VTMBH Article: Body
H. Carl McCall, the gubernatorial candidate with an impressive resume, years of public service experience, and the only Black ever elected to statewide office in New York was solidly trounced by his Republican opponent, incumbent Governor George Pataki, garnering a mere 33 percent of the vote.
There has been a sense among some Blacks that the National Democratic Party abandoned Mr. McCall, especially after the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, said essentially that Mr. McCall could not win.
It was a failure, Lila Rosenblum, 71, a lifelong Democrat, said of Mr. McCalls race. It was like a silent campaign.
After reading the morning papers and listening to the electronic media comments, one would be led to believe it was all McCalls fault.
Not so, and I can cite several reasons why.
The obvious reason for the loss is Black voter apathy.
Nationally registered Black voter turnout in primary elections is less than 10 percent and in general elections less than 20 percent.
If Jews didnt vote there would be no Jewish elected officials.
If Italians didnt vote there would be no Italian elected officials.
If the Irish didnt vote there would be no Irish elected officials.
If there were no Black communities, there would be no Black elected officials.
In districts that are predominantly Black, candidates are often elected by a mere handful of votes. Be that as it may, that initial election gives rise to the opportunity to move on to citywide and statewide elections. However, at this level the strategy for getting elected has to change.
For Black candidates, it is the Black registered voter that holds the key to election success.
New York City is a Democratic stronghold and usually Democrats win citywide elections. Not always, but usually. However, whenever the Democratic nominee is from the Black or Latino community, the Democrats suddenly vote Republican.
The Black vote has to be a priority for the Black candidate if success is expected.
This past election was one of the most expensive ever in New York States history, yet Black media got less than a pittance of the $181 million spent. Candidates in national and or statewide elections must prove they can win before they can expect to receive financial support from various sources.
Some blame the Democratic Party for its lack of support for McCall. However, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, said essentially that Mr. McCall could not win.
A record of a mere 10 percent turnout of Black voters in primaries and less than 20 percent turnout in general elections, speaks to a weakness in any Black political candidate for city, state or national election.
Recognizing this during the McCall candidacy, a set of public service ads was designed to prick the conscience of apathetic Black voters, and Black newspapers were requested to run them as a public service. Some did and some simply refused. One publisher became irate over the suggestion and, citing his 40 years in the business, said, I dont run anything for free.
Carlton Goodlett, publisher emeritus of the Sun Reporter in San Francisco, said that a Black publishers duty is to be a servant of the people. Publishers should serve the people by keeping them informed, and defending them from false characterizations, and most importantly, by giving unselfish support to those who aspire to political office to make the case for Blacks in the political halls of this nation.
It is our duty as publishers to encourage our readership to get involved in the political process by whatever means necessary. Our newspapers are scrutinized daily by those looking to send messages to our community. If we are not speaking directly to the community, we cannot be of service to those who wish to reach them.
Whether or not the McCall loss could have been averted remains to be answered. Media coverage is the key to any candidates success. Two or three of New York Citys Black publishers were diligent in their efforts to get out the vote, but the collective Black media was apathetic.
News articles about the candidates are not sufficient to get out the vote. Black publishers must constantly educate their readership on the importance of voting. Most of all, the Black press should not allow the Black community to forget the last 50 years of struggle for the right to vote and the privilege to run for political office. Weve come too far, marched too long, prayed too hard, wept too bitterly, bled too profusely, and died too young to not take advantage of the battles weve won.
The continued success of our Black elected officials depends on the participation of the registered Black voter. If we expect to win city, state and national elections, we must increase Black voter participation far beyond 19 percent.
The importance of the Black vote is dwindling with each election. The Black vote has traditionally been dedicated to the Democratic Party and for the most part remains so. However, the Republican Party focus is on a new source of votes, the Latino vote. They are converting old Latino Democrats and recruiting new Latino Republicans. These voters are not apathetic; they are committed. Soon they will be the swing voter of choice. Their news meda, both print and electronic, will get the lions share of the political and commercial advertising and the Black press will continue to shrink in prestige and viability. Its just a matter of time before Democrats will focus on the Latino voter and economically abandon the Blacks.
The McCall candidacy was a rare opportunity for Black Media to make a difference but we failed to act. For that reason our readership, the registered voters we supposedly influence, continued to do what theyve been doing, (19 percent turnout) and we as the Black community continued to get what weve been getting: defeat at the polls.
Lets do it differently next time!
There has been a sense among some Blacks that the National Democratic Party abandoned Mr. McCall, especially after the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, said essentially that Mr. McCall could not win.
It was a failure, Lila Rosenblum, 71, a lifelong Democrat, said of Mr. McCalls race. It was like a silent campaign.
After reading the morning papers and listening to the electronic media comments, one would be led to believe it was all McCalls fault.
Not so, and I can cite several reasons why.
The obvious reason for the loss is Black voter apathy.
Nationally registered Black voter turnout in primary elections is less than 10 percent and in general elections less than 20 percent.
If Jews didnt vote there would be no Jewish elected officials.
If Italians didnt vote there would be no Italian elected officials.
If the Irish didnt vote there would be no Irish elected officials.
If there were no Black communities, there would be no Black elected officials.
In districts that are predominantly Black, candidates are often elected by a mere handful of votes. Be that as it may, that initial election gives rise to the opportunity to move on to citywide and statewide elections. However, at this level the strategy for getting elected has to change.
For Black candidates, it is the Black registered voter that holds the key to election success.
New York City is a Democratic stronghold and usually Democrats win citywide elections. Not always, but usually. However, whenever the Democratic nominee is from the Black or Latino community, the Democrats suddenly vote Republican.
The Black vote has to be a priority for the Black candidate if success is expected.
This past election was one of the most expensive ever in New York States history, yet Black media got less than a pittance of the $181 million spent. Candidates in national and or statewide elections must prove they can win before they can expect to receive financial support from various sources.
Some blame the Democratic Party for its lack of support for McCall. However, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, said essentially that Mr. McCall could not win.
A record of a mere 10 percent turnout of Black voters in primaries and less than 20 percent turnout in general elections, speaks to a weakness in any Black political candidate for city, state or national election.
Recognizing this during the McCall candidacy, a set of public service ads was designed to prick the conscience of apathetic Black voters, and Black newspapers were requested to run them as a public service. Some did and some simply refused. One publisher became irate over the suggestion and, citing his 40 years in the business, said, I dont run anything for free.
Carlton Goodlett, publisher emeritus of the Sun Reporter in San Francisco, said that a Black publishers duty is to be a servant of the people. Publishers should serve the people by keeping them informed, and defending them from false characterizations, and most importantly, by giving unselfish support to those who aspire to political office to make the case for Blacks in the political halls of this nation.
It is our duty as publishers to encourage our readership to get involved in the political process by whatever means necessary. Our newspapers are scrutinized daily by those looking to send messages to our community. If we are not speaking directly to the community, we cannot be of service to those who wish to reach them.
Whether or not the McCall loss could have been averted remains to be answered. Media coverage is the key to any candidates success. Two or three of New York Citys Black publishers were diligent in their efforts to get out the vote, but the collective Black media was apathetic.
News articles about the candidates are not sufficient to get out the vote. Black publishers must constantly educate their readership on the importance of voting. Most of all, the Black press should not allow the Black community to forget the last 50 years of struggle for the right to vote and the privilege to run for political office. Weve come too far, marched too long, prayed too hard, wept too bitterly, bled too profusely, and died too young to not take advantage of the battles weve won.
The continued success of our Black elected officials depends on the participation of the registered Black voter. If we expect to win city, state and national elections, we must increase Black voter participation far beyond 19 percent.
The importance of the Black vote is dwindling with each election. The Black vote has traditionally been dedicated to the Democratic Party and for the most part remains so. However, the Republican Party focus is on a new source of votes, the Latino vote. They are converting old Latino Democrats and recruiting new Latino Republicans. These voters are not apathetic; they are committed. Soon they will be the swing voter of choice. Their news meda, both print and electronic, will get the lions share of the political and commercial advertising and the Black press will continue to shrink in prestige and viability. Its just a matter of time before Democrats will focus on the Latino voter and economically abandon the Blacks.
The McCall candidacy was a rare opportunity for Black Media to make a difference but we failed to act. For that reason our readership, the registered voters we supposedly influence, continued to do what theyve been doing, (19 percent turnout) and we as the Black community continued to get what weve been getting: defeat at the polls.
Lets do it differently next time!