He got whupped.
He lost 62% - 38 %.
GOOD.
Yes, I said GOOD.
Davis was a candidate that thought he could spit all over the Black constituency, as he begged for White votes, and that Black folks would just ' understand'.
What else do you say about a candidate, who, from his election into Congress, never served the interests of his constituents?
When graded by the CBC Monitor Report Card, the best he could do, in a COMPLETELY SAFE Congressional District, was get an 'F'.
Yes, he was in a completely safe congressional district and received failing grades during this time.
This year, Davis distinguished himself by being the ONLY member of the Congressional Black Caucus to vote AGAINST HEALTHCARE REFORM. A bill of this importance maybe comes along once or twice in a member's career, and when he chooses, not ONCE, but TWICE, to spit in the face of the people who entrusted their votes to him to REPRESENT THEM...
he got exactly what he deserved.
Remember, Davis was given an opportunity to correct himself with the first Healthcare Reform vote, and do the right thing. He chose not to. He chose to spit in the eye of those in his district who definitely needed healthcare to pass.
THEN, Davis thought he could spit in the eye of all the Black political apparatus that had come before him.
From the NYTimes
Mr. Sparks, who is white, won endorsements from the state’s four major black political groups, while Mr. Davis intentionally declined to seek their support.
How strong was the rebuke of Davis by the Black community that he dismissed?
From NetNoir:
Davis won only two of the 11 counties in Alabama where African-American voters are a majority and lost some counties in the rural Black Belt by huge, double-digit margins. In Lowndes County, where 70 percent of the population is black, Sparks, who is white, won by 29 points. In Perry County, with a 67 percent black population, his victory margin was 44 percent.
Sparks even bested Davis by 16 points in Davis’s home base of Jefferson County, where Birmingham is located, and Davis won just two of the 12 counties he’s represented since 2002.
Black folk, in ALABAMA, would rather the White candidate over YOU, Artur. Don't know if you get this, but that means something.
Best comment about the race comes from poster lamh32:
lamh32
I think Arthur Davis' loss, should also be a wake-up call for Dems in Southern states in general. African Americans are a loyal block of Dem voters, and usually, we are extremely loyal to "our own" in general, heck, at first, we even liked Clarence Thomas, and we still don't hate Condi Rice, but we love Colin Powell.
What happened to Davis' is that, due in large part to the election of Barack Obama, more and more African Americans are watching and listening, and are actually taking in more of the political world than we have in the past. Many of the people I know, while not crazy pols like some of us on the blogosphere, are very intuned to what's happening in the political world, particurlary as it relates to the Obama White House.
It used to be that I had to be the one to bring up politics for any of my peep to talk about, now though, the same people who really didn't pay attention to what was happening, come up to me and ask me if I've heard about this or that. Davis thought he was just automatically gonna get AA votes, so he basically turned his back on them to try and attract non-black votes, and what happened he got neitherm, the whites didn't vote for him, and the AA turnout was abysmal, and those of us who did turn out didn't even vote for him in large numbers anyway.
No one is crying for Arthur Davis. But I think that what happened to him, is a cautionary tail for Dems in the coming 2012 elections. Forget about whether or not Obama will be able to be re-elected (I think he will), what the Dems need to think about is, what would happen if Obama gets primaried, and for whatever reason is not on the ballot for 2012 (I know not a likely scenario) a low turnout among AA would really affect Dem chances in those states in the south correct?
I doubt if it happens, but I hope Arthur Davis' loss makes some Southern Dems (particulary AA pols,) think twice before taking our votes for granted
I agree, lamh32. Davis had been misrepresenting his Congressional District for years, but I do believe it did take the election of the President to bring the focus back to his misrepresentation over the years, which could be crystallized in those 2 Healthcare Reform "NO" votes.
Davis giving his concession speech
| Artur Davis delivers his concession speech |
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1 comment:
He tried his damndest to look like a Conservative (almost a Republican) and to play to the white Conservative (Confederate) voters in Alabama. With his vote against healthcare, and with his other behavior, he showed that he was willing to throw his constituents under the bus... for a chance at power. (power really does corrupt. He simply got a taste of power..the prize was simply dangled in front of him and he lost his mind. Imagine if he would have been nominated or even elected).
Generally speaking I hate politicians ... I put them somewhere in the vicinity of used car salesmen and child molesters on my human decency and integrity chart. But I really have a problem with those who are willing to abandon core principles for a job, for money, for status, etc. That's the worst kind of politician, IMO.
There is nothing wrong with attempting to broaden your appeal... establishing a bigger tent or embracing compromise. Obama, Harold Washington, Douglass Wilder, Deval Patrick and many others did exactly that.... they had to. No Black political figure going for Statewide or national office can avoid it. However, there is a way to do it without sacrificing core principles and values or throwing your constituents completely under the bus by supporting policies that are not in their best interests (simply for political convenience.)
Even whites know when Black candidates are doing this to get their votes. It usually doesn't work, esp. in the South where politics and race are so polarized. Davis would have been better off sticking to principles and passionately advocating for them and explaining why he should get support. At least when you lose in that situation... you do it standing up for something.... for some set of principles.
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