Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking
madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as
nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke calls on
African-American voters to revive the record-breaking movement that
got the first black president elected four years ago.
In 2008, African-Americans clinched the
White House for Barack Obama by turning out to vote in record
numbers. In that year's U.S. presidential election, about 2 million
more black voters went to the polls than in 2004, helping it become
the most racially and ethnically diverse election in U.S. history,
according to a 2009 study by the Pew Research Center. But in 2010, we
regressed.
Many blacks stayed home, especially in Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott narrowly beat Democrat Alex Sink. We also failed to make Kendrick Meek the first African-American U.S. senator from Florida. Only an estimated 10 percent of blacks went to the polls, compared to 13 percent in 2008.
By not voting two years ago, we allowed Scott and the Republican Party to make it even harder for us to vote on November 6. Since he took office, the governor has been doing everything in his power to disenfranchise African-American voters. He's screwed us over by cutting back on the days for early voting and rolling back voting rights for people with past criminal convictions -- two measures that unfairly target blacks.
Because of Scott's black-voter-suppression efforts, Obama is turning to absentee ballots, the voting system plagued by fraud the GOP has mastered for decades. The Democrats have cut the Republicans' absentee ballot advantage by two-thirds compared to 2008, according to the Miami Herald. This year, absentee voting should be nearly equal.
But African-Americans can't sit back now. Florida is the most important swing state, and Miami has its largest black population. Obama's reelection will likely be decided on the streets of Overtown, Liberty City, Brownsville, and Miami Gardens.
We also have a couple of important local issues on the ballot, like approving a $1.2 billion bond to renovate decrepit public schools. And we got to give the heave-ho to County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson, who hasn't done anything for her black district except allow affordable housing developer Carlisle Development Group to take over residential neighborhoods with unwanted high-rise apartments.
Cast your ballot for Keon Hardemon, a 29-year-old University of Miami law school educated public defender who is not beholden to any special interests.
We demand a lot of respect and equality. For that to happen, we need to show up at the polls. We can't sit on our asses complaining about how unfair the system is. If we don't vote, then we can't whine about the damage Mitt Romney will do if he beats Obama November 6. It's time to stop bitching about the white man doing this and that to us.
It's time African-Americans do something for themselves. It's time we break 2008's presidential election record.
Follow Luke on Twitter: @unclelukereal1.
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