Southern Blacks Lean Toward Clinton, but He Fails to Stir Up Real Enthusiasm : Democrats: Leaders in community say he may prevail in primary, but a large African-American turnout is unlikely.

The tall man at the pulpit spoke with the rolling cadences of an old-time preacher, lamenting America’s economic hardships, its racial divisions, its wasted opportunities and its lack of faith in the future.

“I believe,” intoned Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, and the African-American congregation stirred. “And if you believe . . . I challenge you in the quiet of the night, when all the preaching is done, to ask whether you think we can do better.”

Clinton cannot match the oratorical fervor of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, nor inspire the same loyalty. But despite an exchange of sharp words with Jackson on Thursday, the Arkansas Democrat is making friends in black churches and with black leaders across the South.

“George Bush took Willie Horton and divided this nation from east to west and north to south,” said Bishop H. H. Brookins, referring to the escaped black convict whom Bush used to help defeat Michael S. Dukakis in 1988.

“You don’t have but one man on the landscape in this country who can challenge this Administration . . . “ Brookins said Tuesday night when he endorsed Clinton before an overflow crowd at St. Andrew African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Memphis. “And I’m telling you, the darkest day you will ever face is if George Bush is returned to the White House.”

On Friday, Brookins said he would stand by Clinton despite the “regrettable” incident with Jackson. On Thursday, Clinton was told wrongly that Jackson had endorsed Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin. Clinton railed against Jackson, unaware that he was speaking into an open microphone. Though Clinton later called Jackson to apologize, Jackson said he was “disappointed” and “disturbed by the tone of the blast.”

Brookins said the media made more of the flap than voters did, and he still expects Clinton to do well in Tuesday’s Georgia primary and the Southern contests that follow.

But, Brookins said, “If he cannot pull it off, then of course it’s time to take another look.”

In Georgia, Clinton had been seen as the front-runner among both white and black voters. But he has yet to win a primary or caucus, and pundits and black leaders say his support remains shallow. Although Clinton is likely to prevail among those who do vote, they say, he has not produced the enthusiasm that would lead to a large black turnout.

The Jackson incident could depress the vote further, and by raising questions about Clinton’s temper, once again distract voters from his message, they said.

“All Clinton has at this point is the endorsement of some black politicians,” said the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “If he expects that to deliver a massive black vote, then Arkansas must not be like the rest of the country.”

Lowery urged all presidential candidates to “cut the bologna” and offer specifics on such issues as urban decay, “real job training for real jobs” housing and drug treatment.

“If they want us to turn out, they’ve got to give us some issues . . . “ Lowery said. “What they’re relying on now is the anti-Bush feeling and a vacuum among the other Democrats.”

Even ardent Clinton fans do not want to be taken for granted. “He’s done a lot for the black community in Little Rock,” said the Rev. Harold Mays, a Baptist preacher from Kerr, Ark. “He’s just an all-around good guy.” Still, Mays said, “I resent them saying he’s going to walk away with it. He’s not. He’s going to have to work for it like any other candidate.”

Clinton is the best organized of the Democratic contenders in Georgia. He has been endorsed by Gov. Zell Miller and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a former civil rights leader. On Thursday, Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson and former Mayor Andrew Young also backed him. Clinton is also running ads on Atlanta’s largest radio station, which caters to the black community.

Clinton’s backers say he has not only a long civil rights record, but also an easy rapport with black voters, a pleasant chemistry born of lifelong contact.

“Even when I was a boy living in a segregated society, I knew more black people by their first names than most people do . . . “ Clinton said in an interview this week. “And I grew up with a real commitment to promoting integration, equal opportunity and common advancement. . . . It’s part of what drove me into politics.”

And Clinton speaks Dixie.

“We may not come out and say it, but under the covers, every one of us supports homeboys,” said John T. Legett, a retired school bus driver from Brunswick, Ga., after hearing Clinton speak.

Across the Southern states, African-Americans represent between 15% and 30% of registered voters. In Georgia, 31% of those registered in 1988 were black, but blacks represented only 19% of those who voted in the general election, according to exit polls. The low turnout helped George Bush carry the state.

Mindful of these numbers, Clinton’s rivals are fighting back. On Wednesday, former Massachusetts Sen. Paul E. Tsongas toured “Sweet” Auburn Avenue, the historic cradle of black Atlanta. He was endorsed by two black state representatives, Michael Thurman and Ralph David Abernathy III. Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey spoke at Spelman College.

So far, the economy has eclipsed concerns about race.

“A candidate talking about joblessness is talking to blacks and whites,” said William Boone, a political scientist at Clark Atlanta University.

By focusing on economics, the Democrats hope to appeal to black voters without alienating the Southern whites who gave Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bush their mandates, Boone said. Southern blacks will join whites in supporting Clinton, Boone said, because they see no alternative.