Are White Farmers Votes More Important Than Black Farmers Livelihoods?
This summer the Obama White House promised Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln that farmers in her state would receive $1.5 billion, ostensibly for disaster-relief aid. Cynics, however, say the money is a payoff to the farmers along with their relatives, friends and other Arkansans to get them to vote for Lincoln in November. An Associated Press article reported that major newspaper editorials have castigated the deal, saying that the plan will bypass congressional approval and benefit wealthy farmers. A Washington Post editorial, mentioned in the AP article, declared, “If you think this looks like a back-door plan to almost double almost everyone’s subsidy, we agree with you.” Lincoln is currently trailing her GOP challenger, Rep. John Boozman, in the polls, and Obama needs every friendly U.S. Senate vote he can muster. The similarity in dollar amounts that black farmers are owed, and the amount Lincoln would like to receive, is striking. The NBFA’s Boyd wonders how White Hous
