For Midterm Elections, Democrats Turn to Old Standby: African Americans

The Democratic Party has relied on the African-American vote for decades. As the midterm election approaches, the party is upping its outreach to black voters by shelling out $2 million to advertise in urban newspaper and radio markets. That’s reportedly more than eight times the amount the party spent on African-American ad buys in 2006. So, why the intense focus on black voters?  The Washington Post put it this way:

“The thinking behind the strategy is that African Americans are heavily invested in Obama and, if they can be convinced that the midterms are critical to his success, they will vote in larger than usual numbers.”

Get it? This outreach to African Americans isn’t about what the Democratic Party can do for African Americans — although Obama has recently played up his diversity record before black audiences—it’s about capitalizing on the black community’s pride in America’s first black president.

Despite the fact that Obama has taken a beating on everything from healthcare to unemployment to his religious beliefs from everyone else, the black community steadfastly supports the president. His approval rating among African Americans is a whopping 91 percent. Still, it’s insulting for the Democrats to suggest that the main reason black voters should turn out on Election Day is to make Obama look good. Who cares whether the candidates the party wants us to vote for are invested in the black community? The Democrats need wins in states such as Florida, Pennsylvania and Nevada, and a large black turnout will likely ensure that the party triumphs.

As it is, just 25 percent of blacks are interested in the 2010 elections, compared to 42 percent of whites, Gallup recently reported. So, yes, the Democratic Party should be focusing on how to get blacks to the polls on Nov. 2. Simply arguing that a vote for a Democrat is a vote for Obama isn’t the way to go, though. The party needs to court the black vote by outlining exactly how African Americans will benefit from backing Democratic candidates.

Even Democratic strategists, who discussed the matter anonymously with the Post, questioned whether the party is misguided in its efforts to turn Obama’s popularity with African Americans into votes. Moreover, some Democratic candidates, such as Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold and Florida gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, seem to be distancing themselves from Obama. So, why should an Obama-loving African American back them?

That’s the question the party must answer if it expects blacks to vote Democrat in November. For far too long, Democrats have taken the black vote for granted. If Democrats stand a chance at winning the key midterm elections, they need to reach African American voters by doing more than just touting our first black president.

Photo Credit: I am K.E.B