My Advice for President Kerry

Kerry has been lacking when it comes to making an appeal to minority voters who make up part of the Democratic base. Sorry to repeat myself, but here is how you kickstart a competent campaign for the African American vote:

*You start in Atlanta. a state where Kerry could pick up some votes and definitely some money considering the number of African Americans in that city with MONEY.

*Next you go to Birmingham. You go to the 16th St. Baptist church and lay some flowers where the little girls died in the Church Bombing.

*Next you go to the Mississippi Delta where you meet with the poorest of the poor in the black community. Few other places have a larger per capita black population AND also has strong blood ties to black communities in other large Metro areas.

*Next stop in Memphis. Tenn is a battleground State and the WESTERN portion is you Democratic Base. There is a great Dem Representative in Memphis and he is up for re-election. Kerry could do some party building there too.

*Next you go to St. Louis. Here is a large black population and what do you know...they live in a BATTLEGROUND STATE! Kerry will not win if he cannot rally the black vote in St. Louis. Many in the black community here (as well as Memphis) have relatives in Mississippi. the connection this trip would not be lost on them.

*Last stop, CHICAGO. During the "Great Migration" out of the South, many african americans moved to Chicago. it is said that that's where the trains stopped, so it was as far away as they could get from the hardships of field life. because of this, there is a GREAT connection between Mississippi and Chicago. Most any African American you meet here in Mississippi has a relative in Chicago. it is somewhat of a phenomenon. There are many supporters that are just waiting to donate time and money...if only they'd be visited.

people like to be asked.

The fact that a presidential candidate would take the time to trace the movement of black folks across this continent is important. it is has the kind of meaning that just isn't detected by many whites. This makes political sense. it makes fundraising sense. It's just good politics. I hope someone out there is listening.

**EXTRA CREDIT--if kerry wanted to really do it up right, he'd go to Detriot after Chicago. it offers everything that Chicago offers plus the big losses in the Manufacturing sector could let him campaign on auto-pilot.