The staggering differences between the mood in the country in the 2010 election cycle and that of 2008 have been much discussed. We are facing a midterm election on Nov. 2, meaning it is halfway through a presidential term so there is no presidential contest at the top of the ticket. This difference – always critical in terms of voter participation – is greatly amplified by the Obama factor. As we all know, Obama swept from unknown status as a black candidate with “big ears and a funny name,” as he often said, to beat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and then Republican John McCain in the general election.
The Obama factor was responsible for an achievement that the Democratic Party should never forget, though it already has shown startling signs of amnesia. With a young, charismatic African American at the top of the Democratic ticket, about 65 percent of blacks went to the polls, according to the Pew Research Center – nearly matching the 66 percent voting rate for whites. “If we only voted our strength” is a commonly expressed sigh in black political circles. When we had the choice of electing Obama, we did vote our strength – and the Democratic Party reaped heady dividends.
Again, as we all know, Republicans have capitalized on the deepest recession since the 1930s to rile up discontent among an angry white fringe. They are angry and on the fringe, but because they are white they are portrayed in the mainstream media as more mainstream than they actually are; and with the Democrats and their progressive wing failing to produce a more compelling alternative political narrative, this angry, white and often abusive fringe has managed to dominate the election story. Whether that will translate into sweeping Republican victories on Nov. 2 remains to be seen, especially given that the GOP has nominated a number of very unappealing and controversial fringe candidates in its primaries.
Here in Missouri, a state seldom known for its progressive stance on issues where race is in play, many Democrats are running in apparent fear of Obama and the party’s black base, anxious to do nothing that might fuel the angry white right and (as this questionable reasoning goes) throw conservative Democrats over the fence to the Republican voting bloc. In a midterm election where we might have expected many newly energized black voters to sit out anyway, based on historic trends, the Democrats – especially in Missouri – have all but written off the black base and its newly emboldened voting strength.
While we consider this a shame, perhaps a scandal, for Missouri Democrats, our thoughts, first, are for this community. And the only choice this community has is to organize itself and build upon the gains in voting participation and strength that Obama brought to our community. It is absolutely essential that we begin to talk and organize among ourselves to make sure that African Americans know there is an important election on Nov. 2 and are making plans to vote. To vote, one must be registered, and in the absence of any significant voter registration drives led by Missouri Democrats, we should conduct our own. Now is the time to ask your family, fellow parishioners, friends and associates if they are registered to vote; and if they are not registered to vote, they must know that next Wednesday, Oct. 6 is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 2 elections.
You may register to vote at any office of the Missouri Department of Motor Vehicles, public library, Missouri Department of Social Services office, or other governmental office. For more information, contact the city election board (300 N. Tucker) at 314-622-4336 or the St. Louis County election board (12 Sunnen Dr., Ste. 126 in Maplewood) at 314-615-1800. You may register to vote by Oct. 6 if you are 17-and-a-half, but must be 18 to vote on Nov. 2. If you don’t vote, you don’t count.
