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| What Florida means
to a Bush presidency in 2004 By Roxanne Evans |
| Last week, I pondered
how California Governor Gray Davis' rising political stock could prove costly for George
W. Bush in 2004. This week, let's look at the obstacles his brother, Jeb, faces in Florida
and how that may affect the 2004 presidential election. Jeb Bush has not endeared
himself with the African-American community in his state. His rollback of affirmative
action for college admissions and contracting and the subsequent treatment of lawmakers
who challenged him on that have not been forgotten. The fact that he handed his brother the White House further entrenched his Black opposition. Some African-Americans have said publicly that they are willing to vote him out of office for that more than anything he may have done or not done in terms of policy. But recently, African-Americans in Florida found a new reason for their anger toward their governor. Sixteen months ago, a 5-year-old Black girl vanished from her troubled foster home. The family of Rilya Wilson said they thought she was in the custody of a state welfare caseworker. Although the girl was to have had monthly state visits, a caseworker falsified documents to show visits had been made when they had not. The child was not reported missing for 15months. She was lost in the system and by the system. Although there are questions about the foster family's claims, the welfare worker has been fired. Despite calls for Bush to fire the head of the Department of Children & Families, he has opted to form a blue-ribbon panel to study the department. People are angry that Bush said he is still confident in Kathleen Kearney, the secretary of the Department of Children & Families. Kearney, a former juvenile judge, says she will stay on the job. Some say this is further proof of Bush's insensitivity and lack of regard for African-Americans and have renewed the call for his ouster in this fall's election. In a series of interviews, Blacks in Florida told the St.Petersburg Times they are ready for payback for the thousands of Black votes for President that were tossed out in Florida. If the 1 million Black voters in Florida make good on this promise, Jeb Bush is history. Florida polling has not identified a frontrunner among Black voters. Bill McBride and Janet Reno are thought to be the frontrunners. Some Blacks say they don't care who captures the Democratic nomination; they will merely support him or her to oust Bush. Roughly 9 out of every 10 Black voters in Florida are Democrats.Although Bush captured a record 14 percent of the Black vote in 1998, political experts predict he will get a much smaller percent of a larger Black turnout,which will end his career as governor. Emotions still run high in the Black community over the 2000 presidential election and as most political consultants who work with the African-American community know, it is passion as much as positions that get Blacks folks to the polls. Now, if Jeb gets beat, it spells troubled for brother George. George is counting on his brother to squire him across the Sunshine State in 2004 and deliver Florida to him once again. With California now questionable, a Florida loss could result in both Bush brothers looking for new jobs. |
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