Posted on 11/08/2010 5:40:59 AM PST by Kaslin
Black Americans voted with their feet in the 2010 midterm elections: they stayed home in record numbers and were one of the biggest reasons Democrats lost a record number of seats. Nor should anyone be surprised why so many Blacks decided to sit this one out. Black American voters may be becoming increasingly disillusioned with government, disillusioned with President Obama and his promises of job creation, disillusioned with his promises of change. And so they stayed home, a statistic supported by a recent CBS News report that cites lower turnout in most minority segments of the U.S. population than in 2008, but especially within the Black community.
But why is this surprising? Consider: unemployment is greatest among African Americans, with the Bureau of Labor (BLS) statistics reporting in Table A-2, unemployment of 29% for Black American adults. It is interesting to note that this recent mid-term election also saw a downswing in the number of newly registered Black American voters/students voting for the first time. But, if you consider that BLS reported that for Black Americans between the ages of 16-19, the unemployment rate is a stunning 48%, this kind of disenchantment with an administration that promised so much, but delivered so little, should be expected.
Less appreciated and not yet fully understood is the growing African American small business community. These Black Americans, often women and highly educated, are a very entrepreneurial segment of the population that have been hurt by Obama’s anti-small business policies and the hostility to business that emanates from senior Democrats in Congress. Furthermore, legislation such as healthcare reform, financial reform and the small business jobs creation act, championed by the old guard of the Democrat party, actually placed additional cost and time burdens on minority businesses. The uncertainty surrounding the extension of the Bush tax credits also affects the African American business community as it becomes hard for these businesses to plan for future growth.
Then, in an inexplicably, biased, racial-preference policy move, in late September, Obama signed legislation that selectively ranks minorities in order of importance for competing for federal contracting dollars. Black American businesses found themselves relegated to the bottom tiers of the program, forced to give precedence to Hawaiian Americans and Alaskan Indians.
Add to this, the growing realization within the black community, that the Democrat bargain with teacher unions has permanently doomed a large segment of children, especially Blacks, to an inferior education. Any objective review of the whole Michelle Rhee affair in Washington, DC demonstrates that when presented with a clear choice of promoting polices that will result in a better and more responsible schools vs. continued fealty to the Teachers Unions, Democrats will back the teachers’ unions every time.
In so many different areas, African Americans seem to have been taken for granted by the Democrat party, which has depended on the African American community in their get-out-the-vote efforts. The recent election shows that Democrats should no longer take the black vote for granted, while at the same time, cracks in the once strong alliance are starting to widen.
Of course, it is also important to point out that just because Blacks decided to withhold support for Democrats, they may not yet be willing to support the GOP in significant numbers. If the GOP wants to gain the Black vote, they are going to have to earn it by championing job creating prosperity.
Black Americans, like many Americans, were proud of the “post-racial” president, a feat which many of us had not believed would occur in our lifetime. But, as president, Obama, a man who is clearly bright, articulate and intellectual, has appeared to be excessively anti-business, ignorant of the basic workings of government, inexperienced in the kind of leadership necessary to bring different factions to consensus, and incapable of putting together a team to fill in the gaps of his inexperience.
These failures have been disappointing to many Americans, but perhaps most painful to the Black community who may have hoped that the first African American president would turn out to be the stuff that dreams are made of, answering to a higher calling than just the petty politics of partisanship and trying to achieve more for all Americans rather than just focusing on getting himself re-elected.
Disappointment may be too simplistic a term to capture the reason why Black Americans did not turn out in large numbers to vote. It seems ironic that America’s first Black president, in his first two years in office, has done more to disadvantageously affect the Black American community than any other president in the last half century. No wonder about the turn out. No wonder at all.
It's almost as if there is a preferential system, that benefits people by the color of their skin; not the content of their character - but I guess I'm a freakin' white racist for noticing.
sweet.
I suppose I shouldn't be laughing, but ... BWAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahah!
Let’s not fool ourselves. The reason they did not come out is lack of interest because Obama was not running. No matter how poorly he runs the country and no matter how adversely they are affected, they will be out in droves to vote for him in 2012 because of the color of his skin.
Except in Bridgeport CT, where they had to keep the polls open 2 hours longer because they ran out of ballots. Soooo many people showed up. Scheah, right.....
This morning the radio did a slobbering review of a new 3-volume book for kids: it features Zora Neale Hurston as a child detective. The radio hosts could barely speak they were shuddering with so much joy and tingling. A black woman from the 1930's! idolize! Idolize! Idolize!
Wouldn't it be nice if skin color weren't such a big deal?
Black conservatism is on the rise. Look for more of it in the future.
Excellent point
Absolutely....I call it Michael Jackson syndrome.
No “skin in the game”
“Obama, a man who is clearly bright, articulate and intellectual, has appeared to be excessively anti-business, ignorant of the basic workings of government, inexperienced in the kind of leadership necessary to bring different factions to consensus, and incapable of putting together a team to fill in the gaps of his inexperience”
Perhaps one day, Black voters will realize that despite the open coffers of the liberal government, Obama is not your usual democrat. He is a socialist who has been fed at the trough of radical leftists who above all else consider themselves to be far more intelligent than anyone. Obama disappointed a large section of the black population who voted for him (although I am hard pressed to find one that will admit it) because none of the promises he made to them have materialized. Obama proceeded to attempt to carry out the dreams and visions of the ‘60s radical movement to the horror of most Americans. Although blacks continue to defend him foolishly, his appeal lies solely within communities like the homosexual one or other off beat groups who find in Obama the sympathy for their destructive foundations.
A lot of the reason black voters stayed home this time is because they were not voting for Obama this time, and I suspect a lot of them had no desire to vote for a bunch of crackers, Democrat or Republican.
Polling shows that 98% of the AA community supports Obama, and that ain’t because they think he is an economic genius...
It isn't, except to those who use it to divide America.
Black Americans, generally, have become a permanent underclass due to their deal with the Devil, i.e., “The Great Society”.
It also makes them continue to think of themselves as victims.
BTW, Michelle Rhee got canned because blacks in DC wanted it that way. According to them, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty wasn’t black enough - otherwise he wouldn’t have hired Rhee. Ms. Rhee was most likely the best chance for the DC School system to pull itself out of the gutter.
Now it’s back to business as usual, with black kids getting the short end of the stick in DC. The cycle begins anew.
Ugh.
'splanation:
Can read teleprompter but is stoooopid and has done sheeeet in his life except "organizing" dumbells. Now the "professssor" is "fixing" the world while vacationing in India.
Wheeeere is the BC???
Now show me the pictures of the kids in Spain...in England...etc etc
Don't kid yourself...As soon as Obama picked up ALL the black vote...Hillary was done!! It was ALL about race.
Well now we know. I think what we are seeing is just that. People with hyper-idealistic ideas (probably most of them very young, but controlling the computer that is writing the policy. It's like a bunch kids running the government. There's obviously no sound historical thought going into these decisions. All these "things" look like "good ideas" ... and NEVER is an unintended consequence even mentioned. The hippies grew up, they are in control of the Democratic Party and until last Tuesday, they were in control of the government. The MESS we are in is "how the government would function" if the hippies of the 60's took over.
You nailed it. In fact, this whole column is pretty much absurd. In recent years, the majority of black Americans have shown themselves to be almost entirely governed by the color of their skin. I call it the “Pigmentation Factor.” While whites have largely relegated the Pigmentation Factor to the dustbin of history, blacks cling to it like an article of faith.
So, when their fellow black, Barack, does not give them everything they wanted — yesterday — of course they become petulant. After all, when your whole life revolves around the color of your skin, how dare one of your “own kind” (to quote Ms Sherrod) not cater to your every want and whim?
But, that’s not the reason black turnout was low. Black turnout was low because there was no black on the ticket. It could not be more simple. Or shameful.
They will, and for ample reason: of those blacks who did vote, well over 90% voted for Demonrats.
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