Celebrity Politics On The Record: Magic Johnson Endorses Clinton
September 19, 2007
Alexis McCombs, Black Enterprise
Embedded in a tight battle for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are courting prominent African Americans for fundraising support and influential clout. On the heels of Oprah’s event for Obama that drew over 1500 people to her plush Montecito, CA home, Magic announced he is backing the former first lady and recently held a fundraiser for Senator Clinton at his home in Beverly Hills. He spoke to BE.com about the decision.
Candidates Voice Outrage on ‘Jena 6′
September 19, 2007
Alec MacGillis, Washington Post
Chalk it up as another comment on racial politics in America, circa 2007: while the leading Republican presidential candidates are skipping a debate held by historically-black Morgan State University, the top Democrats are racing to be show their solidarity for the “Jena 6″ — with the sole black candidate encountering criticism for being insufficiently outspoken in the matter.
In Chicago, civic leaders vow to stay focused on ‘Jena 6′
September 17, 2007
Antonio Olivo, Chicago Tribune
Black community leaders in Chicago on Saturday sought to keep the spotlight on the racially charged “Jena 6″ case in Louisiana a day after a state appeals court there threw out a felony conviction against one of the teen defendants.
Both Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton pledged to continue plans for a demonstration in Jena, La., on Thursday, arguing the overturned battery conviction against Mychal Bell, 17, did not diminish the racial injustice of a case that drew national attention when Bell and five other black teenagers were charged with attempted murder for beating a white teen and leaving him unconscious.
New Polls Show a Mixed Bag for Black Voters
September 17, 2007
John Boyanoski, SCpols.com
Two new polls with very different results show that the black vote in South Carolina is not homogeneous, and no candidate has completely locked up this bloc in the state.
A Winthrop University poll of African-Americans in the state show that U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., had an almost five-point lead over U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and no other Democratic candidate had more than 3 percent.
S.C. blacks’ political opinions conflicting
September 17, 2007
Aaron Gould Sheinin, Myrtle Beach Sun News
Black South Carolinians are Democrats.
But they’re far from liberal.
Blacks in South Carolina have nuanced, sometimes seemingly conflicting opinions that reflect, at times, the state’s conservatism, a groundbreaking Winthrop/ETV poll found.
For example, according to the poll: Two-thirds say they are Democrats, and four in five plan to vote in the state’s January Democratic presidential primary. But almost six in 10 describe their political beliefs as conservative or moderate.
Despite that conservatism, more than half say government “definitely” should ensure that every American has a “decent standard of living,” a liberal belief at odds with free-market capitalism.
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