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By Paul M. Weyrich
October 30, 2006
Some years ago Democrats declared the “Year of the Woman,” pointing to the fact that women comprise more than half of the electorate. It stands to reason that if women would vote for women the number of women serving in the United States Senate would increase dramatically. What went wrong? It is true that there are currently twelve women in the Senate, a record high, but five of those are Republicans. This is not exactly what liberals had in mind. Voters insist upon voting for the best qualified candidate. The candidate’s gender, it seems, is not a high priority. In States such as Washington, which has two Democratic female United States Senators, post-election surveys indicate many different reasons for their election. Being a woman is far down the list.
This year was to be the year of the Black Republicans. Run Black conservatives who will get a high percentage of the African-American vote. They will surprise the White Democrats running against them and all will be elected.
That has not been the result, for a variety of reasons. Let’s begin with Michigan. Bishop Keith Butler, a former Detroit City Councilman, and the pastor of a mega-church, was the first to surface. He received support from most Michigan legislators and a majority of Michigan party officials. His main opponent was a former State legislator and Sheriff of Oakland County (Suburban Detroit), Mike Bouchard. The Washington crowd, however, did not want Butler as nominee. Even though Bouchard had pulled out of the race and the Senatorial Campaign Committee told a group from the religious right that they would stay neutral in the primary, Bouchard was persuaded to resume the race. He received considerable national money in the process. He defeated Butler in the primary. So now another White conservative Republican is out there articulating the party line. His opponent, Senator Debbie Stabenow, has yet to solidify the seat but she remains ahead in every poll taken since Bouchard won the primary.
Just think of Stabenow versus Butler. Here is a man who has fed hundreds of thousands of Detroit’s poor. Butler has supplied clothes for many of the needy. He has supplied private housing for the poor whenever possible. Although Bouchard is an attractive candidate he has yet to close the gap. Butler would have been able to challenge the good Senator in a way that no White conservative Republican could have.
Next up: Pennsylvania. The Republican Party quickly got out of the way for football legend Lynn Swann. Originally it seemed as if former Lieutenant Governor William W. Scranton, Jr., would win the Republican nomination to run against incumbent Governor Edward G. Rendell. Even after a major fundraising effort on his behalf, Scranton abruptly dropped out in favor of Swann. One poll showed Swann and Rendell neck and neck. Then the two debated. It was clear that Swann was not knowledgeable about State issues. From that point on the Swann campaign began to fade and has not recovered. If Rendell’s re-election effort is a blowout it likely will have a negative effect on the hard-fought campaign of Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA).
Then comes Ohio. Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell defeated the establishment candidates by a wide margin. That gave him the opportunity to run against Representative Ted Strickland. Blackwell has been a controversial figure in Ohio. All other statewide elected officials opposed the constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage and civil unions. Blackwell favored the amendment. It passed by a wide margin and the increase in voter turnout is largely credited with President George W. Bush’s narrow re-election. After the election various African-American groups contended that the election was stolen. Blackwell had to defend against those charges, and while he did very well, he angered some in the Black community to the point that hate campaigns have been run against him. He is charged with the usual—that he is an oreo cookie, black on the outside, white on the inside; he is an Uncle Tom; he is George W. Bush’s clone. Whereas in his last election for Secretary of State, Blackwell received 50 percent of the African-American vote, he is expected to fall far short of 50 percent.
Also, the Republican Party in Ohio is imploding. Republican Governor Robert Taft recently pled guilty to four counts of accepting illegal gifts. Some of Taft’s people have gone to jail. Then there is the Ney/Abramoff scandal. Strickland, one of Ohio’s more liberal Congressmen, previously was unknown statewide, yet he has painted himself as a moderate Democrat who represents Ohio values. While Blackwell has narrowed the gap, it would appear to be too much of a stretch for him to win. That is a pity because Blackwell is one of the most able Blacks in the nation. He could do a great deal of good as Governor. It appears that it will not happen this time.
Finally there is Maryland. Maryland is among the most liberal states. When Robert Ehrlich was elected Governor four years ago against one of the Kennedy clan, Mrs. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, it was considered a fluke. The last Republican Governor of Maryland was Spiro T. Agnew, elected in 1966. Ehrlich’s Lieutenant Governor is Michael S. Steele. The Lieutenant Governor is much like the Vice President—there are not many official duties. Steele has used his time to acquaint himself with many local groups, especially those in the Black community. Steele really wanted to run for Lieutenant Governor with Ehrlich again but the Governor saw the possibility of his being elected Senator. Representative Benjamin L. Cardin was nominated by the Democrats over Kwesi Mfume, formerly head of the NAACP and also a former Member of Congress, who remarked that the Democratic ticket statewide looked the same as it did in 1950, meaning no minority on the ticket.
Once Steele decided to run for the Senate he quickly took the campaign into his own hands. Through a quirky series of ads, all of which Steele wrote, he finds himself in a strong position. Several recent polls have Steele and Cardin tied in the Senate contest. The Cardin campaign is upset over this situation. The Congressman even failed to appear at an NAACP-sponsored debate. Steele did. The son of the man Cardin defeated in the Democratic Primary is supporting Steele. So is boxing promoter Don King, who made a special trip to the Washington/Baltimore area to ask voters to take a chance on Steele. Mike Tyson did his latest boxing match wearing a Steele T-shirt. He said he used to be against Steele but that is before he researched the matter. (Somehow the idea of Mike Tyson researching anything is amazing.) Political celebrities as well as some Hollywood types are asking the voters of Maryland to do something different by electing a Republican. Convinced that Steele will get a decent portion of the black vote in both the City of Baltimore and Prince George’s County (suburban Washington), they are now worried that White voters may not support a Black candidate, albeit one who sings the same song. Right now Steele is the Black conservative with the best chance to win—and in Maryland of all places.
Paul M. Weyrich is Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.
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