Jack & Jill Politics

This Washington Post article — For Obama, Hurdles in Expanding Black Vote — talks about how even a small increase in African-American voter registration could hand Obama a big win in November. But the article fails to delve below the surface into the real challenges in terms of stealing our votes that we face yet again.

If 95 percent of black voters support Obama in November, in line with a recent Washington Post–ABC News national poll, he can win Florida if he increases black turnout by 23 percent over 2004, assuming he performs at the same levels that Democratic candidate John F. Kerry did with other voters that year.

Obama can win Nevada if he increases black turnout by 8 percent. Ohio was so close in 2004 that if Obama wins 95 percent of the black vote, more than Kerry did, he will win the state without a single extra voter. But an increase in overall black turnout could help offset a poorer performance among other voters.

The push has also raised Democrats’ hopes of reclaiming Southern states with large black populations, such as Georgia and North Carolina, where low turnout among voters of all races has left much more untapped potential than in traditionally competitive states such as Ohio. Obama, who himself led a huge voter-registration drive in Chicago in 1992, has said he could compete in states such as Mississippi by increasing black turnout by 30 percent.

BTW, if 95% of black voters support Obama, that means something like half of black Republicans also support Obama, right? Interesting factoid, that.

Yet, there’s a systematic effort underway to block and purge black votes. It happened in 2000 & in 2004. Are we really going to relive the history of African-American voter disenfranchisement? Apparently having the Ku Klux Klan ride out again and terrorize black folks into staying away from the polls is too inefficient and un-modern. It’s much faster to use technology to deprive people of their right to choose their representatives — though corrupt and discriminatory laws apparently never go out of style.

Greg Palast has investigated the trend and is calling on people to help make sure our right to vote is protected. Here’s an excerpt:

in swing-state Colorado, the Republican Secretary of State conducted the biggest purge of voters in history, dumping a fifth of all registrations. Guess their color.

In swing-state Florida, the state is refusing to accept about 85,000 new registrations from voter drives – overwhelming Black voters.

In swing state New Mexico, HALF of the Democrats of Mora, a dirt poor and overwhelmingly Hispanic county, found their registrations disappeared this year, courtesy of a Republican voting contractor.

In swing states Ohio and Nevada, new federal law is knocking out tens of thousands of voters who lost their homes to foreclosure.

My investigations partner spoke directly to Barack Obama about it. (When your partner is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., candidates take your phone call.) The cool, cool Senator Obama told Kennedy he was “concerned” about the integrity of the vote in the Southwest in particular.

He’s concerned. I’m sweating.

It’s time SOMEBODY raised the alarm about these missing voters; not to save Obama’s candidacy – journalists should stay the heck away from partisan endorsements – but raise the alarm to save our sick democracy.

Makes me wanna holler. How bout you? Here’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who’s joined with Palast, discussing the Dept of Justice’s failure to protect and in fact complicity in depriving Americans of their right to vote.