Written by T. Cole -VIA FLYPAPERNEWS.COM
Republicans ROCKED the Mid-Term Elections. If you were unaware of that, you’ve been hiding in a closet somewhere. There has been non-stop commentary about the election results and what they mean for the Obama administration, the economy and Health Care Reform. Here at FlyPaper we are looking at the ‘grass roots’ effects of the elections and want readers to understand the political climate that we all have been subjected to.
There have been reports that only 4.3% of African Americans voted in this election. If this is true it speaks volumes of the ignorance that is widespread in our communities. This election was as important, if not more important that the 2008 Presidential Race. The people elected on November 2nd will have much more of a tangible and direct effect on the lives of voters than Barack Obama or any other POTUS. The judges elected this week will be deciding the fate of people you know, the State Representatives, Governors, Auditors and Congressmen will be deciding the legislation that will have immediate effects on your everyday lives. They determine the amount of taxes you pay, the very laws that govern the way you live and function- not in a symbolic way or down-the-line.. but in a very real and right now way. In 2008 our communities turned out in record numbers, canvassing, making campaign contributions and most importantly at the polls. It was absolutely ground-breaking and- beautiful! Mobilizing to elect the very first African American President was paramount. It was an amazing achievement, but as I stated in my post election report then: the work BEGAN there, it didn’t end there.
Cut to the 2010 Mid-Term Elections, WHERE WERE WE??? Grant it, as a result of the success of the Obama campaign I observed literally millions of dollars spent on ads for urban media, which was not the case in previous years (one small stride). But what did it amount to?? It was great to be acknowledged by candidates both Republican and Democrat, who have come to realize that they have constituents in urban markets. My question is: Did those calls to action fall on deaf ears? Our communities DID NOT respond to the calls to action the way that they did in 2008. There is no way that even half of the people who showed up to vote for Barack Obama, went to the polls on Tuesday to further his agenda. Republicans literally SWEPT this election seemingly unopposed. The up side of this is that now that they are in office Republicans can’t stand aside and blame Obama for everything. They actually have to help do the work. The unfortunate side to this is that the people who are against the current administration didn’t have a call to action, they didn’t have to mobilized or be targeted by ads… they simply do not like the current economic climate, they blame Obama and the Democratic Party and without having to be coerced or hyped up, they exercised their civic duty and voted. Simple. We need to take a cue from them on that.
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