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What would have to happen to energize the black vote in 2012?

MaggieD

MaggieD

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My personal thoughts are that blacks were energized in record numbers to vote in the 2008 election. Whether that made a difference in the outcome? I don't know. But I'm thinking that energy has waned. What do you think would have to happen in order to re-energize the black vote in November.

Think the Republicans will help them out somehow? :rofl
 
Put somebody like Ryan on the ticket and publicize his agenda.
 
MaggieD said:
My personal thoughts are that blacks were energized in record numbers to vote in the 2008 election. Whether that made a difference in the outcome? I don't know. But I'm thinking that energy has waned. What do you think would have to happen in order to re-energize the black vote in November.

Think the Republicans will help them out somehow? :rofl
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I think I saw that black unemployment is 14.4%. So not sure if the 95% he got last time will feel he has done a lot for them or the country. I am sure he will work the black ministers to try and get out the vote, and I am sure he find find something to be outraged about and with the help of Holder try to inflame the public. If I had to guess it will be something around the Trever Martin case.
 
Likely, there will be a drop in black voting...partially due to a lack of enthusiasm, and partially due to a purged voter base. At this point, I see it as more than made up by increases in female and Hispanic votes...then we have the wild card we call Romney.

Very doubtful he will make inroads in either category unless he stops talking about....well....everything. His Party seems intent on lessening the appeal to both, and they never had much of the black vote in the first place.
 
washunut said:
I think I saw that black unemployment is 14.4%. So not sure if the 95% he got last time will feel he has done a lot for them or the country. I am sure he will work the black ministers to try and get out the vote, and I am sure he find find something to be outraged about and with the help of Holder try to inflame the public. If I had to guess it will be something around the Trever Martin case.
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Black ministers aren't all too happy with his SSM stance...that was a flip-flop, and they've called him on it:

Black Christians in an 'Adulterous' Relationship With Obama, Says Evangelical Pastor

This is just one guy -- but this morning CNBC had on a minister who heads a black coalition of ministers who are pissed as hell.
 
washunut said:
I think I saw that black unemployment is 14.4%. So not sure if the 95% he got last time will feel he has done a lot for them or the country. I am sure he will work the black ministers to try and get out the vote, and I am sure he find find something to be outraged about and with the help of Holder try to inflame the public. If I had to guess it will be something around the Trever Martin case.
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Or maybe that whole voter law thing that will have an impact on a lot of African Americans in urban areas.....you really don't have to look very hard to find a reason to vote against Republicans if you're an African American.
 
iliveonramen said:
Or maybe that whole voter law thing that will have an impact on a lot of African Americans in urban areas.....you really don't have to look very hard to find a reason to vote against Republicans if you're an African American.
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To some extent you are right. That being said I think that two groups that always vote democratic do not get the attention they deserve because everyone knows they only vote one way.
 
It would have to be something public and something major. Perhaps an outright, sustained attack on Obama for being black by Mitt Romney. Such a thing is rather exceedingly unlikely, but I don't really see the black vote getting anywhere near as energized this time around.
 
MaggieD said:
Black ministers aren't all too happy with his SSM stance...that was a flip-flop, and they've called him on it:

Black Christians in an 'Adulterous' Relationship With Obama, Says Evangelical Pastor

This is just one guy -- but this morning CNBC had on a minister who heads a black coalition of ministers who are pissed as hell.
Click to expand...

I don't think that is the pastor I saw this morning on CNN, but it was ironic that he was castigating President Obama over ignoring the "civil rights" that enabled him to attain the presidency. I would have enjoyed the anchor throwing that back to him asking, isn't the president standing up for the civil rights of gays? She didn't of course. I really don't understand the point he was trying to make in the first place. How is that being disrespectful of the black community?
 
Gina said:
I don't think that is the pastor I saw this morning on CNN, but it was ironic that he was castigating President Obama over ignoring the "civil rights" that enabled him to attain the presidency. I would have enjoyed the anchor throwing that back to him asking, isn't the president standing up for the civil rights of gays? She didn't of course. I really don't understand the point he was trying to make in the first place. How is that being disrespectful of the black community?
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Actually, that is the same one. I wasn't sure of the network. Thanks for the clarification. I think the point is that it's a flip-flop. It's my understanding, AND I COULD BE WRONG!!!! that the black community has less tolerance for gays than the average bear. I think he, as a minister, believes that SSM is wrong because of his faith. And so do the others in his coalition.
 
If you think SSM is a civil rights issue, sure. People who oppose SSM don't think it is. I think I'm going to enjoy moderate Democrats having to squirm to explain away why some radicals in their party think black people are bigots.
 
MaggieD said:
Actually, that is the same one. I wasn't sure of the network. Thanks for the clarification. I think the point is that it's a flip-flop. It's my understanding, AND I COULD BE WRONG!!!! that the black community has less tolerance for gays than the average bear. I think he, as a minister, believes that SSM is wrong because of his faith. And so do the others in his coalition.
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You are welcome Maggie. I was puzzled by the minister's comments, but you are probably right. He sees it as an article of faith and not a matter of civil rights.

The president was not comfortable with SSM, but preferred civil unions when he was running in 2008, however, he is the president of all Americans, including those in the LGBT community. So, on that basis, and as an issue of civil rights, I appreciate his change of heart or whatever you would call it. Given his comments with regard to the parents of his daughter's friends, it seems once he was exposed to a family who were directly effected by the SSM issue, he like others I have known, changed his mind.

I don't know how this will effect voter turnout in the black community, but it was the right thing to do.

Oh, and the anchor did bring up that acceptance of SSM is increasing across the nation, even in the black community, in recent polling.
 
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washunut said:
I think I saw that black unemployment is 14.4%.
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I think that 14.4% has something to do with how welfare seems to be ingrained into many of their minds.
 
Obama would have to pay someones rent, and send all black people money out of his "stash". Or he could just start badmouthing white people.

He's not gonna do either one though. I expect that if he looses the election, it will likely be by a margin that is equal to the drop in black vote.
 
washunut said:
To some extent you are right. That being said I think that two groups that always vote democratic do not get the attention they deserve because everyone knows they only vote one way.
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in the future the problem for the dem party is going to be appeasing the often competing interests of the Hispanic constituency and the black constituency. We have seen this in areas where hispanics are the dominant Dem voting block but the dem machine continues to put forth black candidates. this is going to create a major blow up in the next 10 years
 
iliveonramen said:
Of course not...no one wants to believe they are abusing the civil rights of another.
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precisely. that's why pro-choice folks insist that unborn children aren't really human beings.
 
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Gina said:
You are welcome Maggie. I was puzzled by the minister's comments, but you are probably right. He sees it as an article of faith and not a matter of civil rights.
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very likely.

The president was not comfortable with SSM, but preferred civil unions when he was running in 2008, however, he is the president of all Americans, including those in the LGBT community. So, on that basis, and as an issue of civil rights, I appreciate his change of heart or whatever you would call it. Given his comments with regard to the parents of his daughter's friends, it seems once he was exposed to a family who were directly effected by the SSM issue, he like others I have known, changed his mind.
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:shrug: given his earlier support for SSM, I would say it seems rather more likely he knew that in 2008 such a position would hamper him, and so he conveniently pulled a Romney.

I don't know how this will effect voter turnout in the black community, but it was the right thing to do.
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:shrug: if he believes it, then he ought to be honest about it as he runs for our highest political office. Frankly, I wish he would be open about all of his beliefs.

However, it is likely to depress black voter turnout, especially in conjunction with exceedingly high black unemployment, and the general feeling in the black community that "change" hasn't happened.
 
cpwill said:
very likely.



:shrug: given his earlier support for SSM, I would say it seems rather more likely he knew that in 2008 such a position would hamper him, and so he conveniently pulled a Romney.



:shrug: if he believes it, then he ought to be honest about it as he runs for our highest political office. Frankly, I wish he would be open about all of his beliefs.

However, it is likely to depress black voter turnout, especially in conjunction with exceedingly high black unemployment, and the general feeling in the black community that "change" hasn't happened.
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Maybe he did pull a Romney but he still supported the rights of gays to enter into civil unions, something I'm not sure Romney is in favor of now and if we are going to drag Romney into this, possibly he could be open about all of his beliefs and, as you pointed out, stick to them.

In any case, as this is a more precarious election than 2008 and the president needs the full support of the black community, this is quite a risk. No doubt it there will be a faction of voters like the minister we are discussing, and possibly those who are dissatisfied by the unemployment rate. It remains to be seen.
 
my question is, given the variety of reasons that african americans have to depress voter turnout, which one is going to become the narrative, post-election?
 
MaggieD said:
My personal thoughts are that blacks were energized in record numbers to vote in the 2008 election. Whether that made a difference in the outcome? I don't know. But I'm thinking that energy has waned. What do you think would have to happen in order to re-energize the black vote in November.

Think the Republicans will help them out somehow? :rofl
Click to expand...

The democrats just have to keep applying the race card falsely to everybody and everything, and hope that they can convince enough black people that Romney is the equivalent of a KKK grand wizard... Because they sure as hell can't win using honesty or running on Obama's record.
 
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