Are Blacks Abandoning the Downtrodden Party?

As Downies find themselves marginalized more and more in areas of power in America, the only thing left for them to hold on to is the black vote, which, until recently, has voted for them in a monolithic block. Without black votes, Downies would go, well, down. And down, and down, and down. In short, Downies have a small chance of winning the White House anytime soon, and without black votes that chance becomes zero and below. So this kind of story must find Downies absolutely frightened out of their Birkenstocks:

Moral issues attracting more black voters to GOP

To understand why President Bush and the Republicans are gaining political strength in the black community, consider these remarks by Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., senior pastor at a 2,500-member church in College Park, Md.:

"I'm a registered Democrat, and I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but now I'm a vehement supporter. Look at the moral issues. The black family is under siege in this culture, and something like same-sex marriage will take us right down the slippery slope. When I heard Bush say he supported a constitutional amendment to ban it, well, that made sense to me. Sacred rights are different from civil rights.

"The Democrats are being held hostage by their gay-rights agenda. They ignored black issues until the last weeks of the campaign. For me, that put salt in the wounds. I thought: `Now they want to come to the churches and ask for votes? How dare they?' So I'm working with the Republicans now. And if the president follows through on reaching out to us, then more of the masses in the churches will be open to the Republicans in national elections."

Nervous Democrats fear Jackson may be right. African Americans have been loyal to the party since the civil-rights era, but Bush and the Republicans, in their drive to build a sustaining majority, are now poised to grab a significant slice of that electorate. If they can draw 20 percent of the black vote in pivotal states with large urban populations - an achievable goal - the Democrats would face serious hurdles in future presidential races.

The warning signs were obvious in November. Bush won only 11 percent of the black vote nationwide, but that figure is misleading. He drew 16 percent in pivotal Ohio (nearly doubling his 2000 share). Without the bigger black vote, he would have eked out a slim victory, narrow enough for a Democratic court challenge. Bush also drew 16 percent of the black vote in Pennsylvania (up from 7 percent in 2000), and that's one reason his loss to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., was far narrower than expected.

Check out this article, and while blacks are still cautious and not flocking to the GOP, nonetheless black votes are moving towards the Republicans, and this can only bode ill for Downies.

Notice how President Bush is revered by some black ministers. Remember that they go to their pulpits every Sunday, and extol his virtues if he trumpets their cause. Downies are losing their touch with these people, and it can only make this country better, and the lives of black people better, if Downies lose their votes altogether, because Downies do nothing for blacks except give them lip service.