"The political state of Black America as the weakest in comparison to all other political and ethnic minorities in the wake of the advances and successes associated with the modern civil rights movement is paradoxical and complex. Ironically, there is no coherent strategy being advanced by the Black political leadership and civil rights orthodoxy, to resolve this perplexing dilemma.
Gary James and Rudolph Giuliani
The cavalcade of presidential aspirants and their respective platforms offer nothing consequential to the fortunes of Black America, moving forward. It remains to be seen if the generational and class subtext of the Obama vs. Clinton political dichotomy will fracture the generally monolithic Black vote for the Democratic Party candidate in the general election. While conventional political wisdom suggests that the dye is already cast as to the ultimate destination of the Black vote, Gary James, longtime political activist and analyst articulates an alternative political scenario.
Gary James
I disagree with conventional political wisdom regarding the destination of the Black vote in 2008. The Obama campaign has crystallized a growing generational and independent bifurcation resulting from the adversarial Democratic Party primary campaign. The emerging demographic may ultimately find expression in the GOP column, in the context of a consequential independent vote. The increasing level of voter sophistication and independence among Black American voters may very well be a wild card in the 2008 presidential election.
A majority Black vote for Obama over Clinton in the party primary election is a healthy and positive development and would illustrate a growing level of political sophistication relative to leveraging the electoral process. The myopic political rhetoric by conventional Black political leadership and the civil rights orthodoxy has little currency with the emerging Black voting demographic. Therefore, I suspect the emerging demographic will likely reveal a maturity beyond the symbolic myths of popular mundane politics.
Conventional Black leadership and their paternal political benefactors will have to account for that state Black America and the cursory level of political dialogue. They perpetuate sophomoric political rhetoric like emotional friends versus symbolic enemies, as well as sophisticated political concepts such as 'social justice' as a narrative that effectively modulates Black political power potential. The inevitable outcome is that the Black American community defines and plays electoral politics as though it is a game of checkers. On the contrary, all other communities define and play electoral politics as a game of chess. Chess requires the application of knowledge, skill, coordinated strategy, discipline and longrange planning for success.
I predict that the Black vote will demonstrate a new level of political sophistication in 2008. My vote for Giuliani and the Republican Party in 2008 in conjunction with 25 percent of the Black vote will unequivocally establish political leverage and translate to an improved power relationship with the Democratic as well as the Republican Parties. Consequently, my vote and political position in the 2008 election is a vanguard initiative that advances a new political paradigm and strategy for empowering the Black community in the 21st century.
The new paradigm is juxtaposed to the philosophy and efficacy of 'political correctness' as a practical application for the future.
" The state of Black America is not a partisan issue!" The state of Black America is a power issue!" Political power for Black America requires multi-party strategy based on an organized electorate locally, tactically deployed.
Election 2008 can be a watershed political year for the future of the Black voter. We have pre-launched a web site http://www.blackpt.org/ (Black Political Taskforce) in order to advance our initiative to establish political leverage in the Black community at large."
Gary James is an author, political activist and analyst.
"Eracism" the book.
He is a principle of the newly launched harlemweekly.com and chair of VotersAnonymous.org a political education and research organization. For more information visit: http://www.garyjames.info/.
Contact Person: Gary James Email garyjamesusa@netscape.netBlack Political Taskforce c/o Gary JamesP.O. Box 342 New York, NY 10037 http://www.blackpt.org/
