The past two weeks have provided a series of political events that have had us reeling from visceral whiplash resulting in a sense of seeming uncertainty. It’s time to get grounded once again and not forget what is at stake. With all due respect, this campaign is no longer about who, as much as it is about what. At stake is our very system of governance, Democracy. Founded on the principles and convictions as set forth in our Declaration of Independence and subsequently cemented in our Constitution. This election is about the preservation of our country, America; yes, The United States of America. Today we are anything but united. We must find our way back towards the center and reject extremism from either side. Given the events of this past week, Republicans are now pivoting to promote a message of Unification, which is the cornerstone of President Biden’s campaign. This is reminiscent of John McCain’s campaign pivoting in 2008 to adopt a platform of “Reform…”; emulating President Obama’s “Change…” platform.
The most powerful tool we have, to ensure the future of our Democracy is our VOTE! I will spare the applied analytics used to arrive at the following census data: Michigan’s Hispanic population is 567,000; 80,000 of which reside in Wayne County’s 13th Congressional District. In 2020 the state number was 400,000. Of these, over 51% live in rural areas with concentrated pockets in outstate urban centers. Point is, we now have over 25% more Hispanics to register to vote by September 30. This will require a herculean effort and an all hand’s on deck initiative. Michigan’s prominence as a top six swing state is based on facts; The Obama presidencies (2008 & 2012) were won in Michigan, the Trump presidency was also won in Michigan. Both specifically, in Wayne County, but not for the same reasons. Obama won by just over 10,000 plus votes, Trump won because 10,000 plus people did not vote in Wayne County. The outcome of not voting should be a sobering reminder of what happens when you don’t vote, believe your vote doesn’t count, or throw your vote away by voting uncommitted. There are numerous sources that provide statistics on voter participation. The one thing they all agree on is that the majority of people do not vote. So if Hispanics turn out to vote at a greater than 50% rate, we can cover the margin of error in the polls, effectively covering the spread.
We have been subjected to a lot of speculation and conjecture since the debate. Most of it inflammatory and exaggerated generating unfounded confusion for many. Let me assure you that President Biden will be the candidate. How do I know this? Because he already is. President Biden won his candidacy by following our electoral process and winning. For anyone, to suggest otherwise, would essentially make that person or persons, election deniers. For all intents and purposes, no different than those who still deny President Biden’s win in 2020. As the second largest demographic group and the largest minority in the country, we have an even greater responsibility to exercise our responsibility to VOTE.
Please do not be dissuaded from voting because of any single issue or be coerced into squandering your vote as an “uncommitted” protest vote. The very foundation of our system of government is at stake. It’s up to us to step up and defend our country as true patriots. It is noteworthy to mention Project 2025 and encourage you to read it. Invest the time to learn from its 900 plus pages of regressive proposals from the Heritage Foundation. It is the conservative playbook for Trump’s second term, which only happens if we don’t vote. Remember the Lincoln Project that was formed five years ago was formed by former notable Republicans that supported President Biden.
By the time you read this, President Biden will have been here, in Detroit, to address us. It was a flawless, unequivocally Presidential event. The Biden administration’s impressive list of accomplishments read by Mayor Duggan and reiterated by Rev. Rudolph of Oak Grove A.M.E. We must double down and recommit ourselves to this President, more importantly, to our nation and its future.
I will be writing a recurring column dissecting the issues of this campaign all the way up until the general election in November. This election process is somewhat inverted in that the down ticket primary, August 6, happens before the National Democratic Convention, two weeks later. This makes the primary the definitive poll going into the convention which will provide a groundswell of support going into the general. Voting in the primary has never been more important or consequential. By the time you read this, there will be a lot of noise from the Republican convention. That coverage should only serve to further your resolve to VOTE on August 6. The issues won’t really matter, if we don’t VOTE.
