Progressive Democrat Issue 61: THOUGHTS

This last week was Martin Luther King jr.’s birthday. I happened to watch some old All in the Family episodes. For those who are too young to remember, this was the Sit Com that broke all the rules so that all modern Sit Coms could do what they do. In fact it broke so many rules it probably would be unacceptable today. It directly faced such previously forbidden topics as racism, sexism, rape, addiction, etc. All in the Family was one of the most pivotal TV shows in history.

One episode I watched on Monday struck me. Archie Bunker’s niece went out with a date with Lionel. Again, for those who don’t remember, Archie was a racist and Lionel was one of the first serious black characters on TV. The very concept of a mixed race couple was practically unacceptable on TV at the time and it took a show like All in the Family to confront America with it’s racism.

I have been so used to seeing mixed race couples, both in NYC and Los Angeles, for at least 20 years. Without realizing it at the time I witnessed the transition from mixed race couples being almost too unacceptable to comprehend to being accepted at least in big cities. That is progress. And, as I observed a year ago, I think there is no question that Barak Obama’s easy Senate win also shows how far we have come since the death of MLK.

But there is no question that equality has not yet been achieved in reality even if there is nominally legal equality. Mixed race couples are acceptable in the circles I have been used to for 20 years, but some places even in NYC would still be hostile to the sight. And I still hear fools ask the question, “Is America ready for a black President?”

Martin Luther King’s dream has been legally realized, but the reality is far different. If there is one thing that illustrated that dramatically and tragically it was hurricane Katrina. Whether or not the abandonment of thousands of Americans to die in Louisiana and Mississippi was because of race or because of class doesn’t matter so much, because EITHER WAY, Martin Luther King’s dream has been lost in the reality of many people’s life. We have come a long way, but there is no question that we have not reached a point where all babies born in America have equal chances of success regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, etc.

I think the political strength of any group comes down to three things: money, votes and volunteerism. This is something I have discussed a few times in this newsletter, but it always bears repeating. These three things win elections, so they get the attention of both political parties. The low voter turnout among blacks is a problem and I think this low voter turnout hurts the community. Neither party puts that large a premium on the black community because of this low voter turnout. Of course it is more complicated than that—there are vested interests that don’t want a change in the status quo. But imagine the effect it would have if there was a nearly 100% voter turnout in the black community. In some areas like NYC and Virginia, for example, this would make the black community very important in elections and their needs would become higher priorities for both political parties.

This is how I put it a year ago. Political participation leads to political relevance. What I didn’t quite realize until hurricane Katrina drove it home for all of America was that political relevance is required for survival in Bush America. If you aren’t relevant, your life means nothing. You may be left to die in a hurricane, or sent to die in Iraq or allowed to die of AIDS or executed in a justice system that remains flawed when it comes to providing equal protection to all races and classes. In short, the groups in America who lack adequate political relevance now face death because of their political irrelevance. This was illustrated even more explicitly when a former cabinet member and current radio show host, Republican Bill Bennett, publicly declared that, "if you wanted to reduce crime, you could - if that were your sole purpose - abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." (see Congressman John Conyer’s diary). This is the Republican view of Americans who are not relevant to them.

Again, I have brought this up before, but it may be the biggest lesson of 2005. If you aren’t important to the Bush administration you are expendable and possibly even suspect of being un-America. It is thus of considerable importance for ALL Americans to exert their political relevance.

In honor of Martin Luther King, jr., and with this idea of increased voter turnout helping the community, I urge your support of the NAACP voter fund which seeks to register black voters and to ensure the black vote is not suppressed by the Republicans.