'Kerry will get black vote'

2004-10-20 21:38

Washington - Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson insisted on Wednesday that polls suggesting lukewarm African-American support for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry would be proved wrong on election day.

"Those numbers will not stand because blacks will often vote our interests," Jackson told CNN.

"Our interest is in raising minimum wage, our interest is in overtime pay for overtime work, our interest is in affirmative action, our interest is in ending the war in Iraq," said Jackson, who was himself a Democratic presidential contender two decades ago.

A survey on Tuesday by the Joint Centre for Economic and Political Studies - a Washington think-tank focusing on issues affecting black Americans - gave Kerry a favourable rating from just 78% of respondents, against a 16% unfavourable rating.

Less support than for Gore

The response showed far less support than African-Americans gave Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore four years ago.

In 2000, the Joint Centre poll found 86% of respondents viewed Gore favourably and 7% unfavourably.

In the November 2000 election, nine in 10 of the 12 million blacks who voted cast ballots for Gore against Republican George W Bush.

Jackson said the Joint Centre underpredicted Gore's performance among black voters, and had the same shortcoming vis a vis Kerry.

The Joint Centre poll showed a large number of blacks expressing willingness to consider voting for Bush this time around.

But, Jackson told CNN that African-Americans would be turned off by the president's record on affirmative action, court appointments, the war in Iraq, and other issues.

"The war in Iraq is a big deal in black America," Jackson said.

Swing vote

"After all, no child from congress is in that war. No rich person's child is there.

The black, the brown, the poor are fighting that war," the civil rights leader said.

Jackson predicted that African Americans would not only spurn Bush, but would cast votes for Kerry in record numbers.

"I am convinced ... that the black vote is going to be not only a bigger vote than ever before," he said.

"It is the swing vote."

- AFP