Can Obama win over the white working class?

Commentary by Organizer KD

Can Obama win over the white working class? This is a question the media has devoted a lot of space to. In just one example worth looking at an Washington Post article asks, “Can He Be a Working Class hero?” But if the title was accurate it would read, ‘can he be a WHITE working class hero?’ The primary issue is related to the racism emanating from a sizable section of the white working class and the other issue is the unwillingness to point out whiteness in a prominent way within the title of an article whose main focus is the white working class.

The framework of debate around this question has narrowly focused on what Obama and the Democrats have to do to court the white working class. This isn’t necessarily strange considering that is exactly what politicians do to gain potential votes, but a question that isn’t being asked is why would the white working class vote in their racial interests and what compelling reason is there to continue another term of Republican rule? George W. Bush has clearly shown himself to be an enemy of working people; whether it was the Enron scandal, his bloated military budget and creation of a new federal department, Homeland Security (funneling tons of money into costs like offices, supplies, etc.), the continued lay-offs of workers and rising unemployment, the current housing crisis, where many people are losing their homes to foreclosures due in part to predatory lending practices, or the proposed 700 billion dollar bailout of Wall Street and finance capital. So why would any working person vote for John McCain, whose voting record was the same as Bush’s 90% of the time, not to mention his recent comment about the fundamentals of the economy being strong. I can understand if large sectors of the white working class were rejecting both political parties, but the majority of the white working class is not necessarily liberal, forget about radical (unless perhaps you’re talking about right wing radicalism).

Questioning a Post Racial Society

Does Obama’s candidacy demonstrate that the U.S. has entered a post-racist era? Last summer as Obama’s primary victory began to look certain, commentators as diverse as CNN’s John Blake and liberal New York Times columnist Paul Krugman asserted that the U.S. was no longer bothered by racism.

The Democratic National Convention was blanketed with lapel pins suggesting Obama had fulfilled Martin Luther King’s dream of a society of racial equality, “Making the Dream a Reality” and “Legacy of Hope” they boasted with images of the two men side by side.

The claims in the current presidential electoral contest that the U.S. is now a “post-racial” society are not new claims. Ever since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 some in the U.S. have claimed that racism was now an artifact of the past, presuming that public declarations and legal prohibitions can abolish widespread social practices.

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Voter Intimidation in Black Communities – a role for white anti-racists?

Alabama Republicans are barring community organizations from registering eligible voters who are currently incarcerated. Surprisingly, Alabama has a state law that allows certain people – like those with drug possession charges- to vote even while in prison. The Ordinary People’s Society and their national partner the Drug Policy Alliance began a historic voter registration drive earlier this month in prisons across Alabama, with the full support of the Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC).

But when GOP party officials found out, they put pressure of the DOC, thereby blocking the community groups’ right to register up to 10,000 eligible voters in prison.

Considering that African Americans make up just a quarter of Alabama residents, but 60% of state prisoner population, the impact of Alabama GOP leaders on Black voter disenfranchisement this election is significant.

“Voter registration drives are an essential part of our democracy, and

this action by the GOP and the Department of Corrections smacks of voter

intimidation,” said Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, founder and executive director

of The Ordinary People’s Society, the group leading the registration

drive. “Our focus isn’t politics, it’s restoration. We’re just doing

what the Bible says, visiting people in prison and ministering to them.

The chairman of the Republican Party and the chairman of the Democratic

Party can go into prisons with us and monitor the registration process.”

Voter intimidation and manipulation in Black communities has a long and unfortunate history in the U.S., and this latest news in Alabama defies claims of an impending “post-racial society.” In many ways, this election season has brought together unlikely alliances and re-energized folks’ enthusiasm for progress in a multicultural world. However, tales like these remind us of the importance of sustained grassroots efforts for racial justice, and the direct acknowledgment and struggle against systemic racism.

“Polls Indicates Racism Will Reduce Obama Vote by Four to Six Percent”

Two recent polls both indicate that white racism will significantly reduce the number of voters for Obama in the November 4 election. The polls were conducted by AP/Yahoo (Aug. 27-Sept. 5) and the other by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. (Aug. 29-31), but the results were publicized only on September 22 by CNN.

The AP/Yahoo showed that 6 percent of voters will not vote for Obama because of racism, while the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll demonstrated that 4 percent of Democrats who will vote for McCain were persuaded by racial factors. Both polls indicate that racism will tilt the election against Obama by a margin larger than the margin of victory in the 2004 presidential campaign.

One Campaign for Whites, One for Blacks

This article by Andrew Hacker for the New York Times explores the systemic ways that folks of color, particularly African Americans, are disenfranchised in this country and the connection this will inevitably have on Obama’s chances of winning the election.

An excerpt:

“Just what is there about being white that might incline someone toward one candidate instead of another?

The concluding suggestion that Obama embark on two-track campaigns with one specifically catering to white votes and “featuring white faces” is insufficient in my opinion because it fails to address systemic racism. I understand that from a strategy of ‘do what is needed to win’ you could conclude that, but I still believe it reinforces white supremacy by acceding that for a black man to succeed in this election he needs a two-track campaign with one featuring white faces and white endorsements.