WAS PETERSON’S LOSS AN ACT OF GOD?
I know the headline may be a bit much, but I think it is relevant. A lot of us have been trying to figure out why in a Democrat-leaning County a Republican beat a two-term incumbent. Since Tuesday I’ve discovered that a number of Black pastors told their flocks to stay home on Election Day. This would explain why in many areas of town where Democrats were counting on heavier voter turnout, it never materialized. Even the polls showed a significant number of Black voters still undecided about whom to vote for.
So instead of voting for Greg Ballard, they stayed home. I am not surprised at this. Conventional wisdom dictates that for any Democrat to win elected office , they need 90 percent of the Black vote. Anything less and the odds favor the Republican. In the case at hand, the relationship between the Black clergy and Bart Peterson was strained at best. Particularly last summer when the pastors went to the Mayor asking for help in raising money for crime prevention programs and were told in so many words to “go to hell.” The relationship improved somewhat over time, but apparently it was not enough in the long run. Now a lot of Democrats will have plenty of time to think about this and ask for forgiveness.
