It's the conversation of the marketplace. Like the man said, you can't attract business if you're getting bad press for fighting a war lost long ago. You also can't convince companies to move into your state if you don't have educated workers. Given the demographics of a state like Mississippi, that means educating African-Americans. According to government statistics, more than 40 percent of the people entering the workforce in this decade are members of minority groups.
Minorities also play an increasingly important economic role as business owners.
Firms owned by non-whites have grown at double the rate of all U.S. firms over the past 10 years. American businesses have come to understand those numbers, and so does George W. Bush. It's one of the reasons he tried to portray a more inclusive Republican Party at his convention and in his campaign. It's also the reason his Cabinet is half female and minority. Convincing blacks of his dedication to bringing the races together was already going to be a tough sell, particularly given the bitterness left by the Florida vote count.