Democrats May Not be Able to Count on Black Voters

Black voters who helped President Barack Obama win two elections — and who may now be disappointed by his leadership — could harm Democrats in tough midterm contests, McClatchy reports.

While Obama has stepped up on issues important to the gay and lesbian community and has continued a drumbeat around immigration, seen as key for many Hispanic voters, some blacks may feel that their own interests have remained on the back-burner, even as their expectations for the nation's first black president remained high.

The economic picture for many also remains unchanged under Obama, leaving many to feel powerless and unsupported, one Miami-based labor activist told McClatchy.

"People in this community just don’t think anything is going to change," noted Akua Scott, citing unemployment in her area.

"A lot of people don’t understand how government works," she said. "They think the president is a savior."

Others in some of Miami's poorest communities also noted the concerns and perhaps outsized expectations of black voters.

"We had this idea that once we got the first black president, all our problems would be solved," said community organizer Aaron McKinney told McClatchy as he urged people there to vote.

Added longshoreman Dorrell Brown: "People are happy to see a black man as president, but people in this environment see no way out."

Without minority voters like those feeling disenfranchised in Miami and elsewhere, Democrats will be unlikely to hold onto the Senate, The New York Times noted.

"Anybody who looks at the data realizes that if the black vote, and the brown vote, doesn’t turn out, we can’t win. It’s just that simple," said Rep. Marcia L. Fudge of Ohio, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus. "If we don’t turn out, we cannot hold the Senate."

In spite of anecdotal evidence around the country supporting high rates of early voting, turnout numbers, according to polling, will likely be low, The Hill reports.

"We cannot have 2010 turnout. If we have 2010 turnout among our key constituencies, we're going to have 2010 all over again. It's math," said Democratic strategist and Obama pollster Cornell Belcher told The Hill.

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