Post by Diremaker on Jun 2, 2010 11:01:50 GMT -5
In one fell swoop, leaders of black organizations in Alabama have shown that they have no interest in letting racism die... I really liked what this guy was doing.
www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/02/alabama.gubernatorial.primary.davis/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
Davis loss in Alabama a sign of black establishment's clout
(CNN) -- In his campaign to become Alabama's first African-American Democratic nominee for governor, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis downplayed race, bucked the black establishment and watched his opponent rack up endorsements from the state's key minority political groups.
His strategy was unconventional, but in the days before the election, it appeared to be working. Davis held a steady lead over Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks in the weeks leading up to the primary, but when the votes came in Tuesday night, Sparks pulled out the win -- stomping Davis with more than 60 percent of the vote.
Sparks will face the winner of the Republican contest, which will be decided in a July 13 runoff. Current Republican Gov. Bob Riley could not seek re-election because he is term-limited by law.
"This is not exactly the speech I planned to give," Davis said as he conceded and encouraged supporters to back Sparks.
"As I leave the stage, I hope that this district will continue to advance. Let's keep on believing in Alabama. Let's keep on believing in tomorrow," he said in a speech from his congressional district.
Had the four-term congressman come out on top, he could have become Alabama's first black governor and only the third elected black governor in United States history.
The historical implications of a Davis victory were not lost on the Deep South. A black man could have taken the oath of office near where Gov. George Wallace declared "Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!" in his 1963 inaugural address and where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as president of the Confederate States of America in 1861.
Davis, much to the chagrin of black political leaders, had no interest in focusing on the symbolism.
"He sees himself as a leader rather than a black leader," said Glen Browder, a former Alabama Democratic congressman and author of "Stealth Reconstruction: An Untold Story of Racial Politics in Recent Southern History."
(CNN) -- In his campaign to become Alabama's first African-American Democratic nominee for governor, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis downplayed race, bucked the black establishment and watched his opponent rack up endorsements from the state's key minority political groups.
His strategy was unconventional, but in the days before the election, it appeared to be working. Davis held a steady lead over Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks in the weeks leading up to the primary, but when the votes came in Tuesday night, Sparks pulled out the win -- stomping Davis with more than 60 percent of the vote.
Sparks will face the winner of the Republican contest, which will be decided in a July 13 runoff. Current Republican Gov. Bob Riley could not seek re-election because he is term-limited by law.
"This is not exactly the speech I planned to give," Davis said as he conceded and encouraged supporters to back Sparks.
"As I leave the stage, I hope that this district will continue to advance. Let's keep on believing in Alabama. Let's keep on believing in tomorrow," he said in a speech from his congressional district.
Had the four-term congressman come out on top, he could have become Alabama's first black governor and only the third elected black governor in United States history.
The historical implications of a Davis victory were not lost on the Deep South. A black man could have taken the oath of office near where Gov. George Wallace declared "Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!" in his 1963 inaugural address and where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as president of the Confederate States of America in 1861.
Davis, much to the chagrin of black political leaders, had no interest in focusing on the symbolism.
"He sees himself as a leader rather than a black leader," said Glen Browder, a former Alabama Democratic congressman and author of "Stealth Reconstruction: An Untold Story of Racial Politics in Recent Southern History."
www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/02/alabama.gubernatorial.primary.davis/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn