Even a casual look at national polling data shows that Howard Dean is building an impressive base of support among Democrats. One of the few weaknesses, at least at this point, has been Dean’s inability to gain support from African Americans. Indeed, the typical Dean rally, though almost always well attended, rarely features people of color.
There are a few reasons this may be the case. First, Dean, through no real fault of his own, simply doesn’t have political experience with the African-American community. His home state, Vermont, has the second-smallest African-American population in the country. Second, Dean has no personal experience with civil rights as he, unlike many of his rivals, pretty much ignored the civil rights struggle as a young man in the 1960s.
Even since launching his presidential campaign, Dean has struggled at times with communicating his interest in racial issues. In February, for example, Salon’s Jake Tapper asked how Dean would work to connect with black voters.
“I have in some ways a special relationship with the African-American community because of my college career,” Dean said. When Tapper asked why, Dean explained, “I had two African-American roommates in college.”
Not exactly “some of my best friends are black” territory, but not the kind of personal commitment that will win over voters, either.
This has translated into potential problems for Dean in the polls. A survey released two weeks ago by Gallup, for example, showed Dean’s support at slightly less than half of Wesley Clark’s support among African Americans nationwide.
Clark — 15%
Lieberman — 11%
Dean — 7%
With this in mind, the remarks about Dean from two high-profile African-American leaders — Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) and Al Sharpton — are interesting.
First, Jackson announced this week that he would offer his much-sought after endorsement to Dean, a move that would likely give Dean’s campaign a needed boost. As the Chicago Tribune noted, Jackson’s backing “would be significant both in substantive and symbolic terms for Dean, particularly because of the prominence of Jackson’s name and its standing among black voters.”
Reports of Jackson’s support for Dean came just a few hours before Sharpton, a Dean rival for the Dem nomination, blasted Dean, accusing him of promoting an “anti-black agenda.”
“Howard Dean’s opposition to affirmative action, his current support for the death penalty and historic support of the NRA’s [National Rifle Association’s] agenda amounts to an anti-black agenda that will not sell in communities of color in this country,” Sharpton said in a statement.
As a factual matter, Sharpton’s accusation of Dean’s hostility for affirmative action is open to some debate. In 1995, Dean said he was prepared to move away from race-based affirmative action policies, saying, “I think we ought to look at affirmative action programs based not on race but on class.” Since then, however, Dean has said he strongly supports affirmative action based on race.
Nevertheless, Sharpton’s hard-hitting attack on Dean was the first meaningful salvo for Sharpton against any of his rivals by name. Whether the criticisms have an effect on Dean’s support in the African-American community remains to be seen.
Aaron at naw reminds readers that there may be a little more to this story. In fact, Sharpton’s harsh critique coming just hours after Jackson’s endorsement may not have been a coincidence.
Sharpton’s anti-Dean statement added, “Any so-called African American leader that would endorse Dean despite his anti-black record is mortgaging the future of our struggle for civil rights and social justice.”
The language wasn’t particularly subtle. Sharpton has had an ongoing rivalry with Jackson’s father for years. The fact that Jackson Jr. would take a stand in support of Dean may have prompted Sharpton to quickly do the opposite.