UNDECIDED

The 2008 election and 2012 reelection of President Barack Obama were able to take place, not because America had become post-racial, but rather, because of increased black political power.

As the pace of the 2016 Presidential primary quickens, sprinting towards South Carolina, Nevada, the Super Tuesday SEC primary and then arriving in Ohio on March 15, the power of the African American vote is once again in play.

Unlike the recent Iowa caucus and New Hampshire mixed primary, minority voters will represent a sizable proportion of the Democratic electorate in many of the upcoming contests. This has led to some fierce in-party fighting for black support between hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, neither who can achieve the Democratic presidential nomination without extensive backing from the African American community.

For whom will I be voting?

It’s still early and momentum is key. Clinton will more than likely take Nevada and South Carolina. Minnesota at this point is a toss up but Sanders is likely to win Colorado. The week following Super Tuesday is the Ohio primary, which is expected to be a hard fought battle with BIG implications for the winner in the Buckeye State.

HRC, historically an unquestioned friend of the African American community, has had a lock on black voters and considered a shoo-in for the Ohio primary until former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner withdrew her support for Clinton to back Bernie Sanders. There are rumors that Turner felt slighted in some way by the Clinton campaign. Publicly, Nina is saying that while she respects Secretary Clinton, she feels that Sanders has a greater understanding of the needs of the black community and would thus be a stronger advocate for those issues.

Others note that conditions in the black community spiraled downward as a result of the consequences of mass incarceration and “end welfare as we know it” policies that occurred during the presidency of Bill Clinton. It is a fact that the largest federal and state increases of inmates of any president in American history took place during former president BilI Clinton’s tenure. However, I strongly disagree with esteemed scholar Michele Alexander’s conclusion expressed in an article in The Nation, that it is proper to saddle Hillary with Bill’s baggage merely because she was married to the President of the United States. 

Meanwhile, as with Turner, Sanders continues to peel small pockets of black support away from HRC by obtaining endorsements from prominent African Americans such as Cornel West, author/activist Ta-Nehisi Coates, rapper Killer Mike and others. Unless the trickle of defections is stayed, we could eventually see a contemporary mass exodus of black support walk away from Clinton similar to her 2008 Democratic presidential nomination experience.

The African American Predicament: What we have now is not working.

The major problem for the black community is that there are no active, concrete public policies in place or being discussed that will definitively improve our general position in society. What we have now is not working and has not worked for a long time.

The source of the problem is the inability of those in office to identify with the black agenda, usually because they view it only from a position of privilege. However, going forward, in order to obtain support, those who represent or seek the African American vote should have perspective into our community. This means from the school board, to City and County government, U.S. Congress or the presidency, whomever it is that represents the black community should not only talk our talk but also walk our walk.

Gun violence is a big issue to us. Access to clean and safe drinking water is important, as is lead prevention. A commitment to provide a diverse, high quality education to all of our children is a prime requirement. Voting rights, including the reduction of early voting and access to polling locations has had a devastating impact on our community. Police brutality and the justice system as a whole, from how people are profiled to how they’re charged, disparities in sentencing, the system from start to end, is a major concern.

Despite Obamacare, access to healthcare is still a problem as the program is constantly under attack even as many people are falling through the cracks. The working poor are employed at places that don’t offer insurance and a lot of minimum wage jobs strategically keep people from being full-time to avoid offering insurance.

The Bottom Line?

Hillary Clinton, with her cache in the black community, would make an amazing president. But the reality is that, the nation should be abuzz about the prospects of the first woman president in United States history. Yet, there is much more excitement being generated by Sanders, a self- proclaimed democratic socialist, whose message exhilarates (although he hasn’t actually accomplished much in his years as a Senator).

I must confess that I, like others, am very attracted to Sanders’ message, despite perhaps, the lack of an electoral mainstream broad enough to accommodate it.

 While we need Sanders’ strong voice and continued advocacy, however, I think higher on the priority list for African Americans is a President that can dismantle the dysfunction of Washington gridlock. We need a President and Congress that does not major in minors or traffic in trivials, but can come together and finally work together.

Who would be the best President to work across party lines AND actually get things done?

Hillary?

Or Bernie?

I don’t know. Not YET.