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Page6...T he Portland Observer...November 11,1992
A long T he C olor L ine
Dr. Manning Marable
Why George Bush Lost
Bill C linton’s landslide Electoral
College victory over George Bush has
been viewed as a sharp rejection o f
twelve years’ of Republican rule. But
the clear m ajority of Americans voted
either for Perot or Bush, not Cliinton.
The Arkansas G overnor really didn’t
win the presidency: George Bush lost it.
Bush will be rem em bered chiefly for
his narrow ness o f political vision, an
absence o f personal ethics, and his
sheep-like devotion to corporate inter­
ests.
Political pow er is never exercised
in a historical vacuum. Every A m eri­
can election from 1948 until 1988 had
occurred in the context o f the Cold W ar,
and the international conflict between
the United States and the Soviet Union.
In selecting a leader, many American
voters thought of the qualities neces­
sary for leadership against w hat Reagan
termed the “Evil Em pire.” Expertise in
international affairs, some intim ate
know ledge of A m erica’s military arse­
nal, and even personal experience in the
armed forces was considered nearly
essential. The Cold W ar’s Domestic
impact was to push the entire axis o f
American politics to the right. Reagan ’ s
rise to power in 1980 was the triumph of
a whole history o f growing economic
reaction, racism , and class warfare
against working people. And George
Bush was a logical product of that re­
pressive history: a decorated veteran of
world W ar II, the son o f a wealthy
R epublican Senator, two-term C on­
gressman from Texas, former head o f
the Central Intelligence Agency, and
Vice President to Reagan. W henever
B ush’s personal beliefs conflicted with
his drive for power, he eagerly sacri­
ficed his principles. In the 1980 Repub-
lican primaries. Bush challenged Reagan
by denouncing his economic plans as
“Voodoo Economics”; twelve years later,
he had become V oodoo’s High Priest.
But history never stands still. W ith
the collapse of the Berlin W all, the dis­
mantling o f the Soviet bloc in Europe,
and finally the termination of the USSR,
everything changed. Both the United
States and the Soviet Union actually lost
the Cold War. The real costs to the
American people should be weighed by
hundreds o f billions o f dollars annually
wasted on nuclear and conventional
weaponry, little investment in upgrad­
ing factories and new technologies, de­
teriorating highways and bridges, and
the lack o f adequate federal governm ent
support for schools, health care, housing
and other basic human needs. No amount
of anti-Communist rhetoric could hide
the millions o f lost jobs, the decline in
real incomes for millions of workers, and
the rise in poverty rates. Somehow, Bush
never understood this. He had never felt
the pain o f hunger, discrimination or
poverty in his lifetime. He couldn’t com ­
prehend the heartache o f being without a
job, or the fear of not being able to buy
warm winter clothes for his children, as
the winter months approached. Bush
couldn’t feel the deep anxieties o f middle
class families, the fear of losing their
homes. But “anxiety” for President Bush
was not knowing which fork to use at a
formal dinner.
The economic recession which Bush
boasted having ended more than one
year ago continued to depress wages and
increase unem ploym ent lines. In the
twelve months prior to the election, over
20 percent of all American families had
experienced someone who had lost a job
during that time. O f those jobless A m eri­
cans who had obtained new em ploy­
ment, more than half had experienced
a loss in wages in their new jobs. But
Bush campaign virtually ignored this
entire class o f A m erican w orking
people.
However, B ush ’ s most c rue ial elec­
toral mistake was in underestimating
C linton’s political strengths, and the
capacity of the national Democratic
Party to mount a serious campaign. If
political clout is calculated by the num ­
ber of ballots one receives, Clinton had
em erged from the Democratic prim a­
ries as the strongest candidate in de­
cades. Clinton had received a higher
percentage of the national primary vote,
52 percent, than any D emocrat seeking
the presidency in twenty years. He won
10.5 million primary votes, more than
any Democrat or Republican, in the
history of presidential primary elec­
tions. And by mid-July, nearly all o f the
major leaders of the Democratic Party,
including Jesse Jackson, had com e to­
gether to endorse his nomination. For
several critical months in the spring
and early summer, 1992, Bush’s cam ­
paign strategists mistakenly assumed
that their chief electoral rival was H.
Ross Perot, not Clinton; consequently,
they aim ed their rhetorical fire largely
against the Texas billionaire. This was
a serious strategic error, and although
Bush closed much of the gap between
h im s e lf an d C lin to n d u rin g the
cam paign’s final weeks, his mistakes
in political judgem ent cost him the
presidency.
In the end, Americans desperately
wanted “change.” M ost who voted for
Clinton w eren’t endorsing the D em o­
cratic nom inee. They w ere voting
against George Bush.
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o
Creed Of The Black Press
The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial
and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race,
color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person,
the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt
as long as anyone is held back.
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And if you already own a home
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Portland, Oregon 97211
P hone:225-3751
EQUAL
HOUSING
LENOCH
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Noxzema Extraordinary Teen Awards
Recognize Teen Volunteers Who Are
Changing The Face Of The World
L ost My L ease
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Not just a good idea but an Socio­
econom ic reality that must take place
real soon.
I ess than a month ago I w rote an
article entitled “Lets W ork T ogether”
for this paper. 1 talked with a few
people who said they had seen it,one
person that called said they read it, but
no one as yet has followed up on it in a
way that would be regarded as a m ean­
ingful exchange.
The article pointed at the Socio/
Economic benefits that arc made avail­
able in the market place by business
corporations who monetarily com pen­
sate people who can work together in
small groups and help others do the
same. The Oct. 26/28 issue o f U.S.
News and W orld Report ran an article
(under Career Guides) directly related
to this phenomenon and the character­
istics that would be necessary to plunge
ahead econom ically at this time.
I believe its important that people
take the time to find out about this. Its
m y/our goal to help as many people as
star Gabrielle Carteris will present the
award to the group at a special in­
school celebration.
“The environment, homelessness,
illiteracy and hundreds of other issues
are facing today’s teenagers,” says
M ike Y earling, sp ok esp erso n for
N oxzem a. “ W e b e lie v e th a t the
Noxzema Extraordinary Teen Awards
program can give them the tools they
need to work for change. Noxzem a is
proud to be part o f a program that
motivates ordinary teenagers to have
an extraordinary im pact on the world
around them .”
To get involved, students should
contact their school guidance counsel­
ors or call 1-800-488-7288 to enter
themselves, their volunteer group or •
friend in the Noxzem a Extraordinary
Teen Awards program.
volunteer efforts. The teen group cat­
egory will recognize outstanding junior
and senior high school groups who have
conceived and implemented volunteer
projects benefiting their schools, com ­
m unities or humankind.
In the individual teen category,
$1,500 cash prizes will be awarded to
five finalists. O ne teen will be named
the grand-prize w inner and receive a
$2,500 cash prize and a $2,500 grant to
his/her favorite cause or project. In the
group category, winners from all fifty
states and the district o f Colum bia will
receive certificates of honorable men­
tion; five Regional finalist groups will
be selected to receive $2,500 for their
project o r cause. The group selected as
the grand-prize w inner will receive
$5,000 for its cause, and a $5,0(X) grant
for its school. In addition, television
W o rk
L ocatec I A t :
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Last year, over 60 percent of Ameri­
can teenagers panic ipated in some form
o f volunteer activity. The Noxzema
Extraordinary Teen Awards were cre­
ated to reward the efforts o f these re­
markable young people who are dedi­
cated to im proving the world around
them. This year, the Noxzema E xtraor­
dinary Teen Awards program will rec­
ognize outstanding teen volunteers from
across the United States, awarding cash
prizes o f over $30,000.
All junior and senior high school
stu d en ts a re e lig ib le to e n te r the
Noxzem a Extraordinary Teen Awards
program. The individual teen category
will honor students who have single-
handedly developed and implemented
a volunteer project or have made a
difference in school or in local, national
or international com m unities through
T o g e th e r
what a person is willing to learn and
what they will do with what they learn.
It’s consumer profit sharing. B usi-
nesscorporations giving economic op­
portunities to the informed educated
consumers who have been limited to
large corporations/stockholders (and
middle management). Now the con­
sumers (you and I) can take part and get
our share o f this multi-billion d o ll«
industry.
We now have the opportunity to
become economically empowered in­
dividually by working together collec­
tively. This is a great opportunity. Y on
must take the time to get more informa­
tion on this phenomenon. If your inter­
ested, d o n ’t just read this article, gel
involved. Y ou’ll never know the real­
ity of what this can do for you and
others unless you get informed and
involved. “Lets work together".
Sincerely
J. Olive
(503) 248-8790 or respond
thru Portland Observer
possible argue this information, con­
sequently joining our m inds and ef­
forts together, to bring more people
into this collective Socio/Economic
boost.
Many people are com plaining
about a lock o f jobs, and w hile this is
true, opportunities are opening up all
around. However, opportunities de­
m and that people be diligent, willing
to grow and eager to learn. Things are
changing all around us and we must
becom e informed as to w hat these
changes will bring. The impact on us
individually/collcctively, and how we
can position ourselves to take advan­
tage o f these opportunities and help
others do the same.
The unique feature about this new
proven way of doing business collec­
tively is that it works best for people
who are unselfish, who have an atti­
tude o f helping others and teaching
them to do the same. The criteria/
qualifications for involvement is non-
discriminatory because it is based on
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