Four Reasons to Shake off the Post-Obama Election Haze

Tammy Johnson

Four Reasons to Shake off the Post-Obama Election Haze

At 8:23 a.m. Tuesday, I was the eleventh person to vote at Santa Fe Elementary School in Oakland for California’s spring election. I wasn’t surprised. Special elections are notorious for low voter turn out. Twenty-three states, including Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington and Alabama will hold special elections this year. A handful of dutiful voters will decide pivotal state Assembly and Senate seats, Mayoral, Congressional and Gubernatorial races.

And political operatives of all stripes count on that fact as a means of controlling policy-making and public opinion. This chilly Wednesday morning we are faced with this reality. The energy of the Obama campaign has dissipated, and that kumbaya, multi-culti, young coalition of “Yes We Can” voters has moved on. Well, we don’t have the luxury of wallowing in a post-Obama election haze. This may not be a repeat of that exhilarating November night. But it could become a reoccurring nightmare for communities of color if we don’t act now. Here are four reasons why we need to get our political mojo going.

1. Numbers matters. Elections are a numbers game. And since communities of color could provide the margin of victory in most cases, we must be prepared to leverage that power. The US Census Bureau reported a few weeks ago that communities of color are the majority populations in 3142 counties across the county.

Over 1 million immigrants became US citizens last year. When we move these numbers to the polling station, guess what? We win. Hello, President Obama! And when we continue to move our communities into action (via legislative visits, letters, phone calls, emails, and other forms of direct action) we influence the way the rules (the policies, the procedures, the laws) get written. Numbers matter.

2. The rules must change. Our electoral system is whack! The racist Electoral College, voter ID laws and so–called voter protection rules and regulations being promoted by conservative forces must be defeated. And as we speak the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case that could turn back the clock on voting rights in this country. Remember poll taxes and history tests? Any victory that we have around healthcare, education, immigration or other key issues, can be turned on its head by electoral shenanigans. So it’s in our self-interest to be just as vigilant about election reform and voting rights.

3. No one should get a pass on race. Black and Latino businessmen and city officials were the loudest opposition to the living wage and health care ordinance that I organized for in Milwaukee years go. Meanwhile the white leadership stood back and allowed them to take the heat. I said it then and I’ll say it now, regardless of who they are, they should held accountable for the joblessness and poverty that ravaged our community. And those politicians, Black, Latino, Asian, white or otherwise, should pay the price on election day. When a homeboy (or gal) shows us that they couldn’t give a damn about home, we shouldn’t hesitate to return the sentiment.

4. This is not about Obama. The truth is it never really was. For the first time in a long time, we were presented with a hopeful vision of a world that we all wanted to live in. We deserve and demand a society that rejects the pessimism of unending racial conflict and embraces the optimism of a human community firmly anchored in justice and mutuality. It’s that vision, not the person that should inspire and drive our movement for racial and social justice.

Posted at 2:10 PM, May 20, 2009 in Elections | Permalink | View Comments

Comments

By the way, there are only 3077 counties in the U.S., so I don't think POC are the majority in 3142 counties.

Good catch. There are indeed 3142 counties in the US. 309 are no POC majorities. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/013734.html

Even with the combo of slowed immigration patterns in some parts of the country and economic hardships, the US continues to experience an demographic shift. And as an upcoming series of post-election analysis from ARC will demonstrate, even when they aren't the majority population, communities of color can and have been critical to the victory or defeat of many candidates. So the larger point still stands.

The Asian American Action Fund, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, NAACP, National Latino Congreso, and National Black Caucus of State Legislators endorse a national popular vote for president.

The influence of minority voters has decreased tremendously as the number of battleground states dwindles. For example, in 1976, 73% of blacks lived in battleground states. In 2004, that proportion fell to a mere 17%.

Battleground states are the only states that matter in presidential elections. Campaigns are tailored to address the issues that matter to voters in these states.

Safe red and blue states are considered a waste of time, money and energy to candidates. These "spectator" states receive no campaign attention, visits or ads. Their concerns are utterly ignored.

Democratic party leader, Howard Dean and the Obama campaign made a commitment to a 50 state outreach strategy and it made a huge difference in the outcome. A recent study from the Pew Hispanic Center has found that

"The electorate in last year's presidential election was the most racially and ethnically diverse in U.S. history, with nearly one-in-four votes cast by non-whites. The nation's three biggest minority groups--blacks, Hispanics and Asians--each accounted for unprecedented shares of the presidential vote. Additionally, the levels of participation by black, Hispanic and Asian eligible voters all increased from 2004 to 2008, reducing the gap between themselves and white eligible voters. This was particularly true for black eligible voters. Their voter turnout rate increased 4.9 percentage points, from 60.3% in 2004 to 65.2% in 2008, nearly matching the voter turnout rate of white eligible voters (66.1%)."

And these votes were critical to Obama wins in traditionally key red states like North Carolina, Iowa, Virginia and Florida.

What matters in this context is whether the racist rules of the game, the Electoral College, voter ID laws, etc. will continue to dictate whether or not the votes of communities of color count.

And these votes were critical to Obama wins in traditionally red states like North Carolina, Iowa, Virginia and Florida.

What matters in this context is whether the racist rules of the game, the Electoral College, voter ID laws, etc. will continue to dictate whether or not the votes of communities of color count.