[...] Bush aides say African-Americans have benefited under him, as have all Americans, from his tax cuts, education and welfare revisions, and economic policies that helped shave African-American unemployment to 10.1 percent last month from 10.5 percent in January.
Like Bush, Kerry cites his overarching policies for all Americans -- on health care, taxes and education -- as key planks in his agenda for minorities. He also advocates programs that encourage economic development and personal responsibility.
Both men have drawn rebukes from civil rights leaders for challenging affirmative action -- Kerry supports it now, but once prominently questioned it -- and for not listening much to African-American voices within their inner circles.
"Bush hasn't done anything explicitly for African-Americans," said Angela Dillard, a New York University political science and history professor. "I can't think of anything explicit that Kerry has done. It's just status quo."
Both face a skeptical African-American electorate. The African-American unemployment rate last month was nearly double the national average of 5.6 percent. A Gallup Poll last month found that only 41 percent of African-Americans think they have the same job opportunities as whites.
A slim majority of African-Americans -- 51 percent -- said they thought African-American children had as good a chance as white children to get a good education in their local communities. Gallup officials said that was the lowest since the early stages of the civil rights movement. [...]
| That's from William Douglas and James Kuhnhenn's Knight Ridder News (via San Jose Mercury News) article "Bush, Kerry vie for African-American votes"
posted in articles on July 21, 2004 12:08 PM | t (0)
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