Black and Bush

While most Blacks regarded President George W. Bush with skepticism as a presidential candidate in 2000, as the U.S. prepares to launch a military strike on Afghanistan, African American leaders, like most Americans, have rallied to support the commander-in-chief.

In the 2000 election, Bush's rival, Al Gore, won 90 percent of the Black vote to Bush's 8 percent, and Black suspicion of Bush only grew after reports of voter irregularities and allegations of Black voter disenfranchisement in Florida. In the opening months of his presidency Bush tried to counter widespread African American mistrust by making minority political appointments and backing policies most African Americans support, such as educational reform. But these overtures did little to win over most Blacks.

And when the Bush administration decided to pull out of the United Nations' World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in August, the move solidified the suspicion among Black leaders that Bush was not serious about issues of concern to African Americans.

"Black leadership was geared up to make a stand against Bush after the UN conference on race," said Dr. Robert Smith, a political scientist at San Francisco State University and the author of "We Have No Leaders," which discusses Black leadership in the U.S.

But all that changed as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In the wake of the deaths of more than 6,000 people, and at a time of fear and insecurity, Black political leadership has been largely supportive of President Bush.

Following the President's national address two weeks ago, a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll reported that 90 percent of Americans approved of President Bush, the highest presidential job approval rating ever measured by Gallup. While specific statistical Black support for President Bush and his performance is not known, Black leaders have expressed their support for Bush or have muted their previous criticism of him. Within Congress, only U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) voted against granting President Bush the authority to strike back at the alleged perpetrators of the terrorist attack.

"I am convinced that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States," said Lee from the House floor. "This resolution will pass, although we all know that the President can wage a war even without it."

But Lee's colleagues, Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) and Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), all of whom normally vote with her on defense and military issues, disagreed with Lee's position and chose to support the President.

"Black leadership has been with Bush, because this was an attack on us [America]," explains Smith. "First of all, there were a lot of Blacks killed in the terrorist attacks. Many also feel that the persons involved in the attacks have to be punished for this."

The unified, and unifying, sense of outrage has led Congressional leaders who are usually the President's fiercest critics to speak favorably on his resolute handling of the crisis.

"The President has done an adequate job in terms of leadership," said Millender-McDonald, adding she would give Bush a "75 to 85 percent" approval rating for his handling of the crisis. She said his sternness in the face of adversity has calmed the nation, and she praised the way in which he has stressed the theme of national togetherness.

In a similar reversal, Black civic and religious leaders have also expressed support and encouragement for Bush. At the NAACP convention in July, Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, was highly critical of the Bush administration, saying that Bush's top judicial nominees hailed from the "Taliban wing" of the Republican Party, whose "devotion to the Confederacy is nearly canine in its uncritical affection."