tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5274211.post272850994282442220..comments2024-01-02T07:30:02.285-05:00Comments on The Real Deal: Obama may be beneficiary of Turner-Fudge ContestRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05300693291544680955noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5274211.post-10730287437168546282011-12-20T09:54:51.687-05:002011-12-20T09:54:51.687-05:00I found a lot of food for thought in this discussi...I found a lot of food for thought in this discussion. Thanks.John Ettorrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18229971392235689875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5274211.post-49436900315818407172011-12-17T00:39:48.045-05:002011-12-17T00:39:48.045-05:00McWhorter didn't lay it out in detail but my t...McWhorter didn't lay it out in detail but my takeaway was that corraling huge numbers of black voters into a majority-minority district leaves little incentive for politicians w/in that district to appeal to non-minorities, and simultaneously offers them very little in terms of a base to appeal to a broader and more diverse constituency. <br /><br />The same holds true from the other side. If all voters of color are pushed into one district, legislators in other districts feel no pressure to be accountable to them. <br /><br />Each side becomes locked into rote positions. Up-and-coming black politicans find little incentive, encouragement or support in trying to build coalitions in that sort of political environment.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05300693291544680955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5274211.post-58580214870803384332011-12-16T22:46:24.099-05:002011-12-16T22:46:24.099-05:00I read McWhorter's article, but missed the &qu...I read McWhorter's article, but missed the "solid questions." He certainly doesn't explain how young black politicians are discouraged by the law from building cross-racial coalitions. All are free to seek leadership roles in whatever adjacent communities they choose. Certainly the Voting Rights act does not prevent such attempts. <br />Even stranger is his decrying the re-election of Congressional Black Caucus members. Duh! That's the way Congress works. The most effective members are those who have built seniority over many elections, whether they are black, white or whatever. Why should black members be asked to emasculate themselves by following an abnormal set of rules? If they are trying to legislate the way their constituents want, what's the problem? Newcomers in Congress may make noise, but they seldom have clout (The new Tea Party crowd is having an impact because their numbers are so large, but that's an historic anomaly. ). The alternative might be term limits that strip legislative bodies of institutional memory and encourage extremist positions fueled by ideology untempered through experience.<br />But, you are right. McWhorter does seem "insulated from an understanding of how race actually works in this country."Dick Peerynoreply@blogger.com