Anderson@Large

Race Matters in the Age of Obama

I just got back from Orlando. It was fitting that I read the latest Gallup poll while waiting for my flight. After all, a “post-racial” America is as real as the Magic Kingdom.

Gallup reports:

A year out from the 2008 presidential election, the high hopes Americans had for race relations right after Barack Obama’s victory at the polls have yet to be fully realized. Currently, 41% of Americans believe race relations have gotten better since Obama’s win; another 35% think they have not changed, while 22% say they have gotten worse. Last November, 70% thought race relations would improve as a result of the landmark outcome.

Fifty-three percent of blacks and 39% of whites think relations have improved overall, but only 11% of blacks and 7% of whites think they have improved a lot.

Then as now, 24 percent of Americans believe President Obama “will go too far in promoting efforts to aid the black community.” In fact, more Americans think “Obama’s policies to aid blacks will not go far enough.”

Among African Americans, 32 percent now say Obama hasn’t done enough, up from 20 percent in June 2008.

It bears repeating: Black folks have to stop hoping for “the big payback.” They must push for the change they voted for in November 2008.

During a recent National Action Network weekly rally, the Rev. Al Sharpton observed:

We voted for the possibility of change. You can’t have one vote and think that’s the end of your contribution. There is no one-vote revolution.

To bring about change, one must stay engaged. Civic engagement is a process; voting is an event. You can have a record turnout on Election Day and record unemployment one year later.

So, while Gallup focuses on the perception of racial inequality, the reality is that in the age of Obama, blacks still do not enjoy the same opportunities that whites have.

Unemployment Rate Tops 10 Percent

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the national unemployment rate increased to 10.2 percent, the highest since 1983. More than 190,000 Americans lost their jobs in October.

The official black unemployment rate is 15.7 percent. On Election Day 2008, the black unemployment rate was 11.3 percent.

President Barack Obama addressed the rising unemployment during remarks in the Rose Garden:

Although we lost fewer jobs than we did last month, our unemployment rate climbed to over 10 percent -- a sobering number that underscores the economic challenges that lie ahead.

When we first came into office our immediate goal was to stop the freefall that caused our economy to shrink at an alarming rate. We have succeeded in achieving that goal, as our economy grew last quarter for the first time in a year. But history tells us that job growth always lags behind economic growth, which is why we have to continue to pursue measures that will create new jobs. And I can promise you that I won't let up until the Americans who want to find work can find work and until all Americans can earn enough to raise their families and keep their businesses open.

That’s welcome news.

My colleague George Curry told the Final Call:

While his election should be celebrated, we cannot abandon our role of holding whoever sits in that office accountable. Basically Blacks remained silent, hoping that Obama would get around to us, and that's not the way politics work.

People react to voices, and just as he get nudges from women and gay groups and everybody else, he needs a kick in the butt from the African American community, because our needs must be addressed as well.

Indeed, Obama says he wants to be held accountable. The President needs to hear from black leaders and organizations that purport to represent the interests of African American families, including “Cousin Pookie.”

It’s not about second-guessing. Instead, it’s about speaking truth to power. And the truth is, the stimulus package has not reduced black unemployment.

Election Post-Mortem

The verdict is in: If black voters had turned out, there would not have been a Republican rout in Virginia.

Mind you, African Americans represent 20 percent of the voting age population in the Old Dominion. Democrats cannot win with the black vote alone.

While the White House says Election '09 was an election about nothing, Republicans are fired up and ready to go.

In a statement, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele crowed:

Electing Republican governors in Virginia and New Jersey is just the beginning. With the continuing commitment of RNC Sustaining Members like you, I am confident we can elect more GOP governors, make real gains in the U.S. House and Senate, stop the Democrats' radical leftist agenda and cut President Obama's term in half in 2010.

Meanwhile, an Associated Press review of the state reports posted to Recovery.gov raises more questions about the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The AP reports:

The government's latest count of stimulus jobs significantly overstates the effects of the $787 billion program under a popular federal preschool program, raising fresh questions about the process the Obama administration is using to tout the success of its economic recovery plan.

An Associated Press review of the latest stimulus reports — which the White House promised would undergo extensive reviews to ensure accuracy — found that more than two-thirds of 14,506 jobs credited to the recovery act under spending by just one federal office were overstated because they counted pay increases for existing workers as jobs saved.

The inflated job count is at least partly the product of the administration instructing local community agencies that received money to count the raises as jobs saved.

It is clear that fuzzy math does not motivate unemployed Americans to turn out and vote.

Election 2009: The Obama Factor

It’s all over but the finger-pointing.

Republican Bob McDonnell won in Virginia. Over in the Garden State, Chris Christie beat Gov. Jon Corzine.

As night follows day, black voters are being blamed for the Democratic losses. Why not blame white independents who voted for McDonnell? Or young voters who didn’t bother to show up?

Though President Barack Obama campaigned for the Democratic candidate in Virginia and New Jersey, exit polls show there was not much of an Obama factor.

Truth be told, African Americans are tired of hoping for change. They want a job.

They were not fired up to “keep it going” when the black unemployment rate is higher than it was a year ago.

What’s the motivation to turn out to save a former Goldman Sachs chairman’s job or create a job for a bumbling politician?

Consider: Recovery.gov reports Virginia created 8,622 jobs.

In Camden, New Jersey, where Obama campaigned on Sunday, 132.5 jobs were created by stimulus spending. Camden is the poorest medium-sized city.

And get this: The promised “green jobs” are being created overseas with American taxpayers’ money. The Investigative Reporting Workshop of American University reports that of the $1.05 billion in clean-energy grants, 84 percent -- $849 million -- has been awarded to foreign wind companies.

And this: A ProPublica analysis of stimulus spending found that black-owned firms received only two percent of direct federal stimulus contracts. Minority business enterprises disproportionately hire minority workers.

BTW, the unofficial winner on Election Night: Fox News. The talking heads could scarcely contain their glee in reporting on the “grim night” for Democrats.

One Year Later: Black America’s President

To mark the first anniversary of Barack Obama’s historic victory, Organizing for America is holding celebrations across the country for people who were involved in the campaign.

On Election Day 2008, a “gorgeous mosaic” of volunteers Baracked the Vote. A year later, the rainbow coalition of African Americans, young people and independents has faded to black.

Though the black unemployment rate is higher than it was a year ago, a new Gallup poll found that black Americans are the most satisfied with the direction of the country:

Blacks' satisfaction with the direction of the country has surged since Barack Obama became president in January, while satisfaction among whites has increased by far less. Today close to half of black adults nationwide, 47%, say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country. In mid-2008, the figure was 10%.

The poll further found:

Despite the strong influence of party affiliation, it seems that more than just partisanship explains the current level of U.S. satisfaction among blacks, as black Democrats have shown a greater increase in satisfaction over the past year than white Democrats. Today, 38% of white Democrats say they are satisfied with the direction of the country, up from 5% in June/July 2008 -- a 33-point gain. By contrast, 51% of black Democrats today are satisfied, up from 7% -- a 44-point gain. (There are too few black Republicans to enable the same trend analysis by race for Republicans.)