Low Black Voter Turn Out During The 2010 November Elections Is What The Democrats Get For Insisting That NO Black Agenda Was Needed!
President Obama & Other Democrat Party Leaders Thought Black Voters Were Stupid.
Can You Believe It?
Elite Democrat Leaders Foolishly Thought They Could Just Throw The American Black Community Under The Bus Without Retribution.
Here Black People Are Currently Experiencing A 34% National Unemployment Rate Mostly Due To Blatant Racism Yet No One In Congress, Nor Any Local Black
Leaders Appear To Give A Darn!
Wake Up!
Why Do You Think Adrian Fenty (DC's Former Mayor) Was Recently Kicked Out Of Office?
Now We'll See Who's Stupid On November 2nd.
Will Black Voters Sit Out This Election?
Of Course Not! Our Votes Are Too Valuable For Such Complacency.
Many Of Us Will Just Cast Our Ballots For GOP Candidates.
See You At The Polls.
Peace
Harold Johnson vs Larry Kissell: TV Ads Are Key To A Close Political Race
There have been no candidate debates, few fiery speeches or partisan campaign rallies.
But the 8th District congressional race has exploded onto TV screens in what could be North Carolina's closest and most expensive campaign.
Freshman U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell faces Republican Harold Johnson and Libertarian Thomas Hill in the district that stretches from Charlotte to Fayetteville.
Republicans need 39 seats to win control of the House. Polls and pundits suggest the 8th District could be the most likely to change hands.
That's why outside groups alone have poured more than $2.5 million into the district, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Only eight House races in America have seen more.
Even though Kissell broke from his party on high-profile issues such as health care, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent more than $680,000 on TV ads against Johnson. On Thursday the National Education Association launched TV ads against Johnson, part of a $600,000 effort on Kissell's behalf.
Meanwhile, the conservative Americans for Job Security has spent $560,000 on anti-Kissell ads. And last week, a group called the Center for Individual Freedom began airing ads against him. It's unclear how much the group spent, though it's reportedly part of a $2 million buy across 10 districts.
The spending underscores one thing: The race is a toss-up. Some analysts say it leans Republican. Others say it leans Democrat.
All concede that it's close.
As Republicans try to lash Kissell to Washington Democrats such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he has found an unusual way to underscore his independence.
By turning overseas.
Last week, Kissell escorted two Swiss consuls on tours of a high-tech solar plant in Cabarrus County and the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis. Earlier, he brought in diplomats from Israel, Singapore and Zambia, all in the hope of finding new markets and investments for an 8th District hit hard by job losses.
"I don't get into this Washington, inside-the-beltway politics," Kissell said. "That's not who I am. I'm about the district."
Counting on momentum
Johnson hopes a Republican tide lifts him to victory.
"We've been working around this thing called momentum for a long time," said Johnson, 69. "You can feel it."
Affable and white-haired, he connects with audiences by recalling his three decades as a sportscaster for WSOC-TV. Speaking to the Kannapolis Rotary last week, he recounted anecdotes about local high school rivalries and coaches.
"I've followed your students and sons and daughters," he said.
He laced references to "this great land of ours" with stories of how his own pluck and persistence helped him rise from a modest background.
Johnson, who moved to Concord earlier this year after decades in Iredell County, likes to say Kissell's first vote will be for Pelosi, a California Democrat reviled by conservatives. But he's often vague about issues.
Asked by a reporter where he would cut spending, for example, he said he would "look at everything" and go after waste and fraud. He said there are "25 to 30" outdated programs at the Education department alone but did not name any.
Later, Johnson found friendly faces as he mingled with lunchtime diners at Lee's Sandwich Shop.
"He's not a Democrat," said Kannapolis real estate agent Eric McKnight, 69. "We can't afford to have any more people in Congress that are going to spend and spend and spend and put us further in debt."
Campaigning differences
Johnson, who has faced a barrage of more than $1 million in outside spending, has had to spend a lot of time raising money at home and in Washington.
Hill, the Libertarian from Cabarrus County, is an electrician whose job often keeps him - and his outspoken views - off the trail.
"I hate to speak ill of the people in Washington," he said in an interview. "But they have committed evil deeds against the people of America. They're traitors."
Kissell, who once walked door-to-door in the rain looking for votes, has foregone much of that kind of campaigning for those that come with the perks of incumbency.
In addition to "reverse trade missions" such as the one with the Swiss consuls, he hosted a federal contracting symposium in Albemarle. He touts efforts to bring nearly $3 million in federal grants to district police departments and the Monroe airport, and a $1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture center to the Research Campus.
Faced with ads that link him to Pelosi, he takes every opportunity to distance himself from Washington. Asked if he would vote for her again, he said it depends who the candidates are. Unlike party leaders, he would extend Bush-era tax cuts for wealthier Americans, if only for two years.
Like Johnson, he can be vague. He offers no specifics on spending cuts and declines to say whether he would support a so-called pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in this country.
"Until we get the border controlled," he says, "we can't discuss any other issues."
Kissell's track record
Since taking office, Kissell has built a moderate record.
His votes rank him squarely in the ideological middle of the House, according to a National Journal analysis. This month he was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, which generally backs Republicans.
The votes that please some disappointed others. Some Democrats are still angry over Kissell's votes against health care and other party-backed legislation. They plan to vote for him, however reluctantly.
"There are a lot of people who feel he is the lesser of the two evils," says Walter Rogers of Scotland County, chair of the N.C. Black Leadership Caucus. "So he is going to get something a lot of politicians don't - a second chance."
Kissell's focus on his district brought recognition from the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Business-Industry Political Action Committee, which called him one of 20 "Pro-Prosperity" House Democrats.
"We've called on him and his staff on a number of issues and found him to be exceptionally responsive and increasingly knowledgeable," says John Cox, president and CEO of the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The "reverse trade missions" impress executives such as Brooks Agnew. The CEO of a company that plans to manufacture electric trucks in Cabarrus, he met with Kissell and the Swiss diplomats.
"We don't have a budget to travel the world and go to places like Switzerland or Singapore," said Agnew. "This is really important for companies like ours."
Tim Masud, president of Golden Gait Trailers in Concord, credits Kissell with helping orchestrate a sale of equipment to Zambia worth tens of millions of dollars to his and other N.C. companies.
"I usually vote pretty much Republican all the way, but I will be voting for him," Masud says, "not because of the deal but I believe he's the right man for the job."
Kissell hopes such sentiments help him win a second term.
"The best way to get re-elected," he says, "is to do a good job."
Democrats Underperformed For Black Voters: Decision 2010
One of the things giving Democratic candidates across the country trouble this year that has perhaps not gotten as much attention as it should is that they are really under polling with black voters. It's a given that black turnout is going to be way down from its 2008 levels this year but more troublesome for Democratic candidates is that they are running well behind Barack Obama's approval numbers with African Americans in almost every key race we've polled over the last six weeks.
There's a couple ways to look at that. One is that polling frequently underestimates Democratic performance with black voters further out from an election and that 90% of them will vote Democratic as they usually do. If that's the case polls right now are underestimating the party's candidates across the board and Democrats won't do as poorly in November as the current conventional wisdom. The other way to look at it is that black voters, like other voters, are less enthused with the Democrats than they are in the average election cycle and will indeed support them at a lower rate than usual.
If I had to guess I'd say Democratic candidates will end up doing a lot better with black voters than they are currently, but that the level of support they receive will not quite be at its usual lofty levels. Democratic support from African Americans may more often this year end up in the 80% plus or minus 5 points range instead of the 90% plus or minus 5 points range.
Here's the data comparing Obama's approval with blacks to the support level of Democratic Senate and Gubernatorial candidates with them in states where the black population is at least 10%:
Race:
Obama Approval w/Blacks
Democrat w/Blacks (Dropoff)
Illinois Governor
88%
Pat Quinn 41% (47)
Florida Senate
79%
Kendrick Meek 48% (31)
Texas Governor
90%
Bill White 62% (28)
Pennsylvania Governor
80%
Dan Onorato 56% (24)
North Carolina Senate
87%
Elaine Marshall 67% (20)
Florida Governor
79%
Alex Sink 60% (19)
Illinois Senate
88%
Alexi Giannoulias 69% (19)
Delaware Senate
82%
Chris Coons 63% (19)
Michigan Governor
74%
Virg Bernero 57% (17)
Pennsylvania Senate
80%
Joe Sestak 64% (16)
Ohio Senate
84%
Lee Fisher 68% (16)
Missouri Senate
78%
Robin Carnahan 67% (11)
Ohio Governor
84%
Ted Strickland 79% (5)
On average the Democratic nominees are running 21 points behind Obama's approval with black voters. Closing that gap is going to be key to winning these races or in some cases even making them competitive.
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Sources: Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, NY Times, Public Policy Polling, Washington Post, Wikipedia, John Locke Foundation, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps
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