questions in(sociology of poverty)
psychology123
FinalQuestion3.pptxPerspectives of poverty
Question 3 from from Lectures and Williams
1
Question 3
What strategies did President Clinton se to reduce the political salience of race and retained African American and Latino political support?
Regan/Bush Aftermath
For Blacks, Bush and Reagan administration was a period of warning and social policies and significant setbacks
According to Williams, fulltime employment declined 4% for whites, 6% for African Americans, and 13% for Latinos
Among college-educated African Americans men the negative trend continued
In 1979, African American college graduate earned 81% of what their white counterparts did
After the Reagan years, they only earned 74% of white male salaries
The Regan-Bush era showed discrimination on the basis of race to be alive and well in America
Urban Institute researchers found significant levels of discrimination against African Americans and Latinos in labor and housing markets
The Federal Reserve Bank found “dramatic disparities in loan rejection rates” by race
Regan’s Racial Gestures
Refused to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus
Jokes about welfare queens, pimps and chiselers
Inability to remember the name of the only African American in his cabinet
Attacks on MLK’s memory
Visit to a Nazi burial ground
Clinton’s Campaign
Clinton brought a sense of hope to the Black community
Clinton’s most popular campaign promise was ”to end welfare as we know it”
A race-coded message that the democrats were breaking from supporting programs and policies that could be seen as beneficial to African Americans
Clinton’s Connection to Blacks
Blacks felt that they connect to Clinton
He grew up around Blacks, personally experienced economic hardships, and spoke out against racism since he was a little boy
He wrote letters to the head of the University of Arkansas’ ROTC program expressing his passionate opposition to racism
He was known for visiting many African American churches
While governor of Arkansas, he vowed to fight discrimination and prejudice at every opportunity
He publicly spoke of the injustice of Rodney King verdict
In 1987, Clinton testified against the nomination of Reagan’s conservative nominee, Robert Bork (Clinton’s constitutional law professor at Yale University), based on Bork’s anti-civil rights record
He accused republicans of neglect, selfishness, and dividedness, as well as verbally expressing his empathy with society’s victims because of his own experience overcoming poverty
Clinton Angers Black Leaders
Within his first year, Clinton acted against the interest of Blacks
Clinton authorized and oversaw the execution of Rick Ray Rector (a mentally retarded Black man)
February 1992: publically expressed feelings of anger towards Black activist Jesse Jackson
March 1992: Clinton attended and Arkansas country club that has no Black members
June 1992: Clinton criticized the National Rainbow Coalition for inviting rap musician, Sister Souljah to speak at its national leadership summer conference after she was accused of making remarks regarding the Rodney Kind verdict.
Pledged Policies
If implemented, Clinton’s policies pledged would have a positive impact on many African Americans
Clinton called for $65B for public education, increased opportunities for college students, and full funding for Head Start
Clinton proposed an “investment strategy” that included a $50B urban rescue plan that theoretically would create jobs and he began to attack some of the entrenched economic and social problems of inner cities
He pledged to:
raise caps on damages in workplace discrimination cases
Support statehood for the District of Columbia
Sign the Motor Voter Bill-would ease access to voter registration
Appoint more people of color and women to top-level administration positions
End tax incentives that encourage and allow companies to outsource labor
Raise minimum wage
Create a fair, affordable, and quality universal health care system
Revamp of the Democratic Party
Clinton needed to appeal to white male voters in addition to his hold on the Latino and African American vote
Republicans had a more racially homogenous case and could play the race card in a way the democrats could not but it was hard for them to escape the image of whiteness, racism and sexism
Clinton proceeded to create a “new kind of democrat” through three strategies
Control racial symbols: he distanced himself from his political party’s image of being soft on crime
Promised to enforce strict crime related policies and put 100,000 new police officers on the street
Emphasized responsibility over personal rights
This was a contradiction of his campaign message of putting people first
He was able to maintain an alliance with whites that viewed racial minorities as lazy, violent and irresponsible.
Emphasized universal polices over race-specific or targeted ones
He pledged to create a universal healthcare system to provide increased opportunities for college students and raise minimum wage
