The defeats of Blackwell, Swann, and Steele prove that Rs can't break the D coalition merely by running African-American candidates. As Jack Kemp observed many years ago, the party of Lincoln must not pander to the African-American community, as has the party of Jefferson. Rather, it must address the concerns of that community in a direct, fresh and honest way that better reflects the values that the community holds and better promises results that the community wants.
The defeat of Ford shows that to appeal sufficiently to be elected, any candidate must inspire personal confidence. We think that Ford lost not because he is black, and not because he was a Democrat (he ran on a very moderate platform) but because as a single man who went to the Playboy party at the Superbowl, he doesn't appear dependable. The damage done in that famous "call me" ad was not that the woman was white (anyone who would vote against Ford because he might date white women would vote against Ford, period) but because she was a floozy. Even immoral people like their politicians solid and dependable (with the exception of the State of Louisiana, of course).
Obama has a wife and two kids. A winner, he illustrates Ford's problem.
2 comments:
Not dependable? I suspect that 99% of young, single men with the opportunity to attend a Playboy party at the Superbowl would jump at the chance and not think twice about telling everyone they know. Unless I missed something, he did nothing wrong, and the ad very likely did exactly what it was intended to do. It was racist and meant to turn off white voters. The ploy worked.
I'm so ashamed and need to confess. I consider myself a Christian, yet I've been to Hooters twice for chicken wings.
Playboy party, Hooters or not, how many single men get elected to Congress? How many get there with behavior that emphasizes their singleness?
43 American presidents, 1 single.
To get elected, get married. It settles the voters' minds.
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