Ignorance or Apathy
I have a lasting memory of Black people when it comes to election times. I remember my family members getting off work or sometimes going before work to the polling place and voting for candidates who they have absolutely no clue about. A lot of times those candidates were black and democrat, and if it was two white candidates, they usually pick the Democrat. My question was and still is why? I mean
understood the purpose in 1964 and even the election of Obama is understandable, based on the magnitude of the moment but why vote for alderman, judges, congressman, Governors, mayors and put them in office based on their political affiliation or color and not based on their policies or track record with the people. I think that is laziness on the part of the voter, and those people should not complain when their candidates don’t fulfill their promise.
My Opinion
In growing numbers people are disagreeing with President Obama, his administration their ideas and decisions. I think some of the criticism towards the President is unfair, but I don’t feel that sympathetic toward him. I think President Obama and the Democratic Party knew the troubled that lied ahead and gamble with the emotions of the American people. They gamble that the people would remain patient despite unemployment and the financial distress that has plagued the nation and they were wrong. By the same token most of this dissension has come from white America, Republican wealthy tea party members and working class Democratic people alike. On the other hand not so much form blacks. Although those comments at the Town Hall Meeting were from a black woman they don’t represent Blacks opinions as a whole. According to an August 2010 poll 9 out of 10 blacks still believe Obama can improve conditions before he leaves office. President Obama has never had approval rating lower than 80 percent amongst black voters which leaves me curious as to why. Why do blacks remain loyal when no effort is made to return that loyalty back? Although I felt proud to see a black man accomplish an unprecedented task, I tried not to confuse fulfilling a job position with social change. The reality is blacks need to identify their problems, present it and vote for the people who offer the best solutions to those problems regardless of color or political allegiance.
This Article First Appeared in The Black Truth News Volume 2 Issue 1 December 2010