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FORUM ?1?? . ?? i ^ m ?? k 1 ? I Blacks tike Bush, but do Republicans tike blacks? Earl Ofari Hutchinson Guest Columnist * At first glance the new poll from the Joint Center for Politi cal and Economic Studies that shows that more than 40 percent of black voters like Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush seems preposterous. * The supreme article of faith in American politics is that blacks are the ultimate Democ ratic party loyalists. In recent presidential elections, the Demo cratic candidate has grabbed 80 tp 85 percent of the black vote. I Since less than 50 percent of whites vote for Democrats, this anch black vote is the cushion the Democratic presidential con tenders must have in. order to win the White House. Despite this idee fixe in American poli tics, therq are good reasons why black leaders and Democrats should not ignore or ridicule the center's poll. * The center is no fly-by-night outfit. It is the one of the nation's oldest and most respected black think tanks. Many elected offi cials and political analysts rely on its polls and surveys to gauge the mood of African Americans. Another reason to take the poll seriously is that blacks are more prosperous than ever and more conservative than many think. Two recent polls by the center confirm this trend. One found that for the first time ever more blacks than whites claimed they were better off financially in 1998 than the year before. Pollsters also found that a majority of blacks favor stiffer sentences for drug use, violent crime, three strikes ofTenses and support school vouchers. Finally, black leaders must know that many blacks reflexive ly vote Democratic not because of any inherent belief that the Democrats offer everything to them, but because they feel that the Republicans offer nothing. Republicans have no one but themselves to blame for this. The Grand Old Party has blown every chance they've had to attract more blacks to their ranks. The Colin Powell debacle in the 1996 presidential election was a near textbook example of how Republicans have mastered the knack of turning black vot ers from potential political friends into enemies. Powell was universally liked by blacks and nonblack voters, liberals, moder ates and even many conserva tives. . j, ' But he never got out of the Republican box. The major con servative groups ganged up on him and threatened to wage war against him if he actively sought the Republican nomination. Powell didn't have the right stuff for many in the Republican Party. However, if the party had embraced Powell, and he had actively stumped for the Repub lican presidential nominee, it would have forced large numbers of blacks to listen and ponder the party's political message. This would have posed deep political peril for the Democrats. Blacks make up a big part of the population in the states that control the majority of the nation's electoral votes. But ReDublicans mistreat ______ __ black voters for another reason. They, like most Americans, buy the myth that blacks are doctri naire Democrats. For nearly a half century following Recon struction the Democratic Party was the party of segregation and Jim Crow. Blacks by necessity were staunch Republicans. The first dozen black elected con gressional officeholders were * Republicans. During the Depres sion blacks leaped at FDR?s promise of jobs and relief, and voted overwhelmingly Democra tic. But they did not totally abandon the Republicans. In 1956, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower sent the first civil rights bill since Reconstruct tion to Congress. The same year, Eisenhower grabbed 40 percent of the black vote to win re-election. In 1960, Richard Nixon also received a sizable percentage of the black vote against John Kennedy. Associated tress pnoio Dy tnc uay Kendall RwmII, 3, of Fort Worth, visits with Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Bush enjoys growing support front blocks in his bid to win the White House. The Democrats got the black vote back in 1964 partly because Lyndon Johnson made good on his civil rights pledge, but also because blacks feared that Republican candidate Barry Goldwater's platform of "states rights" sent a strong signal that blacks were not wanted in the party. Blacks got the same negative vibe from Nixon and from Pow ell's former boss. President Ronald Reagan. Powell criticized both of his former bosses, Reagan and George Bush, for not showing more sensitivity on racial mat ters. Despite the three-decade long cold shoulder from Repub licans, many prominent blacks such as Powell and Alan Keyes still vigorously support the party. And in the few places where Republicans have made any kind of real attempt to out reach to black voters they have significantly boosted their vote total among them. Bush has a golden opportuni ty to snatch the political and ide ological blinders from the eyes of Republican leaders and change the perception that his party is nothing more than a cozy, good of white guys club. If he does that he will find that many blacks will join the club. If he blows the chance, no matter how many blacks say they like him, they will again dutifully pull the Democratic lever in 2000. Earl Qfari Hutchinson is a nationally syndicated columnist and director of the National Alliance for Positive Action. His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol. com Electricity competition s impact on the urban consumers David K. Owens Guest Columnist ? ' The next time you flip on your light switch, consider the change tak ing place across the country in how you get electricity. In many states, the electric utility industry is shifting from regulation to the use of open, competitive markets. Soon, competi tion will allow customers to choose from a host of electricity suppliers, like they now choose from a host of long-distance telephone suppliers In the future, customers will pay prices set by the marketplace, not by regulators But competition does not necessarily mean immediate lower electricity rates for everyone. Certain ly, large electricity users like petro chemical and manufacturing indus tries may be able to negotiate a lower rate Residential users are concerned that they may not receive the touted benefits of competition lower rates more options and better services In order to ensure residential con sumers have buying clout, some industry observers suggest that resi dential consumers join together and bQy electricity as one group or aggre gate. Many muniripalities across the country are considering forming aggregations to help residents attract a low price from competing electric utility companies. Aggregation is fine, so long as it remains a voluntary option and doesn't shift costs to oth ers. Another important concern to North Carolina residents is the impact that deregulation might have on local taxes. Currently, Carolina Power and Light and Duke Power pay a substantial amount of local taxes that significantly contribute to the quality of life to North Carolina through important municipal ser vices such as schools, police and road maintenance and construction, etc. This contribution to the community infrastructure is one of the significant issues in the debate on electric restructuring. It's just not all that clear how, if at all, the new suppliers will fill the gap. Before the country rushes into electricity competition, a few things must be settled so that small business and residential customers are not left holding the bag on costs incurred while the industry was regulated. Other regulated industries like tele phone and natural gas, which have been deregulated, had to address the issue of transitional costs resulting from sweeping changes in govern ment policy. " Recovering these transitional or stranded costs that electric compa nies like Carolina Power and Light and Duke Power incurred during reg ulation is a major issue facing the electric utility industry. These costs are expenses like the costs utilities incurred for energy conservation pro grams and in building facilities to serve all customers. Most of these costs were incurred to meet the requirements of regulatory commis sions. How all of this gets worked out will certainly afTect consumers. If big electricity users are allowed to select new suppliers and not share in the costs incurred to meet their needs under regulation, then small business and residential users will bear a dis proportionate share of the costs. We feel that traditional utilities should be allowed recovery of the investment in facilities built to supply electricity to serve all customers. And all cus tomers should share in this cost. This sentiment is echoed by Con gressman Richard Burr, who is help ing to lead a bipartisan eiTort in the House to move a comprehensive deregulation bill out of committee this calendar year. He has focused his efforts on protecting consumers. "The ultimate goal of deregulation is to ensure that consumers have choice We have to allow states to deregulate in their time frame. We think that it is appropriate for the states tp allow stranded costs to be recovered - par ticularly those costs that related to regulatory commission require ments." ' The N.C. Utilities Commission is studying the potential impact of competition on transitional costs and reliability of electric service before moving aggressively toward competi tion. Municipal officials showed sup port for stranded cost recovery in a recent statement issued for the Legis lature to enact retail competition leg islation that spreads transition cost recovery equally over all North Car olina consumers. Burr, who concurs with this senti ment. said. "In North Carolina, because of the mix of stranded costs between cooperative, municipal and investor-owned utilities, everyone should participate in some sort of line charge." As electric competition moves forward, issues like cost recovery will need to be resolved so all consumers share appropriately in costs incurred during electric utility regulation. David K. Owens is executive vice president of the Edison Electric Insti tute. the industry 's largest trade asso ji ciation ; The Chronicle ? * ? The Choice for African American News USPS 067910 617 N. Liberty Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 ? The Chronicle was established by Ernest Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974, and is published every Thursday by The Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc. The Chronicle is a proud member of National Newspapers Publishers Association ? North Carolina Press Association ? North Carolina Black Publishers Association ? Inland Press Association National Advertising Representative: Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., 45 West 45th Street. New York, NY 10036 212 / 869-5220 Postmaster send address changes to: THE CHRONICLE P.O. BOX 1636 | Winston-Salem, NC 27102 Contact Us: phone number 336 / 722-8624 ta 336 / 723-9173 website address : www.netunlimited.net/~wschron email address wschron@netuniimited.net Sports fdhor 723 8478 Now? Room 723-8448 Copy fdhor 723-8448 Circulation 722-8624 Solos Staff 722-8628 CkifiMi Bvsmoss Offko Production Sam Davis T. Kevin Walker Pall Collins Vickie Warren Lexie Johnson Brlce Cross Kitrinka Gordon Ericka Asrlry Pallette Lewis Cory Tatlm K^LCCOMT f Vt'RllXWL r Triday, September 24,1999 - 7:00p.m. 'To United Metropolitan Missionary 'Baptist Cfiurch Woman 's 'Day Weekend Celebration I Reverend Stephanie McAllister- Jennings, ijuest 'Evangelist Our ?Theme: Joel 1:14, " 'Blow the . 'Trumpet in Zion, Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly." JLCTDl'TS OXLTJOIX US OX Saturday, September 25,1599 at 8:00 a.m. 'TOR TJfE TTJLLOMSXlT'B'R'ESXmZlST Welcome ^Everyone On Sunday, September 26, 1999 Cft 11:00 Tor our morning 'Worship Service AU Service Held At our relocation site The Sarah Austin Center 2050 East End Boulevard Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101 Girl Scout Award Recipients! Have you earned the highest award in Girl Scouting? either the Golden Eag/et. Curved Bar. First Class Pin or Go/d Award ? , We believe that your experiences as a Girl Scout had a lifelong impact for you, and we would like to capture your success sto ries and share them with young women who are striving for the Gold Award today. ' The Girl Scouts is the world's preeminent organization dedi cated solely to all girls. In partnership with committed adults, girls develop qualities that will serve them all theiT lives. Be come an ally for a Girl Scout, and help heT grow courageous and strong. CM Scouts. Where CMs Crow Strong. If you have received the highest award in Girl Scouting, please help us update our roster by returning the foTm below today! Girl Scout Award Recipients! Name: J Address:_ City. ' t State: Zip. ' E-mjil: ; ? Award: Year Received: Tarheel Triad Girl Scout Council. Inc. Or. 8432 Noraoss Road < V , Colfax. NC 27235-9754 ^ un*ad?MM www.girlscouts.org/tarheel_triad Gin Scouts. SALEM COLLEGE Center far Women Writers presents ' * . Snnia Sanchez A Poetry & Nonfiction Reading Thursday, September 23 at 7:30 pm Shirley Recital Hall Salem College Fine Arts Center Poet and scholar, Sonia Sanchez is the author of fourteen books including Homecoming, We a BaddDD hople, I've Been a Woman, Under a Soprano Sky, Wounded in The House of a Friend, Does Your House Have Lions?, which was nominated tor the National Book unties Uircie Award, ana recently, Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected hems. Sanchez has edited two anthologies and been a contributing editor to Black Scholar and The Journal of African Studies. Her awards include a Pew Fellowship, a EA Fellowship, the Peace and Freedom Award, and the American Book Award. In the words of Maya Angelou, "Sonia Sanchez is a lion in literature's forest." Other Upcoming Events A Fiction Reading \ . ' * Judy Goldman October 12 J Women Writers at the Dawn of the New Russia ? Elvira Osipova October 13 J I A Fiction & Poetry Reading ? Linda Hogan November 3 ? ? '/ ? A Conversation & Reading ? Emily Herring Wilson & Margaret Supplee Smith November 30 For more information: Call the Salem College Public Relations Office at 721-2S31 ? t ? The Chronicle ^ Home Delivery Subscription Order ? YES, Please send me The Chronicle ? 2 years: $40.95 o-rfCo-^/s,*^^ . ? 1 year: $30.72 i year 35 72 J ? 6 months: $20.48 $ ,2S5? ? ? ? ?* ?? Address Phone % __ - ' " Smir Zf \ ? VISA ? Mastercard ? American Express ? Check enclosed ? Please bill me * ?r Acctmni SmUtr Expiration Dote %MR * Send to: The Chronicle. P.O. Box 1636. Winston-Salem. NC 27102 i ] ?
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