, NY Times)

In his opening comments, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts said that he had fought beside an African-American man in Vietnam. In answering a question, Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, noted that he had traveled to Africa. And several of the candidates, including Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, quoted the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., some weaving his words into their comments on more than one occasion.

It has been 15 years since Mr. Jackson ran for president, but he had advice for these Democrats. Before the candidates' forum, Mr. Jackson, who ran in 1984 and again in 1988, urged Democrats to pursue a "Southern strategy," and not to abandon the South to Mr. Bush, as he said the Democrats did in their 2000 loss.

"We must not write the South off, it is the key to the emancipation of the whole country and the preservation of the Union," Mr. Jackson said. "We must launch a new Southern strategy of reconciliation, shared economic security and hope and healing." [...]

In this ballroom, Mr. Jackson remains a rock star. He draws standing ovations. And his endorsement for president, which he says will come "no time soon," is a coveted prize. One sure sign of that: Only two candidates missed his forum, Senators John Edwards of North Carolina and Bob Graham of Florida. Mr. Edwards had a scheduling conflict, his spokeswoman said. Mr. Graham had to take care of personal business in Miami, and had called Mr. Jackson to let him know that before the weekend, his spokesman, Jamal Simmons, said this morning.

One person he has not been invited to meet with over the last two and half years, Mr. Jackson said, is Mr. Bush.

Kowtowing to an increasingly marginalized segment of the electorate is necessary in the Democratic primaries but death in the general. The candidates seem to have forgotten that Bill Clinton made his bones with white voters by attacking a black rap musician in front of an infuriated Jesse Jackson. He had his eyes on the prize. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 23, 2003 10:21 AM