South Carolina beauty salon. Apparently, the Times
believes the beauty salon/barbershop is the hub of
black intelligencia. Heaven forbid they go to a library
or interview black-female corporate executives.
While the race isn’t over yet,
Clinton is winning the early battle for
black-female votes. A CNN/Opinion
Research Poll conducted on Oct. 17
revealed that among black registered
Democrats overall, Clinton held a
57 percent to 33 percent lead over
Obama. When the poll specified
black women, Clinton’s lead over
Obama jumped to 68 percent versus
25 percent.
It’s clear both candidates recognize
the political importance of this
voting bloc. Clinton would love to
capture the votes to the same degree
her husband did when black women
overwhelmingly supported Bill
Clinton in both presidential contests.
In 1992, he received 86 percent of the
black-female vote, and in 1996, 89
percent, according to the Joint Center
for Political and Economic Studies,
a think-tank in Washington, D.C.
But that was the general election,
and both black men and women
historically vote Democratic.
According to the Joint Center, an
analysis of 2004 exit polls revealed
black women represented 58 percent
of the black vote during the last
presidential election, and black
women were 7 percent of all voters,
up from 6 percent from the 2000
presidential election. The growth in
black voters between the 2000 and
2004 presidential contests consisted
of 2. 2 million additional black women
and 1. 9 million additional black
men, according to a Joint Center report. Both black
men and women continued to vote overwhelmingly
Democratic in the last election, with 88 percent voting
for Sen. John Kerry in 2004 and 90 percent voting for
Vice President Al Gore in 2000.
Sens. Clinton and Obama both are well aware
of the powerful voting power black women have
in this upcoming election. Since announcing her
campaign, Clinton has nabbed the
endorsement of Congressional
Black Caucus Chairperson Carolyn
Kilpatrick, D-Mich.; hosted the
seventh annual African American
Heritage celebration where a number
of notable black-female leaders
were recognized; and celebrated
the enactment of legislation she
cosponsored requiring that a
statue of Sojourner Truth be placed
permanently in the U.S. Capitol to
honor her contribution to American
history.
Obama allowed journalist
Gwen Ifill to tag along with him on
the campaign trail for an Essence
Magazine profile and scored big when
Oprah Winfrey and Halle Berry both
endorsed him.
Both campaigns have placed black
women in key influential positions.
Among others, the Clinton campaign
has Cheryl Mills, former deputy
White House counsel for Bill Clinton,
who serves as senior adviser to the
Clinton campaign.
Obama has Ertharin Cousin
positioned as special adviser.
Cousin also worked in the Clinton
administration, first with the
Democratic National Committee,
then as White House liason to
the U.S. Department of State. As
reported by DiversityInc in the June
2007 feature “Which Presidential
Campaign Is Worst for Diversity?”
Clinton’s 63-member staff was 63. 5
percent people of color and led by Patti Solis Doyle, the
first Latina campaign manager. Obama’s 14-member
senior staff was 43 percent people of color.
An analysis
of 2004 exit polls
revealed
black women
represented
58 percent
of the black vote
during the last
presidential election,
and black women
were 7 percent
of all voters,
up from 6 percent
from the 2000
presidential election.
