Pardon me if I begin this with a little crowing, since I attracted considerable heat, months ago, by declaring that Barack Obama would win this election in a landslide and that the Black vote would reach unprecedented levels.
Both of these materialized. So, I will go on to describe briefly the performance of the Black vote in this election, knowing that it is always dangerous to talk statistics this soon after the election is over, with votes still being counted. But, I will try to give some estimates nevertheless.
First, the impression that the Black community turned out to vote in big numbers was confirmed by the fact that it reached 25 percent of the total Democratic vote, given that the total vote was more than about 125 million and Barack Obama won by more than 52 percent.
This was also based on the estimate that the Black vote turned at a rate of 95 percent of those registered and 60 percent of those eligible.
When one looks back in this history of Black turnout, the highest level was in 1964, at 58.6 percent, a year before the Voting Rights Act was passed.
In any case, this performance means that no one group can claim to have been the decisive vote in this landslide because Obama won nearly all of the demographic groups.
Therefore, one must add to the 48 percent of Whites who voted for Barack Obama, the Black vote and the fact that 65 percent of Hispanics, 77 percent of Jews and 55 percent of Asians put him over the top.
Where the high turnout of the Black vote obviously made a difference was in North Carolina and Virginia. Both of these states were firmly in the Republican “red state” column traditionally, but the high turnout of Black voters, together with a coalition of Whites and the youth vote, surprisingly pushed them into Obama’s camp.
Black churches all over the country were once again, hotbeds of activism, as their buses rolled both for registration drives and for get-out-the-vote activities on election day. The day before the election however, Barack Obama had a conference call with Black leaders, many of whom were ministers, to stimulate them to participate strongly in turnout activities.
Near the end of the call, they heard Rev. Joseph Lowery’s moving call for them to saddle up, once again, and help to fulfill Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream.
About 40 percent of the new voters were Black and it was amazing that so many Blacks who had never voted before came literally out of the woodwork to vote for Obama, spurred on by the fact that now, perhaps a Black person had arrived who, could truly win the White House if they supported him.
About one-third of all early voters were Black and this group, together with those who exercise the absentee ballots were wise, because they cut down the long wait in lines at polling stations and as such, cut down the voter disfranchisement tactics that were prepared for them by Republican operatives.
For example, if you voted early, or by absentee, for example, it was often impossible for someone to check your ID at the polling station, as is allowed in many states. So this practice should be continued.
Could Obama have won without the Black vote? Not really. More than the voting was in this.
Both of these materialized. So, I will go on to describe briefly the performance of the Black vote in this election, knowing that it is always dangerous to talk statistics this soon after the election is over, with votes still being counted. But, I will try to give some estimates nevertheless.
First, the impression that the Black community turned out to vote in big numbers was confirmed by the fact that it reached 25 percent of the total Democratic vote, given that the total vote was more than about 125 million and Barack Obama won by more than 52 percent.
This was also based on the estimate that the Black vote turned at a rate of 95 percent of those registered and 60 percent of those eligible.
When one looks back in this history of Black turnout, the highest level was in 1964, at 58.6 percent, a year before the Voting Rights Act was passed.
In any case, this performance means that no one group can claim to have been the decisive vote in this landslide because Obama won nearly all of the demographic groups.
Therefore, one must add to the 48 percent of Whites who voted for Barack Obama, the Black vote and the fact that 65 percent of Hispanics, 77 percent of Jews and 55 percent of Asians put him over the top.
Where the high turnout of the Black vote obviously made a difference was in North Carolina and Virginia. Both of these states were firmly in the Republican “red state” column traditionally, but the high turnout of Black voters, together with a coalition of Whites and the youth vote, surprisingly pushed them into Obama’s camp.
Black churches all over the country were once again, hotbeds of activism, as their buses rolled both for registration drives and for get-out-the-vote activities on election day. The day before the election however, Barack Obama had a conference call with Black leaders, many of whom were ministers, to stimulate them to participate strongly in turnout activities.
Near the end of the call, they heard Rev. Joseph Lowery’s moving call for them to saddle up, once again, and help to fulfill Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream.
About 40 percent of the new voters were Black and it was amazing that so many Blacks who had never voted before came literally out of the woodwork to vote for Obama, spurred on by the fact that now, perhaps a Black person had arrived who, could truly win the White House if they supported him.
About one-third of all early voters were Black and this group, together with those who exercise the absentee ballots were wise, because they cut down the long wait in lines at polling stations and as such, cut down the voter disfranchisement tactics that were prepared for them by Republican operatives.
For example, if you voted early, or by absentee, for example, it was often impossible for someone to check your ID at the polling station, as is allowed in many states. So this practice should be continued.
Could Obama have won without the Black vote? Not really. More than the voting was in this.
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2 comments:
The black vote rocked! Did you hear the good news? Obama is making it better for us already! Most people don't realize how much money there is out there. During economic times like this, there is more money to be had than ever. Because of the bailouts and economy, lenders are bending over backwards to bail you out too. Believe it or not, there is people getting tons of cheap money nowdays to start businesses, buy homes, pay off debt, and more. Bailout is for YOU
Actually my friend, we as black people didn't rock the vote like we were suppose to. Secondly time will tell whether or not Obama makes life better for us but in terms of this bailout, it is not helping us pay off debt. Trust me, some of the banks that have been bailed out are not trying to work with their customers in terms of paying off debt. In fact they are making it harder to pay off debt. That's the shame of the whole bailout, it is not helping the average American. So I don't know where you are getting your facts from but please feel to share your sources with me.
So with that said, time will tell all things but right now people are still suffering. The bailout has not worked yet.
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