must be flexible and develop a different mind-set about doing business.
GET OUT THE VOTE
Although the fighting in Iraq continues to seize newspaper headlines, the BE economists agree that unemployment and economic growth are issues that are more likely to decide the election. These hotbed issues have African American workers and business owners scrutinizing the platforms of each candidate to pinpoint which one will offer realistic solutions to the financial concerns of the black community.
Brimmer says African Americans need to generate large black voter turnouts in battleground states — places such as Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, and Pennsylvania that can swing the election one way or the other. But Simms cautions black voters against focusing all of their attention on just the presidential nominees.
“This isn’t just about electing one man,” Simms says. “It’s about looking at all of the men and women who are candidates in the jurisdictions where you vote and asking them the same kinds of questions or looking at their platforms from the same perspective.”
The economists say this election year, as should be the case with any election year, is about African Americans participating in the political campaign process before the balloting takes place. Black voters need to press the candidates, they say, to adopt positions on social and economic issues. But voting is not enough. Sometimes black voters need to reach into their pockets to help achieve the goals of the community.