Gio

A significant number of black Americans -- 18 percent -- said they are willing to vote for President Bush, even though his job-approval ratings in the community are quite low, according to a national opinion survey released yesterday by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, an African American think tank.

In a hypothetical match-up between the presidential candidates, black Americans favored Sen. John F. Kerry to Bush, 69 to 18 percent, the survey said. But the 18 percent for Bush is 10 percentage points higher than the president's vote total in exit polling among this population in the 2000 election.

Eddie N. Williams, the center's president, said black Americans "are holding conservative positions on some wedge issues like same-sex marriage and civil unions." About half the survey's black respondents opposed marriage and civil unions for gays, compared with 39 percent of nonblack respondents.

Bush supports a constitutional amendment that recognizes marriage as a union only between a man and a woman. Kerry said he believes marriage is a union between a man and woman but does not support amending the Constitution.

In the survey, Bush received a 22 percent approval rating, while 67 percent rated him unfavorably. Kerry's approval rating was 78 percent, a solid number, the survey said, but well short of the 86 percent Al Gore received when he ran for president in 2000.

Black Americans have routinely given Democrats about 90 percent of the vote in presidential elections.

In another finding, the survey said the 63 percent of black Americans are concerned that their vote will not count, compared with 48 percent of the general population.

The center's 2000 survey was accurate within one percentage point of how black Americans would vote for Bush. But it was short by 16 percentage points on how they would vote for Gore. Still, David A. Bositis, who wrote the poll, said he did not think Bush "will get 18 percent, but he's definitely going to increase his numbers. I think it will be between 12 and 15 percent."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Oct19.html

turnagainarm

If the African Americans remember Florida where allegedly their votes was suppressed, I don't think they are going to vote in higher number for Bush. It is going to be in the 8-10% range.
Let us face it, African Americans don't consider Republican party to be inclusive enough, and their perception is that policies of Republicans goes against the interest of African American community.
Beside, very few Republican politicians are African Americans, and none in the congress or senate.

Confed999

Maybe they're just getting sick of being used.

__________________
No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

Julie

Get outta here ! David A. Bositis must be dreaming.

turnagainarm

They still won't vote for Republicans. African-Americans don't see Republican party as an inclusive party and find Republican policies imimical to their interest.

Black vote is going to be crucial in this election in the tossup states like Ohio, Pensylvania, Florida, and a few others.

If black turnout is around 75% in these toss up states, Bush is lost.