The Trouble With Bradley
What is Bill Bradley doing? You can't fault the guy for wanting to talk about race relations, but has he chosen the right venue, and is this the issue he needs to hammer just now? His campaign says that some issues are more important than politics. Sure, but without politics, no one listens to your take on the issues.
The former New Jersey senator has campaigned this week in South Carolina and Florida, two states with primaries after the March 7 "national primary," in which Bradley concedes he has to do well. Monday, his one event happened around 6 p.m. ET - too late for national news broadcasts. Tuesday, he managed to squeeze in a morning event before retreating to his airplane and heading to Ohio (which at least votes on Super Tuesday) for an early evening event. He's traveling more, and scoring less, than he ever did as a New York Knick.
His theme for the last three days has been race. Bradley gets high marks for his emphasis on an issue which defies easy answers and which, after the lip service everyone gives it, gets emotionally complicated very quickly. But against whom is he running?
Monday night, in Tampa, Florida, he castigated Republican Governor Jeb Bush (brother of George W.) for overturning affirmative action in the state. That decision "shows a lack of leadership and vision," Bradley said. "I will not yield to anyone who believes affirmative action is no longer necessary." Bet Jeb Bush didn't see that coming.
Tuesday, Bradley spoke to a traditionally black school, Benedict College, in Columbia, South Carolina. He told students that the Confederate flag shouldn't fly over the state house. It is "not a symbol of our heritage. It is a symbol of a fight to preserve segregation." As such, it's "an affront to African-Americans."
Furthermore, the Republicans have "embraced a narrow political expediency ... in an effort to bottom-fish for votes." Both George W. Bush and John McCain have declined to offer opinions on the flag controversy; they say it's up to South Carolinians to decide what to do. Bradley deems their attitude "appalling."
Great job lambasting the Republicans, Mr. Senator. Problem is, you're not running against Republicans right now.
There are no substantive differences between Bradley and Al Gore on race. They agree on the Confederate flag issue, support affirmative action and want to end racial profiling. At his most vituperative, Bradley hasn't been able to accuse Gore of anything "appalling" on this subject.
However, there may be a bit of method to this madness. Gore does far better among African-Americans than Bradley, for no other reason, apparently, than familiarity. Gore's boss, President Clinton, enjoys broad support among minority voters, and the vice president has inherited a lot of that.
Yet Bradley, more than most candidates, has made race relations a key element in his campaign. His stump speech includes childhood storis about his entire Little League team leaving restaurants if the black players were refused service. He also usually describes standing in the Senate chamber in 1964, excited and moved, as he watched the Civil Rights Bill pass.
The issue of race, Bradley says, "is central to who I am. It's central to this campaign, and it's absolutely crucial to the future of this country." It's also absolutely crucial to Bradley's success as a candidate - he needs to appeal to more core Democrats if he's to make a dent in Gore's armor. Luring black voters to the Bradley camp won't be easy, but perhaps several days concentrating on the topic will do the trick.
As for the TV time, maybe Bradley has decided to outflank the pesky national media. Staging events at 6:30 p.m. means no CBS Evening News, but it does mean coverage on the late local broadcasts. In some cases, local coverage is more forgiving and more expansive, if only because those reporters and cameras haven't seen the routine dozens of times already.
If Bradley is reaching voters, particularly black voters, in Florida and South Carolina, and if he's generating some favorable publicity among blacks nationwide, then maybe this strategy makes sense, and he can do well while trying to do good.