Category: 2012 Election

Vote suppressors – you underestimated us.

Maybe you thought we were stupid.  Maybe you thought we were weak.  Or perhaps you totally misread some of our disappointment with the slowness of the progress President Obama is making on the issues we care about.  That’s understandable – given how little you know about or care about or have tried to learn about (much less reach out to) us, why would you know any better?

It’s not surprising that you assumed that because, unlike in 2008, we haven’t been as loudly effusive in our support for President Obama.  While the 2008 lines had a festive air, these lines are more somber and quiet.  But there’s a reason for that.  As he himself has said, he’s no longer just a candidate.  He’s the President.  He’s OUR President.  This is not just a campaign for us.  This is more serious than that.  It’s a mission, a cause.  We mean business.

We’ve seen what you have tried to do to this man.  We’ve seen and felt the disrespect and disdain you show him.  We’ve seen how you have endeavored to smear, demean, undermine and otherize him.  And we’ve seen how you have pulled out all of the stops to try to keep us from voting for him.

Yes, vote suppressors – you misjudged us.  You seemed to think we couldn’t see and hear you as you ham-handedly went about your nasty business, using all of the levers and mechanisms of power voters so stupidly turned over to you in 2010 when trying to teach our President a lesson.

But just because you don’t look at or listen to us does not mean we haven’t seen and heard YOU – and we’ve seen and heard and felt everything you were saying and doing.  And while you weren’t paying attention, we got ready for you.

So we stand in these lines to show you that we will not let you snatch away our vote. We stand in these lines to show the world that we will not let you bully our President out of office with your ugly lies, racist language and Jim Crow tactics.  We stand in these lines, quietly resolved to show him we have his back because he has ours.

Vote suppressors, you failed.  Now, get out of our way.

Imagine what the reaction would be if only black and brown moderators and voters were permitted to ask questions during the presidential debates.

So why has the Commission on Presidential Debates limited all but three of the dozens of questions during the debates to questions from white moderators and voters?

The lack of racial diversity in the presidential debates is very troubling. No black, Hispanic or Asian moderators participated this year and only one black person was permitted to ask a question in the town hall meeting debate.  Two questions came from Latino voters.  All other questioners – whether voters or moderators – were and will be white.

How is it possible that, as our country becomes more and more diverse, only one black person was given an opportunity to ask a question of the candidates?  And why was that one question completely unrepresentative of what the vast majority of black people are thinking in this election – “I voted for you last time, why should I vote for you again?” Considering that 98% of black voters will likely vote for President Obama, this was a very odd choice of question.  It suggests that the President’s failure to secure the support of every single black person in the country is a problem, while Romney’s failure to obtain or even seek the votes of 98% of black Americans is not even worthy of note.  It would have been much more instructive to have a black person ask Mitt Romney to explain why any African American in their right mind should even consider voting for him.

MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell last night slammed the Debate Commission for limiting the questioners to “undecided voters.” He noted that. not only does this reward unengaged and disinterested voters (how can anyone who is paying attention be undecided at this point?), but it effectively freezes out the voices of African Americans, the vast majority of whom are very decided.

It’s wonderful that we have a black president.  But it’s a shame that, during this year’s presidential debates, President Obama is the only person of color permitted to say anything.