Just in case anyone out there hasn't had a chance to jump into our Comments fray or email me or just tell me straight to my face (as District Attorney Bill Gibbons did this morning) their opinion on my Sunday piece on race and voting, feel free to take advantage of this forum. Basically, we asked whether Thursday's election results really did prove voters have ushered the area into some kind of post-racial colorblind political utopia. Steve Cohen, after his victory in the 9th Congressional District battle over former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton, told us "no more elections decided by race" and it sure sounded nice.
Here's the story. One of the things I tried to do was confront the notion that the burden of colorblind voting was falling almost entirely on black voters, because of Herenton's decision to make race an issue in the battle with Cohen. That seemed unfair to me, especially given the history of black voters supporting white candidates, often over black candidates. It is also true that many Democrats and Republicans felt the countywide races would come down to whether white Democrats stayed loyal to Democratic candidates (all but one of whom was black) or crossed over to vote for Republican candidates (all but one of whom was white). This is not to say a voter was somehow "racist" for deciding to cross party lines and vote for what he/she felt was a better candidate for whatever reason, but the point was the focus should not just be on black voting solidarity.
As you might expect, the comments were heated. Several people pointed out to me, as if I didn't know, that white voters supported A C Wharton and, in earlier runs, Willie Herenton. Obviously, President Obama could not have won the largest popular-vote victory ever by a non-incumbent without white support. One more thing to add -- Mark Luttrell receiving support from black voters and Paul Boyd becoming the first black Republican elected in Shelby County can also be seen as evidence of progress.
Bottom line, Thursday's vote in the 9th Congressional race does seem to be another indication that race is diminishing as an issue in elections, but it's also fair to point out that the burden of moving past race should not fall only on the shoulders of black voters.
Here's the story. One of the things I tried to do was confront the notion that the burden of colorblind voting was falling almost entirely on black voters, because of Herenton's decision to make race an issue in the battle with Cohen. That seemed unfair to me, especially given the history of black voters supporting white candidates, often over black candidates. It is also true that many Democrats and Republicans felt the countywide races would come down to whether white Democrats stayed loyal to Democratic candidates (all but one of whom was black) or crossed over to vote for Republican candidates (all but one of whom was white). This is not to say a voter was somehow "racist" for deciding to cross party lines and vote for what he/she felt was a better candidate for whatever reason, but the point was the focus should not just be on black voting solidarity.
As you might expect, the comments were heated. Several people pointed out to me, as if I didn't know, that white voters supported A C Wharton and, in earlier runs, Willie Herenton. Obviously, President Obama could not have won the largest popular-vote victory ever by a non-incumbent without white support. One more thing to add -- Mark Luttrell receiving support from black voters and Paul Boyd becoming the first black Republican elected in Shelby County can also be seen as evidence of progress.
Bottom line, Thursday's vote in the 9th Congressional race does seem to be another indication that race is diminishing as an issue in elections, but it's also fair to point out that the burden of moving past race should not fall only on the shoulders of black voters.
I am so glad you asked the question!! White Memphians have showed that they will vote for Harold Ford Jr., A.C.Wharton, etc. I would not put Willie H. in that category. But I have to say it feels a bit insulting to be commended as a black community for coming to vote so heavily for a white congressman over a long time sitting mayor. That Martin Luther King jr. would be proud that such a racial profile thinking people got together and somehow has seen the light.
It is off putting to be categorized as an less educated, low income, lost sheep of a people when we vote for a long term black mayor in favor of previous candidates we just did not feel. When we did not the respond to the smut thrown back and forth from his haters and himself to have voted him out of office earlier. We are to be commended for extracting a 5 term elected mayor from the political scene, not because of his works, not due to corruption or stepping outside of marriage, but because of him running his mouth to say that a majority needed more representation. At the same time when others are lauding the fact that they came out in strong droves of Republican support in just another step in taking back "our", or I guess their country, in refering to the near sweep of elected offices. Within a state that has shown that it will only vote white and republican come hell or high water. We as a black community should be commended for voting against this long standing black racist tyrant of a former mayor. My only question is what did he ever do other than confront his detractors and not bow his head like a good boy.
The Cohen/Herenton race showed nothing about race. It only showed that a far-left liberal supported by Republicans and Democrats can beat a washed-up, old guy villified by the media and who really didn't give a damn.
You are so wrong about blacks being the only color blind voters. I worked the pollls for the Aug. 5th election and I was assigned a black precint. Only about 150 voted there but all but 2 were for black democrats. One black man voted Republican and one black man voted Independent.
My husband worked another precint and had the very same voting results at his precint. While my daghter worked in a precint where the blacks voted straight down the line for black democrats.
Do your homework! It is exactly opposite from what you said. Whites support black candidates but blacks don't support white candidates except in the case of the C & H race.
Joyce ...
Good luck finding where I have ever asserted blacks are the "only color-blind" voters. That would be a ridiculous thing to write. The question we raised was one we were hearing from some candidates and strategists -- why in the 2010 election was most if not all of the burden to "move past race" being placed on the shoulders of black voters?
We have a story today with Steve Cohen pointing out that white voters of course have some history of voting for black candidates. But I have heard from many people thanking us for the story because, they say, black voters do not get nearly enough credit for their history of supporting white candidates.
I'm not sure about the evidence you present. All those voters could have asked for Democratic ballots and then, in countywide races, voted for all Republicans. I know many Democrats and Republicans who asked for Democratic ballots but voted, for instance, for Mark Luttrell and Bill Oldham. And I know Democrats in the suburbs who asked for Republican ballots to vote in the gubernatorial primary but supported Joe Ford and Randy Wade.