Here's another op-ed piece from a black news website that isn't flattering to Gore or the Democrat party:
>>Political Chickens Come Home To Roost, It's Time To Unite
The Black Vote
12-13-00
By Charles Barron
While the nation waits with bated breath for this American system of
democracy, which is really a hypocrisy, to determine whether Twiddle
Dee or Twiddle Dum will become president, the Black community is
witnessing both parties being victimized by their own political chickens
coming home to roost. In 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was
assassinated, Minister Malcolm X responded by stating that "this was a
case of Chickens coming home to roost." Meaning that violence begets
violence and that if you perpetuate violence against others, it will soon
visit you. In political terms we are saying that the same political chicanery
that both parties used to disenfranchise Black voters is now visiting the two party system and
causing a major delay in determining the next President. Selecting the next President is not the
only thing at stake here. What's truly at stake is democracy. Some of us radicals have been
saying for a long time that America was not a democracy, but rather a white male supremacist
hypocrisy! Now the truth has come to light.
"None Of The Above"
This Presidential election 2000 has truly turned the light on how this system disenfranchised
Black voters and plays legal and constitutional games with the American electorate. First, let us
state that among the 163 countries that utilize voting as a means of selecting their political
leadership, America ranks 139th in terms of voter turn out. Normally in American elections 46%
- 49% of the American electorate turns out to vote, in this election it was up a mere 2%. Slightly
more than 50% came out to vote. In other words, nearly half of the electorate (50%) stayed
home. In most so-called democracies around the world, upwards to 70%-80% of the electorate
turns out to vote. In America's case it matters not what the final count will be, neither Gore nor
Bush will have a mandate to lead. Perhaps we should have a voting column titled, "none of the
above" and if "none of the above" wins the election then we should get rid of these candidates
and do it all over again with a new set of candidates. Food for thought.
Black Vote Disenfranchised
I find it quite interesting that both parties have used states rights and federal intervention
pragmatically and conveniently when it suited their interest. Isn't it ironic that the republicans
who have historically used states' rights to suppress and oppress Black people and our vote, are
now calling for a federal judge to stop the state's rights of Florida from recounting the votes by
hand? And democrats who have used federal intervention to protect their interest are now
calling for the feds to stay out of it in Florida and are supporting Florida's state rights to recount
the vote by hand. In Florida the Black vote was disenfranchised by the use of Jim Crow era
tactics. Poll tax, literacy tests, grandfather clauses, KKK intimidation, were replaced by 21st
century tactics that included sending outdated broken voting machines to Black communities,
strangely losing Black folks voting cards at the polls, and police intimidation just to name a few.
No matter who wins we were electorally ripped off.
Well this madness has reached the U.S. supreme court and the Justices decided to kick it back to
the state courts in Florida. The Florida state court ruled in favor of Bush, and then Florida's State
Supreme court ruled in favor of Gore, now we await the U.S. Supreme Court's decision. What
madness! Gore will win the popular vote, but Bush will probably win the electoral vote and
become the next President. This election is so crazy that if more votes are counted and Gore
wins the count, Bush can actually become President even though he really lost. I'll quit while I'm
ahead. As of this writing there are so many possible scenarios that can occur.
Record Turn Out For Black Vote
Having said all of that, what does this election mean for Black folk. We came out in record
numbers on the national and local levels. Gore would not have even been close if it wasn't for
the Black vote. In New York City Hillary Clinton would have lost to Rick Lazio if only white folk
were allowed to vote. Lazio won the white vote 51% to 47%. Clinton received 91% of the Black
vote and 85% of the Latino vote. The Black vote has steadily increased in turn out over the years
in presidential elections. In 1992 the Black vote made up 8% of the national electorate, then in
1996 there was an increase to 10%, and in this year, election 2000, there was a record of 66%
increase up to 16% of the national electorate. In addition, historically 80% to 90% of the Black
vote goes to the democratic party.
Democrats "diss" Black Vote
What have we gotten in return from the democrats for our Black vote? Al Gore didn't even have
the decency to stand up and speak out on behalf of the Black voters in Florida whose votes were
not counted, even though those votes more than likely would have been cast for him. What a
disdain and contempt he must have for Black folk. Back to the question, what do we get in
return from the Democratic Party for our loyalty? Here's what we get; the death penalty, more
prisons, punitive welfare reform, "don't end it, mend it" weak commitment on affirmative
action, Joseph Lieberman, a conservative democrat who is against affirmative action, free trade
instead of fair trade, anti-reparations, against freeing political prisoners, and a conscious
strategy by the democratic party to shift to the political right of center in order to win the White
House.
It's Time To Unite The Black Vote
It's time for us to unite the Black vote in a progressive political movement and develop
independent political initiatives like the Black led Unity Party in New York City and run our
own candidates for office. Nationally, we must move beyond the "lesser of two evils" strategy
and demand that national parties support a Black agenda in order to secure the Black vote. For
this we need new Black leadership.
Electoral College, Remnant From Slavery
Election 2000 raised serious questions about the electoral college. Isn't it interesting that Hillary
Clinton and others now want to abolish the electoral college, but said nothing about the
electoral college when her husband William Jefferson Clinton won the presidency? The electoral
college has been around for hundreds of years and only now are some calling for its
abolishment. Why now? Is it because it's not working in the democratic party's interest right
now? The electoral college is a remnant from slavery times. It was created to appease the
southern white men who was complaining that the north had a greater number of people
eligible to vote because only white males who owned property could vote at that time. Nearly
40% of the southern population was enslaved Africans who could not vote and poor white
males and white women could not vote. So they agreed to create this electoral college scheme in
order to appease southern plantation owners.
Now that Blacks can vote, women can vote, and poor whites can vote, there is no need for the
electoral college. In addition, this winner takes all distribution of electoral votes assures the
continued dictatorship of a white–male–led–two--party–political system, democrats and
republicans, that has fast become a one party system called the republicrats. What many people
are now realizing is that they have never voted for president in their lives. I can't vote for
president and neither can you. Your vote on November 7th was a vote for the electors of the
state, who are picked in most states by the party that receives the majority of the popular votes
of that state. Then in December the electors meet to vote for President. The public doesn't even
know who these electors are, or how they were selected.
Winner Takes All Must Go
Here's how it works. Each state is assigned an electoral number according to it's number of
members in Congress. That means it's House of Representatives number and it's two U.S.
Senators. For example, there are 31 House of Representative seats in New York State and two
U.S. Senators. Therefore, New York State has 33 electoral votes. California has 52 House of
Representative seats and 2 U.S. Senators so their electoral votes are 54. Florida as I'm sure we all
know by now has 23 House of Representative seats and 2 U.S. Senators which makes their
electoral votes equal 25. The problem is the winner takes all zero sum solution. If a candidate
wins the popular vote of any given state, they win all of the electoral votes for their party.
The time is ripe to call for proportional representation, or at least proportional distribution of the
electoral vote. If a candidate gets 50% of the popular vote then their party should receive 50% of
the electoral vote, not 100%. This would than allow for third party candidates to receive a
percentage of the electoral votes in accordance with their percentage of the states popular vote.
This solution needs more discussion, however, it is food for thought.
The concern is, if we abolish the electoral college and go to the direct election of the President by
the popular vote, then Blacks will still suffer from the "tyranny of the white majority popular
vote." We must come up with solutions that proportionately distribute voting power that would
create a "real" democratic process.
America Needs A Revolution
Having said all of that, I firmly believe electoral politics is not a panacea for the liberation for
Black folk. We need to continue our inside/outside strategy. Yes, we need to engage the
electoral process inside and revolutionize it. But we must also continue our protest movement
outside and disrupt this unjust system when necessary. America needs a revolution so that the
wealth of this system can be equitably distributed and its political and economic system can be
radically altered. Remember, our struggle may be long, but the victory is certain!
Oh, by the way, the American brand of so called democracy has become an international
embarrassment. Perhaps America should take up Cuban President Fidel Castro and African
heads of State's offer to come to America as observers to help assure a democratic solution.
What can America say to the world about democracy now?<<
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