Well, if he does, the next important question becomes: If Bush is Eminem, who is his "super-producer," his Dr. Dre? Is it Powell, who helps "sell" Bush to blacks (Powell spoke at Washington's Howard University on Tuesday, underscoring the need for more minorities joining the Foreign Service), or is it Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, who does the job for conservatives (another minority group whose concerns must be addressed)?

George W. Bush knows that he is not going to get to black America by giving in to Jesse Jackson's political agenda (whatever it might be). Jackson is an ideological Democrat, whereas most blacks are cultural and historical Democrats. Just as in the days of old when Southern whites would rather vote for a yellow dog than a Republican, blacks have become culturally accustomed to being suspicious of the GOP, accepting Democrat as the default choice. This makes the community -- as a group -- easily swayed by, say, an NAACP ad that reminds blacks of James Byrd's death, and Bush's failure to sign a hate crime bill in Texas (even if there already was one in Texas that covered racial hatred).

Thus Bush realizes that if he is ever going to have any hope of ingratiating himself to the black community, he will need to take an alternative route. To continue the music-industry analogy, Bush needs to go the "indie" route to circumvent the "major" black distribution network. His alternative distribution line depends on the "three Ps": personality, personnel and policies.

1) Personality: He is never going to equal Clinton's adoration among blacks, but if Bush makes reaching out to blacks a regular part of his message and not just an afterthought, it will be difficult for even a Jesse Jackson to attack him in 2004 the way he is now;

2) Personnel: Powell, Rice and (should he make the cut) Flake would not merely be in Bush's Cabinet, but because of who and what they are, they can elevate those offices to a level not seen before -- especially within the black community. How many people -- of any race -- would recognize Clinton Education Secretary Richard Riley if they tripped over him? Another appointment that may well be of note: Powell's son Michael is the likely next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

3) Policies: Bush now has the opportunity to put into practice what conservatives have been pushing for years: school vouchers. While education is primarily a local issue, Bush has the bully pulpit and his meeting with black ministers may have opened up a valuable pipeline for him. Even if Flake doesn't come on board as education secretary, he is someone who has shown how charter schools and other non-teachers' union alternatives can work effectively in inner-city environments. If this message can be sold to Flake, it can be sold to others.

While Bush is held in very low regard by the vast majority of black America right now, four years is an eternity in politics. The seeds that he is planting even before he has been sworn in may very well bear fruit. By 2004, if the crossover is successful, black Americans might be less likely to assume that everything black leaders say about Bush is true, and instead be left asking, "Won't the real George Dubya please stand up, please stand up?"

Recent Stories