The Final Days of the Fall Presidential Campaign

I certainly agree with Crusto that “the Democratic Party does not deserve all of the black vote.” In 1988, blacks must stop being taken for granted by the Democrats and ignored by the Republicans. Blacks have no more guarantee that a Dukakis White House will deliver the goods any better than a Bush White House will.

Blacks must continue to tell Michael Dukakis, Bush and candidates and incumbents for local offices, that they have an agenda that still must be met. It calls for massive federal and local spending on jobs, education, housing, social service programs, economic development, a real war to eliminate drugs, tougher civil rights laws, a total boycott of South Africa, and increased aid to Africa and other Third World countries.

However, blacks must not, as Crusto urges, be content with simply delivering their votes to Bush. They must operate this election as independent political brokers to not only Democrats, and Republicans, but the minor parties too. As independent political brokers, blacks would possess leverage throughout the entire political spectrum that they deny themselves when they put all their political eggs in one basket.

None of this is new. During the 19th Century, blacks formed dozens of independent political parties and associations such as the Colored Independent Party, the Afro-American Council, the Negro American Political League and the Afro-American Protective Society. Blacks had the political savvy to break with the Republicans during the 1930s and go for Franklin Roosevelt. In 1964, they challenged the Democrats with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. In 1972, blacks formed the National Black Independent Political Party. Blacks overwhelmingly supported Jesse Jackson not only because he was a black Democrat, but because he represented an independent challenge to the “old boy” Democrats who want black votes but give little in return for them.

This month as Bush and Dukakis ask blacks for their votes, blacks must ask them: What’s in it for us? When blacks do this they become real political independents.

EARL HUTCHINSEN

Inglewood