Rank the candidates on walking the walk on racial issues

[_Jumper_]

It is one thing to say all the right things about race but it is another thing to practice what you preach and lead by example. The latter are a better reflection of what someone believes and this is especially true for vote-hungry politicians.

[arewethereyet]

1. Edwards, Kerry Lieberman and Gephardt

clearly have the bonafides. Don't know about Kucinich but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I guess Braun and Sharpton would but their impact is minimal.

Clark, no record at all. Dean, from the great white north, no record that matters.

[Rowdyboy]

2. Clark has a 34 year record of dealing with a minority heavy military

He has excellent rapport with blacks because of this. He has shown his committment through his actions to black servicemen and women and they return it.

Dean has 3,102 minority citizens in Vermont. Not one has ever served in his cabinet during his lengthy 11 year tenure as governor. Perhaps he doubts their abilities.

[angee_is_mad]

3. here goes nothing

Sharpton, Edwards, Lieberman(because of his past)tied with Kerry, Clark, Gephardt,DK, Braun, Dean

I think that some of the candidates are not interested in race issues at this time.

[mikewriter]

4. Edwards, Lieberman, Kerry

Sharpton and Mosley Braun don't count in my book b/c they are a minority and should do well in that segment of society

[AP]

5. I'll leave it to other to tell anecdotes about their candidates. However,

there was that GQ article about Edwards. He was asked to tell a story about how his life intersected with race in the south. Improbably, he said that he couldn't think of one. They asked a high school friend who said that the black students wanted to have a separate prom. They were having a sit-in at school. Edwards walked up to one of the organizers, talked for a few minutes, and sat in with them. Edwards said he couldn't remember the event.

There are pictures of Edwards on the HS basketball and football teams. Many black faces in those pictures.

Edwards tells the story about how the valedictorian of his law school class (and a good friend today) would not have been in that class if not for AA -- thus his argument about AA is that it takes down barriers and allows people to fully express their abilities and capacity for hard work.

Edwards tells the story about how Robbins, where he grew up, is now mustly latino. They go there for the same reason his father went there: a better life. He wants to give them the same options as his father had. Thus his message about race, again, is that he wants to take down barriers.

In 1998 it was the black vote that came out heavily for him. He hasn't forgotten that. The black community, I understand, loves JRE in NC. More black people have voted for Edwards than any other candidate (and possibly all the other candidates combined). Incidentally, 12 years ago, Gep's district was 99% white. It was one of the whitest districts in the house. Don't know if that's still true today.

Edwards was the first candidate to state that he was going to respect the NAACP boycott in SC by staying only in private homes. This is above and beyond what the NAACP said they would consider keeping the boycott.

On Tavis Smiley, Smiley said that he talked to prominent NYC black Democrats who told Sharpton that Edwards was at the top of their donor lists. Sharpton's response: he agreed with the donors that Edwards was great.

[AP]

6. kick, 'cause...

...that was longer than my average post.

[angee_is_mad]

7. double kick