Politics as Usual

We are beginning to approach the home stretch of the Presidential race with primary’s fast approaching. The first Caucus of 2008 will be in Iowa on January 3rd with the second on January 5th in Wyoming. Turn to any cable news station and you will likely find Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and Mike Huckabee sitting on set talking about why they deserve your vote. However most candidates only cater to a certain demographic and tailor their messages to the needs of the middle class. According to statistics most Americans that vote are from the middle class, are over 50 and are white Americans. Yet the ones that are most affected by the decisions made by these policy makers either don’t vote or are ignored by them all together. African-Americans, Hispanics, and poor people are usually the ones left to fend for themselves once the final votes have been tallied. In 2004 we saw a surge in minority and youth voters and 2008 presents an opportunity for us to build upon an already strong foundation.

Ask young minorities why they chose to stay away from voting polls and one will usually receive the same answer: My vote does not count. Unfortunately the needs of minorities have been ignored for so long that it seems pointless to vote if you are black or Hispanic. We all remember the debacle in Florida in 2001 and there were rumblings of voter fraud in 2004 in Ohio and Florida. There was such a strong push for change in 2004 that many young people who had never cast a vote in their lives decide to register and use their voice as a vehicle for change. More than 50% of African-American voters between the ages of 18-24 voted in the 2004 Presidential election. Even though the administration in the White House remained the same, there was reason to celebrate for many once the election was over. There is now an opportunity to show politicians that our votes count and we are to be included in the 2008 election. Yet we still have many politicians that choose to ignore minority and youth voters. Republican Presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Ruddy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, and Senator John McCain decided not to show for popular African-American radio and talk show host Tavis Smiley’s All-American Presidential Forums on September 27th. Each candidate gave scheduling reasons as their excuse for not attending the forum, but most minorities saw it as a slap in the face. As a result of their absence we must ask the question, why should we vote for you if you don’t care about OUR issues?

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. President Bush promised financial aid to the most devastated areas and that “America would not forget the great city of New Orleans.” Two years later the clean-up for Hurricane Katrina is still on-going, most of the city’s black residents have yet to return and the President has been slow to send funds to the area. The state of Louisiana found itself in another controversy in 2007 when 6 black high school students from Jena, LA were charged with attempted murder for fighting with a white classmate. The charges were eventually reduced, but only after many high profile celebrities and civil rights organizations became involved. One issue of vital importance to minorities is equal rights. We were not treated equally when Katrina hit and most feel the teenagers enthralled in the case in Jena, LA were treated unfairly as well. However the way to assert one’s voice when it needs to be heard is to vote. By giving away one of our most simple and precious rights, which is voting, we are silencing ourselves. Not voting sends the message that we do not care about our culture, our society and America as a whole. We must find the candidate that best represents our goals, what’s best for our society, and what’s best for America. That candidate must also be held in high regard and with lofty expectations and responsibility. If we fail to hold officials accountable for the promises that they make then we have failed ourselves and society.

It’s important that young people and minorities realize the power that they hold just by casting a single vote. No process or procedure will ever be perfect. We will always hear of voter fraud and crooked politicians. Since we cannot control the actions of others we must not allow their bad deeds dictate how we react to a situation. So one way of fixing what’s wrong in our community and culture is by voting for the candidate that will support our most pressing issues. We can do this by making sure more money goes toward education, leveraging our tax dollars so the money is placed back into our communities and most of all keep an open and honest line of communication with the community. We have to hold our end of the bargain as well by writing our officials in Congress, attending town hall meetings and keeping up with local official’s voting records.

With the 2008 Presidential election right around the corner, we have two choices. We can either sit in silence or stand and make noise.

-JH