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Democratic Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama told a group at the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis on Saturday that President Bush's term in office has had a punishing effect on the economic health of black Americans and warned that a Bush reelection would mean an even more divided nation. Davis was among the headline speakers at a number of events this weekend aimed at turning out the black vote for Democratic candidate John Kerry. Davis, who is black, told the audience of about 75 people that the past four years under the Bush administration has resulted in greater rates of unemployment among blacks, as well as fewer people with health insurance and fewer good-paying factory jobs. He also criticized what he called the president's unwillingness to reach out to the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP and other groups. Davis said that a black Republican colleague suggested that the president's only real problem was with black voters was one of perception, rather than performance. Davis disagreed. The problem, Davis said, is that the president "doesn't see us, and we see right through him." [more

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