The upcoming midterm elections on November 7 will be watched closely by both political parties for any significant trends, after lukewarm African-American turnout in recent elections contributed to several Democratic defeats, especially in the South and Midwest.
Democrats have a growing problem, because many younger African Americans identify themselves as independents, in contrast to older African-American voters who, based on their pre-Civil Rights Movement experiences, feel a stronger sense of partisanship. These older voters are more likely to go to the polls because of the Democrats’ avowed positions on issues like health care, minimum wage, police profiling and affirmative action in education.
There are increasing complaints from African Americans that Democrats take them for granted. Some have even encouraged African Americans to consider conservative black candidates like Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele, who is running for the U.S. Senate, after a Democratic primary in which a well-known but under-funded African-American candidate, Kweisi M’fume, was defeated by U.S. Rep. Benjamin Cardin, a white candidate more favored by the party. These critics of the Democratic Party insist that they are interested in sending a strong message to the party by throwing their support to black candidates on the other side of the aisle.
We have often written about the nature of the relationship between African Americans and the Democratic Party. Any alignment with a political party should be based primarily on advancing our collective interests. While we see the value of holding the Democratic Party – despite its fragmented and fragile coalition – accountable, we should avoid a specific action that fails to meet a standard of prudent, strategic decision-making and undermines the pursuit of our larger interests.
Democrats need to pick up six seats to take control of the Senate and 15 seats to control the House, where African Americans have the seniority to gain powerful roles if Democrats prevail. On November 7, there is a unique opportunity for the Democrats to wrest control of Congress from the grip of Republicans, who are besieged by an endless war, an unpopular president and exploding ethical scandals.
Moreover, the stakes are high, because the GOP has held almost absolute power in Washington, D.C. since 1999, with the exception of the Clinton presidency and a brief period when Democrats held the Senate. Republicans have packed the Supreme Court and ruled without regard to any of the Democrats’ progressive concerns. Partisanship is strong, and African-American interests won’t begin to be addressed as long as Republicans continue to dominate U.S. politics.
Political parties are vehicles for change, not ends unto themselves. They are useful in pursuing the interests of groups seeking what they want from government, but they are of limited value in advancing specific objectives beyond broad, shared goals. African Americans need to be mindful about making choices that best represent their interests, rather than supporting candidates whose only appeal is that they look like us.