'Brother' Bill, Barack Obama and the Votes of Black Folk

As the day of the South Carolina primary drew nearer, the Bill-and-Hillary tag team held nothing back, launching into full attack mode against fellow contender Sen. Barack Obama. There was former president Bill Clinton asserting that his wife was at a disadvantage in South Carolina on account of her race. But the strategies of Camp Clinton backfired. Not only did Sen. Obama rise above the fray, trouncing Sen. Clinton in the primary, but Sen. Obama also reinforced his position as a coalition builder with an even broader base of supporters.

In 1992, when Bill Clinton was elected to his first term as president, he received 83 percent of the black vote compared to 39 percent of the white vote. In 1996, when elected to his second term, Bill Clinton received 84 percent of the black vote compared to 43 percent from whites. Ever since he was anointed 'the first black president', much ado has been made about Bill Clinton's soulfulness. See Bill play his saxophone; see Bill in his office in Harlem.

But a closer inspection of Bill Clinton's legacy in the black community paints a less than savory picture. In his book, The Debt, author/attorney Randall Robinson highlights how discernibly little Bill Clinton did for black people. Robinson points to Clinton's first term, when he sponsored the most punitive crime bill in history, which was passed in 1993; signed the most punitive welfare reform bill in history; and thousands of people silently have been sifted out of federal government employment through the "reinventing government program". Clinton, however, "maintained his grip on black voters by praying with them in black churches. Yet, when one examines the impact of the crime bill on the sharply increased criminalization of black youth in particular, the exposure of the poorest blacks to the labor market with sufficient training or family support, and the lack of investment in urban schools or communities, Clinton's positive initiatives may be viewed as largely symbolic."

Given the loyalty and support Bill Clinton has enjoyed from the African-American community over the years, it was rather odd to hear him say recently, "As far as I can tell, neither Senator Obama nor Hillary have lost votes because of their race or gender. They are getting votes, to be sure, because of their race or gender -- that's why people tell me Hillary doesn't have a chance of winning here."

As it turned out, Sen. Clinton did not win the South Carolina primary. Sen. Obama enjoyed a landslide victory, garnering 55.4 percent of the votes, compared to Sen. Clinton's 26.5 percent. black women voters were critical to Sen. Obama' victory in last Saturday's primary. In South Carolina, more than half of the Democratic voters are black, and the majority are women. Therefore, of the 55 percent of votes cast for Sen. Obama last Saturday, Black women cast 27.5 percent of the votes. In a telephone interview this morning, David A. Bositis, of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, pointed out that this was not an issue-driven election. After all, the concerns of black women are no different from the concerns of the general population -- the war in Iraq, health care, and the economy. According to Mr. Bositis, during the October-December time frame, African-American women were evenly split -- one-third for Sen. Obama; one-third for Sen. Clinton; and one-third undecided. But in the final days there was a marked shift by black women from the Clinton camp over to Sen. Obama, due in large part he thinks "to a rejection of the negative campaign on the part of the Clintons".

Sen. Obama emerged with a new base of supporters. According to exit polls conducted by Edison/Mitofsky, about 70 percent of white voters said they would be satisfied if Mr. Obama won the Democratic nomination. Also, about as many South Carolina White men voted for Sen. Obama as for Sen. Clinton.

Follow Arlene M. Roberts on Twitter: www.twitter.com/arlenemroberts

Comments

[detriangulation]

This morning on MSNBC, Clinton surrogate Senator Bill Nelson, as part of a continued effort to hype Clinton's anachronistic FL "victory", highlighted her superior performance across all demographics---with one notable caveat. Nelson concedes Obama decisively won "THE BLACK VOTE" in FL that, looking ahead to Super Tuesday, only gives him marginal and inadequate "POCKETS OF SUPPORT."
This is further evidence that Hillary Clinton continues to rely on her establishment sycophants (including Bill Clinton, with his Jesse Jackson assertions after South Carolina, etc.) to pursue a Southern Strategy: a desperate, futile and shameless attempt to racially polarize the electorate and relegate Obama to the status of a candidate who is for, by, and of African Americans alone. This racial triangulation will continue to backfire because it outrages African American, white, Latino and Asian Democrats alike. Please make people aware of Senator Nelson's comments!!

[skwan91607]

It is unbelievable Teddy took a long shot route to endorse Obama as same as what Kerry did before him for the coming election. It is hard to believe that President Clinton was wrongfully blamed for any thing that he brought out but could not be well functioned after he left office. Go Obama, go to blame the self- served decider. They are all the blame games, cheap stuffs. How many millionaires being made during Clinton's presidency? They were white, black, latinos, and other races. Be honest to yourselves to admit it was a fact. President Clinton is like a citizen to support Hallary, his family, who run for office. What is wrong on that? Or, will he be allowed to do that? Of course it is "Yes".
In Teddy's endorsement he used so many the word "Will" on it. It is a big question how can he so sure for all such "Will be". Hopefully he did not say that many "Will be" after a few drinks. He probably drunk because of Obama's inspiration, to him.
America can not afford to have second on-the-job-training decider any more after the messy condition we have today. We are scare of what the promises we had from bush, everything different than Clinton's. The "New" better than the "old". Not so fast!! Look at the black communities today, more works need to be done and improved before Obama can be a skipper of this free world. It is an irony no matter you believe or not.

[Jonni Rae]

Thank you for this post. Please get it published everywhere. I try to get this message across whenever I can through blogging, but your article says it all.

[Integrity4US]

When Bill Clinton came into office the top 1% of the population got about the same total income as the bottom half of the population. At the end of his term the top 1% got 1.5 times more than the bottom half. This massive redistribution to the super rich that happened under Clinton's watch was despicable. I particularly offer this comment to Edwards supporters.

[SouthpawSass]

I'm for Edwards, was for Edwards... Well anyway not sure who'll I'll support now. I'm looking at Obama and Clinton much closer.

I don't know why all the fuss about black voters going for the black candidate. I don't think it's something to be ashamed of and if there were African American Clinton supporters who switched to Obama because of Bill Clinton, then they weren't really behind Clinton to begin with. I feel if they truly supported their candidate, then they would have also believed in their candidate enough to stick with her throughout. I guess most didn't. They found someone more to their liking - whether it's his policies, his work, his charm, his kick ass smile or yes, his skin tone, or maybe a million other reasons or all the reasons, they went with Obama. I don't think it diminishes who they are or who he is.

I can go either way, with Obama or Clinton. As a woman, I'd love to see Hillary in the White House for no other reason than to see how much better I believe a woman would do things. I'm not ashamed. Then again, I'd love to see Barak in there because as a newbie, an real outside, he'd do things differently and I feel he'd work harder because he has more to prove, being the new guy in town.

Much pressure would be on either and I don't doubt either would do 100% better than the nut job that's in there now...

[altohone]

Good post.

I hope other Dems don't forget that Bill and Hillary lied in an attempt to advance to power.

I won't forget, nor will I forgive.

The establishment also seems content that Hillary's vote for the war has been minimized as an issue... but her nomination would minimize me out of the party as I can't support ANYBODY that voted for the war... male or female, black or white.

[lynnn]

I think the Democratic party is in for a shock November.

[MPeter]

Thank you for a great piece about 'Brother Bill' and his divisive tendencies. This man was happy to pretend to be the first Black President and even inserted himself in Harlem only as part of a longterm strategy to get a Third Term riding behind his wife's skirt. But when he saw the chance slipping away, his real attitude toward African Americans came out. We saw him turn pink, red and sometimes just pale like a zombie, sometimes foaming on the mouth and angry because Obama dared. Thank you for exposing 'Brother Bill'.