The Black Ballot – Episode 12: America’s “Scandal” episode
The OJ Simpson Trial dominated the news cycle and slowly began to create a racial divide among black and white Americans. OJ’s verdict to many African Americans was payback for the acquittal of the officers involved in the Rodney King beating earlier in the decade. President Clinton became embattled in his own personal controversy with Monica Lewinsky but even this scandal’s opinions were split on racial and political lines. However, the Clinton/Gore ticket managed to provide a thriving economy which provided a great opportunity for Al Gore to run for President against another Bush. The Bush/Gore election is memorable as being similar to the first “Stop the Steal” we have seen in our current political times. For Black America, it was even more of an issue since the center of the questioned votes came from a mostly black community in Miami/Dade county (where George Bush’s Brother was Gov). Ultimately the conservative Supreme Court made the final decision to stop the vote count and declared George Bush the winner even though just a few hundred votes separated the candidates and Gore clearly won the popular vote. American voters, especially democrats, would feel anger and defeat and many lost trust in the political process. [Features Guest Commentary from: Don Lemon, Steven Lawson, Reecie Colbert]
