ByJ
L.J
D
THE F E AL rel tionship
c s nd the Democr tic
P rty must be renegotiated. 0 longer
n Bl c allo Dernocr ts to t e them
and their votes for granted. Po er and
re n bility mu b shared fully,
or the delic te b lance of the traditional
Democr ti coalition will be destroyed.
Thi i cle r to most Blac but some
Democr ts em not to have gotten th
me g. That i one re n why it would
b good ide to run Blac candid te
for th Democr tic pr idential nomin -
tion in 19 Such move ill force
the Democr t no (and the Republi­
can ter to have a reater apprecia ..
tion of the Black ote and it poten­
tial po itiv contribution to party politic
and th n tion. •
The idea of running B c for presi­
dent is a hot topi among Black leaders
nd . exciting th B c m cro
the country, b use so many of them are
unhappy ith the current rrangernent.
o it' all too common to hear white
Democrat tellin Blac s t i be t
for them, bile reminding Blac s that
they have no here to 0 out . de the
Democr tl Party.
For Democrat, race is increasingly
becoming litmu te of their p rty:
true intentions. In the last year B ck
Democrats ha e on primarie in South
Carotin orth Carolina .,. ppi
C liforni and Chicago, yet significant
numbers of nne Democrati leaders
and voter h e chosen to upport hite
Republican over tho B ck Demo­
cr t. If Black people and their leaders
pport Democr t ithout regard to r ce
but other c nnot reciprocate then the
character nd viability of the party mu t
be ned into que tion.
rrH EGARD 0 a Blac pre 'dent­
candid cy there are four critical
qu ion to b . con idered. y run?
hat auld ch candid cy require?
ould ad ant e? t
e the arguments ainst ch can-
didacy?
hy run? their b c s
g in t the all. They are incre . gly
di tre d by the ero . n of p gain
nd th r pidly deterioratm conditions
ithin Blac d poor communiti .
B c Ie ders have ttempted to
remedy the problems throu the
mo r tic P ty - of' ich B1
voter h ve been t). mo t loy and
di iplin ... � f,.:v r - too often they
�� n i no red or treated ith di -
re ect. ounting a riou pre idential
Democrat to deemphasize . ues of
primary concern to Blac Hi panics
omen and peace ctivists to give highest
priority to recruiting the uthern hite
con rv tive vote.
This amounts to pur uing the old
Republican trategy in the South nd it
is the wrong ay to go. To in a mean­
ingful victory in 1984 the Democrat
mu t reach large numbers of the 75
million dult Americans who voted for no
candidate in 1980 but went fishing
inste d. Th t hugh group - percent
of the dult popul tion - could be the
ey to building a ne progre ive coali­
tion that ould put the Democrats b c
in the hite Hou and in control of the
n tee
ElGHTE L 0 eligible Blac
voters can be the cornerstone of a ne
'coalition of th rejected" the real
silent m jority that can .create ne
political options 1984. The coalition
ould dra on six million Hi pani s
. million young people graduating from
high hool this ye r nd ne t omen
more than half a million ative rneri­
cans 20 to 40 million poor hites and
• • A Black candidate do s not m an exclusive Black g nda,
but an inclusi agenda that grows out of th Black experience
in America. " •
y of in i ting that
BI le r play signific nt roles and
help to shape policy and programs for
the party.
Pr ntly, m ny Democr t are 100 -
in t 1984 nd onderin ho they can
in b c the ing voter ho went for
J irnmy Carter in 1976 but preferred
Ronald R n in 19 O. This ambition
h led me Democr t to the trategy
form lly outlined by H milton Jordan
nd Bert Lance. They ha e dvi d
tho white liberal and moderates ho
ould re pond to an ppeal to moral
decency and enlightened ecomomic If­
interest.
But no such coalition can be built if
Democr ts pursue the Jordan-Lance
trategy. Instead of shyin from i ue
that ould ppeal to the most needy
and de rving citizens - issues like p n
for full employment, ffirmative action
that gives genuine opportunities to
omen, Hispani sand Bl ck and strong
APRIL 27 - AY 3, 1983 THE CITIZE
enforcement of the Votin Right Act
to m e democr y- real for everyone -
ucce ul Democratic candid te should
be emphasizin them. A Bl c candi­
date could sho the ay.
Black candidate doe not mean an
exc1u ive Blac agenda but n inc1u ive
agenda that grows out of the Black
experience in America. Life vie ed from
Blac per pective encompa much
more of America's interest and people
than life vie ed from th bite middle-
, • Bargainers
without
bases are beggars,
not
brokers. • •
cia mal per ective - the per p tive
of our current Ie' dership.
Rep. Shirley Chi 1m (D- .Y. ran .
serious campaign for pre' dent in
1976 but she did not enjoy the or anized
support of a broad coalition of groups.
In 1984 e need an institutionally
sponsored candid te who c n argue not
only the obviou economic is ues but
also pe out a ainst the corporate rape
of Blac s and Hispanics a ain t blo ted
military bud ets and a ain t the cynical
diplom cy that foster alli nee ith
corrupt and oppre ive foreign overn­
ments like. South Africa . Su h c ndi-
d te could spe k out con istentl for
hom n rights - the same rights for
Polish workers the Blac s of outhern
fric the people of the iddle t
the Caribbe n nd Latin Arneric .
e must measure all hum n right
by one yardsti k and ta e into ount
the emerging world rder.
contain only 6 percent of the
popu tion. ost of the orId i
brown, red and yello nd poor, u h
a we'd like e eryone el to be like u
they'(e not - most people in the orid
don't pe English' most re not Chris­
tian. But they all are member of the
human family. e must adju t from be­
ing up rior over the orld to bein
equivalent with it - nd sometime
dependent on it.
B c c ndidate should have posit.
ion on all major . ue nd not I t
other politi ians nd th medi det rmin
PAGES
hat i
Democr ti
so emus de' OUI 0 n
vern le to carry them to the country.
e cannot ride to fre dom in P roah '
chariot.
ould run to gain politi al
vi tories, but that i not the only justi-
fication for thi effort, eriou Blac
candidate auld help us gain colleen
If-respect and recognition. Thi
particularly import nt in term of th
youn - and fully one-fourth of eligi­
ble Blac voters in 1984 ill be 18 to 24.
.
Tho young people ha e no hero
among the other Democratic candidate
and are unlikely to participate in 19
unle they e an excitin n
to do . The b treason n
effe tive Blac candid tee
in ny othe con tituencie to
trust their intere t to nyon el .
Thus Black nd other rejected intere t
group mu t ere te their 0 n prote lion.
Let me emph size th t I am not urgin
Blac s to pursue a par tist' B1
end. hat d for Bl p pI
i ood for e erybody - j b ro th
di nity for all, orld p ce and human
ri ht. But t i per ei ed by m
D mocrats to be good for them
tr tegy on Jord n-Lance line de­
. n d to allo them to ue b into
po er in 4 - is not good for B c .
Blac s no c 20 percent of the
national Democr ti te but th h
no share in the proprietorship of th
p rty. Inve tors ithout equity e not
gu ranteed e of the pron .
HAT OULD uc ul Bl
ndidacy require? It requires th
m s m chinery nd money.
Blac candidate mu t ha e th
bility to al anize th m and to
define interpret and defend th nat' nal
enerall - nd the intere of
poor nd rej ted
th ide of ho din
ith le
mp i n he
- defe ed them both.
onti ed n pa 1