Seems that plenty of black Americans are willing to break ranks with the Clintons in the 2008 campaign - Roland S. Martin in the Detroit News:

I listened to many African-American political leaders, as well as everyday voters, go on about what African Americans owe the Clintons, believing that what took place during the administration of Bill Clinton is enough to warrant their full support for Sen. Hillary Clinton in her run for the White House.

What a bunch of hogwash.

Anyone knows that in politics, what you did last year is nice, but today is a different day.

And seven years after Clinton left the White House is a long time....

...A (white) politician paid attention to a few black causes, and we provided them with lifelong support. Drop by a few black churches on your way to the ballot box, take a few pictures, and all is well. When that got old, a few political appointments here and there were enough to satisfy African Americans.

Some candidates have even run on the "my dad was good to African Americans" platform, leading ministers and civil rights leaders to toss their support their way, without demanding anything in return.

Today this generation is tired of the old games. "What have you done for me lately?" is the mantra...

It is a contemptible reason for not supporting Hillary Clinton, but it does show that she's going to have to work for the votes of black Americans. The conventional wisdom has been that black Americans, easily transferring their allegiance from Bill to Hillary, would see Hillary through the Southern primaries, thus giving her the support she needs to take the nomination. That is not certain, now, if it ever was...and with an appealing candidate like Barak Obama to siphon away not just black votes, but the votes of upper class white liberals, Hillary has got some problems.

The contemptible part of it is the whine: "what have you done for me lately?". Mr. Martin, what have you done for anyone lately? Perhaps you should be thinking of America, rather than what you consider, foolishly, to be "black issues"? All issues are human issues, and no one is supposed to set aside a group of humans and say, "I'm going to do this special thing for you that I won't go for anyone else". It is people like Mr. Martin who hold back black Americans from full integration and participation in American life. No one should be asking Hillary - or any other candidate - what she's going to do for this or that group, but what she's going to do for America.

Posted by: Joan K at March 4, 2007 11:32 AM