[tm22721]

conservatives have rarely gotten out there and really fought for the black vote.

Wrong. Bush 2 has Rice and Powell to prove he is serious about courting at least moderate and conservative blacks. Most blacks don't think for themselves because they leave it to Jesse and Al to do it for them.

BUMP

[john in missouri]

I said "rarely," I specifically didn't say "never." To some extent, Bush is the exception that proves the rule.

Fact remains, the great majority of the time, conservative Republican candidates have simply written off the black vote. It's too hard to win it. It's too complicated. There's too much Jackson/Sharpton groupthink. It's too hard to swim upstream. The perceived gain, traditionally, hasn't been considered worth the cost of a major investment in effort.