This is a review of the Nagin win. It was written on Sunday, at 1 PM, EDT. Let's start off with this
Nagin won with 52.3 percent, or 59,460 votes, to Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu's 47.7 percent, or 54,131 votes. While the vote was split largely along racial lines, Nagin got enough of a crossover in predominantly white districts to make the difference. He also won a slim majority of absentee and fax votes cast by evacuees scattered across the country.
I haven't read any news article about the win except for the article shown in this link. I haven't read any commentary about Nagin's winning. This post is going to reflect what I believe the commentary about Nagin's win will be about.
Race Is The Reason Nagin Won
Ladies and gentlemen, that will be the #1 reason given for Nagin's win. But look at what the quote stated. The votes went down racial lines. Whites voted for the white candidate, Blacks voted for the Black candidate. But it was white voters who gave Nagin the victory.
From previous articles about Nagin, Nagin first won as mayor because of white voters not Black voters.
This article shows something interesting:
Also after the primary, some black leaders and activists threatened a legal challenge to the results, saying that voter turnout figures proved their case that black voting strength had been unfairly diluted. Turnout among black voters in the primary was 31 percent, compared with 51 percent for white voters.
While black voter turnout in New Orleans generally lags white turnout, the disparity was more than 10 percent points larger than usual. In the 2002 mayoral primary, for instance, 50 percent of eligible white voters cast votes, compared with 45 percent of eligible black voters.
...
As the runoff campaign took shape, the city's ingrained political and racial patterns began to break down. Landrieu was endorsed by the third-place finisher, Audubon Nature Institute chief executive Ron Forman, a Democrat who had attracted the support of many white conservatives. Nagin countered by landing the backing of Couhig, the leading Republican in the primary, and Boulet, a liberal Democrat, both of whom are white. He was also endorsed by firebrand minister the Rev. Tom Watson, who is black.
Landrieu, meanwhile, picked up endorsements from the Republican Party, a large contingent of elected officials of both races, and Bishop Paul Morton, pastor of the state's largest black church.
The results Saturday suggest that Nagin managed to build back a sizable portion of his once-enviable white base, an accomplishment that likely put him over the top.
Pollsters had said that, based on his strong showing among black voters in the primary, Nagin would need at least 20 percent and perhaps 25 percent of the white vote to win. Landrieu, conversely, would have had to build slightly upon the 24 percent of black votes he received in the primary.
Early analyses Saturday night indicate that Nagin met his goal of a 20 percent share of the white vote, while Landrieu failed to build upon his African-American support, and might have even lost some.
Here's something to think about. If whites voted mainly for Landrieu, did they do so out of racism or because they made the "right" decision. Meanwhile, Blacks vote for Blacks because it's racism.
Really. Think about it.
Democrat vs. Republican
There is going to be more commentary about Democrat vs. Republican policies and their affect on communities, but people who spout that will choose to ignore the Nagin was a Republican who switched to be a Democrat for the mayoral race.
The "Blame" Will Lie With Black Voters
Black voters will be called stupid. There may be references to Marion Barry just to solidify the point. But I think I've shown enough to say the "blame" goes all around.
Those are my predictions. I wonder how I did?
At Sunday, 2:05PM EDT:
OK, here we go:
In the non-PC world of truth, one must wonder if racism is still alive and well in Big Easy?
How else to explain Nagin’s re-election, given the fact that the overwhelming majority of his votes came from blacks, the same community most harmed by his poor response to Katrina?
The same black community, by the way, that accused the Bush administration of racism for deliberately delaying federal assistance to New Orleans, thereby resulting in untold numbers of black deaths and property loss.
Liberals, of course, will deny black racism was a factor in Nagin’s victory. Some even contend that people of color are incapable of racism—–that only Caucasians are so cursed.
Having witnessed Marion Barry repeatedly elected mayor of Washington, D.C., I can't say I'm surprised at Nagin's success. Re-electing an unsuccessful or disgraced mayor apparently can become a source of civic pride, particularly when the racial politics are right.
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