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Exploring Black Politics
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20406 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
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3 / 1992 |
3,329 Words |
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Edward Neilan is Tokyo bureau chief of the Washington Times. |
There is increasing evidence that racism in again on the rise, manifesting itself in racially motivated crimes and demonstrations. With the emergence of former Klansman David Duke, it is attempting to establish a foothold in American politics. THE WORLD & I Current Issues editor Laurie Burras consulted black representatives from government, academia, and the media for their views on race and politics. Douglas Wilder, Alan Keyes, and Joseph Perkins discuss whether recent events are transitory phenomena or permanent new factors on the national scene. Highlights of their comments follow.
--The Editor
THE WORLD & I: In your view, is there a new generation of moderate blacks or a new generation of white voters?
Alan Keyes: I would have to say both, because I think one cannot make this an entirely racial phenomenon. Black politicians who stood up and did better in the white community were folks who, particularly in the case of Wilder, were advocating views that were more toward the center, especially on economic questions, than Jesse Jackson, whose kind of far-out, left-wing liberalism really does not have much resonance with the majority of people in the country.
So when black politicians stood up and started advocating views that were more in line with the views of the majority of the people, they did better. I think that simply indicates that race is a less important factor than the views and approaches that a candidate takes.
Douglas Wilder: I also think its combination of the two. Getting over 41 percent of the white vote is something that has never happened in this country before. It is not a matter of crossover in politics that word does not describe anything it is a matter of inclusion rather than exclusion and more respect for a candidate who is fully representative of all the people.
Joseph Perkins: I would also add to that list the black Connecticut Republican Gary Franks, in a district with a white majority. I think there is a new dynamic at work in national politics today; Black voters are increasingly becoming moderate. I believe that we are starting to see a dealignment from the traditional liberal axis as represented by the NAACP or the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Blacks are becoming increasingly
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