HOW THE 'WAR ON DRUGS' HELPED BUSH WIN THE PRESIDENCY

This war essentially disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of
(primarily black) potential voters (90 percent of the black vote went
Democratic in the recent election).

To a large extent, President-elect Bush's electoral victory is due to
the "War on Drugs." This war essentially disenfranchised hundreds of
thousands of (primarily black) potential voters (90 percent of the
black vote went Democratic in the recent election).

The day after the election, Human Rights Watch noted that the
"decisive" element in the Florida election (and other states) was the
exclusion of 31 percent of African-American men. A disproportional
high number of African-American men have been disenfranchised (i.e.,
ex-convicts now barred from voting), sometimes permanently, because
of convictions (most often due to the war on drugs). Human Rights
Watch estimates that "more than 200,000 potential black voters [were]
excluded from the polls." This non-profit organization also
documented that, in seven other states, "one-in-four black man is
permanently barred" from voting, and that some 1.4 million black men
nationwide have lost the right to vote, sometimes for life, as a
result of felony convictions. Many were convicted for "passing the
same drugs that Al Gore smoked and George W. snorted in years gone
by." (University of New Mexico law professor Tim Canova).

The "War on Drugs," is often viewed as a failure in its stated goal
of reducing the consumption of illegal drugs. This is not surprising,
as prohibition has never worked.

However, when evaluated in regard to one of its true goals, the war
has been an unmitigated success. One of these goals is the federal
government's war against the American people - and more specifically,
on communities of color (particularly black). The overwhelmingly
discriminatory nature of laws regarding crack cocaine, as well as the
well-documented disparate treatment in the criminal justice system
(sentencing laws, legal representation, etc.) have resulted in the
vast majority of convicted drug felons being black.

The felon disenfranchisement of black voters is critical in reducing
the power of this generally progressive constituency, which prefers
funding for schools (rather than useless military hardware), a living
wage, rebuilding inner cities, re-establishing the social safety net,
etc.

Ironically, George Bush has had it both ways: He has enjoyed the use
of recreational drugs, and has now enjoyed the benefits of the war on
these same substances.

Douglas B. Marshall
Bensalem