Black Leaders remind voters presidetial race is far from over

[candy331]

(Seems like some do get it.


Black leaders remind voters presidential race is far from over

By Andy Shaw
January 29, 2004 — The Democratic presidential candidates received a warning today from Chicago's African American leaders. John Kerry, Howard Dean and the others should not get too comfortable with their positions in the race because no one has been appointed yet as the democratic party's presidential nominee.

The buzz in some political and media circles after John Kerry's impressive victories in Iowa and New Hampshire is to coronate the Massachusetts senator as the inevitable nominee and it may eventually happen but some of the city's African American leaders point out that black voters, a key Democratic constituency, haven't weighed in yet and that Iowa and New Hampshire will represent less than 2% of the total delegates.

"Kerry isn't in. Dean isn't out. Clark isn't out," said Cong. Bobby Rush, (D) Chicago.

Congressman Rush, who is now supporting retired general Wesley Clark for president, says it is wrong for the media and the democratic establishment to coronate Senator John Kerry as the party's nominee after victories in Iowa and new Hampshire, states with small populations and very few of the blacks, Latinos, urban and suburban progressives who make up the bulk of the democratic party.

"I think it's pretty much totally premature. Arrogant and insulting that some would race now to crown a nominee," said Rush.

snip

Carol Moseley Braun, who dropped out of the presidential sweepstakes a week before Iowa and now supports former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, said there is nothing wrong with Iowa and New Hampshire coming first. However, she said the race is far from over despite Kerry's momentum because millions of democrats in dozens of states still have to choose thousands of convention delegates.

"I've said from the very beginning it was going to be a delegate race and the delegate race to the convention to see who had the most delegates," said Braun.

"It's a marathon. Ok? It's not a sprint. It's a marathon. Now they've got to come to our neighborhood. And our neighborhood is where we'll have a chance to look at the candidates and decide who's going to be the best candidate for us," said Rush.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/012904_ns_blackvote.html

[Leilani]

1. Sounds good to me...

I'd like an election, not a coronation.