Tag: Republican

THE NEW MAJORITY IS THE FUTURE, AND THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED

FEMA - 45525 - FEMA hosted Latino Leadership S...
FEMA – 45525 – FEMA hosted Latino Leadership Summit in Washington, DC (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PAC+ Launches Latino-Focused TV Advertising Campaign in Arizona

Today, PAC+, a new national network of leaders focused on democratizing money and politics to give voice to America’s New Majority, will launch a television advertising campaign targeted at the Latino electorate. This is PAC+’s first ad in Arizona, the center of the right wing’s attack on Latinos, and the fastest growing sector of the New American Majority. The ad will be the first Latino-focused ad by an independent group this cycle.

PAC+ is a newly formed national PAC created to flip the balance of power from Red to Blue by harnessing the potential of the demographic revolution.  PAC+ is a PAC of many donors, not mega donors, and aggregates annual membership fees from professionals across the country, distributing those resources to strategically selected races in its target states (AZ, CA, NM, TX, OH, and GA).

“Romney has acknowledged that ‘he’s sunk’ if he can’t make inroads with Latinos. We intend to sink him, and to get the rest of the progressive community to join us,” said Steve Phillips, Chairman of PAC+. “PAC+ selected Arizona for the launch of its paid media program to highlight the state’s political significance and its untapped potential to the progressive community, which is not yet convinced of the value of investing resources in this electorate,“ he added.

“This television advertising campaign is the first paid media work that PAC+ will be doing in 2012 and as such is the first salvo in what will be an escalating and sustained effort targeting Latinos in 2012 and beyond. It is the first television ad aimed at a Latino audience to be aired by any independent group thus far,” said Dr. Julie Martinez Ortega, Senior Advisor to PAC+. The advertising campaign will be a state-wide effort in Arizona that includes the Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma media markets. The ads will air in Spanish and English-language media outlets and on both broadcast and on cable. “We’re still finalizing our fundraising for the ad,” said Martinez Ortega, “but it’ll certainly be in the high five-figures to low six-figures.”

The ad reminds Latinos and Progressive voters about what is at stake if Romney were elected President. It defines Romney for Latinos and Progressive voters by using his own words, in an effort to contrast him with President Obama and thereby motivate them to vote for Barack Obama in November. The ad is being released on the heels of the Romney campaign’s newest ad “Dia Uno”, which attempts to erase his damaging words and actions, which will negatively affect the everyday lives of Latino voters.

“PAC+ will not allow Romney’s history of and continued disrespect of contributions of Latinos to our nation to be erased like an Etch a Sketch by his handlers, especially vis-à-vis Latino voters. Romney’s words reflect his values and Latino voters must know what he truly thinks about the community and with whom he associates himself,” said Phillips. “PAC+’s ad will remind voters of this important fact.”

“It’s very telling that Romney’s Spanish-language ad is nowhere to be found on his website. PAC+ reminds Romney that he can’t have it both ways — excoriating Latinos on one hand, and acting like he’s welcoming them with the other,” said Martinez Ortega. “There is a saying in Spanish, ‘Dime con quien andas, y te dire quien eres’ (“Tell me with whom you associate, and I’ll tell you who you are”) and Romney’s key advisors, allies, and supporters comprise some of the most anti-Latino voices in Arizona and in the country.”

PAC+ was launched on March 21st by a National Board of over 70 community and political leaders in 16 states and is “powered by” PowerPAC.org, a social justice advocacy organization that coordinated the country’s first independent expenditure for Obama in 2007 and conducted a $10 million, 18 state electoral program targeting African American and Latino voters in key states.

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Kirk Clay is Senior Advisor at PowerPac

WHAT WILL DRIVE YOUNG VOTERS OF COLOR TO THE POLLS?

Missouri State Highway 1 in Kansas City, Missouri.

By Kirk Clay

Measuring the Intensity Level of Young Voters of Color

I was recently recruited to help train a team of young political organizers on micro targeting voters of color (VOC). The training marked the launch of a collaborative voter empowerment program by national and local organizations of color. This was part of their efforts to lay the ground work for capturing and energizing 18 -29 year old voters. As I began to pull together research data on voting trends for my presentation, I began to realize how important the young VOC will be in 2012:

● A recent poll from Gallup shows President Obama with a lead over Mitt Romney among voters under 30.

● According to new poll from Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, President Obama has increased his lead over Romney by 6 points to a 17 point margin.

● In 4 months, Obama’s job approval has increased from 52% to 66% among Latinos.

● Obama leads Romney in a head-to-head by thirty-nine points.

● Latinos are not the only young VOC feeling the President; he leads with African Americans by seventy-eight points.

After seeing these facts and figures, I immediately began to search for issues and places where this dynamic may have an impact. I talked to a young friend who lives in Missouri to get a “heartland” perspective about the findings. He immediately agreed with the survey, “I see it too, just look at the whole student loan mess.”

He went on to say “these politicians agree on college affordability and can’t even come together to prevent the current interest rate from doubling.” I reminded him that this rancorous environment is similar to the 2006 midterm elections when the Democrats took control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. That year, young people were 15% of Missouri’s electorate and the Senator won by just 45,000 votes.

Is he right? Are young Americans looking for someone who can stand up to these extreme politicians? And are the extreme politicians so stubborn that they would rather let young Americans pay more for their loans than listen to their congressional leaders? Will it take a coalition conscience which includes progressive Whites, Latinos, African Americans, Asians, Native Americans, Unions, and Young Voters to get Washington back on track?

Given this backdrop, I went back to the Institute’s poll which confirms my friend’s feelings. According to the poll, a clear majority (55%) of 18-29 year olds believe “elected officials don’t have the same priorities I have.” They also believe that politics has become too partisan (49%). What’s worse is that 59% believe that “elected officials” seem to be motivated by selfish reasons” and only 24% reported “liking” a political candidate on Facebook.

As my friend and I continued to deliberate, I realized the broader implications of energizing young Voters of Color. In 2008, the youth voter turnout was driven largely by a surge in Latino and African American youth. For example: 42% and 39% of young Latino women and men voted. Over 52% of the African American youth between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in 2008. That was the highest turnout rate among any youth group–by race and by ethnicity. Also, young voters were 21% of Missouri’s electorate–the President lost by only 39,000 votes. That is significant if you add the fact that VOC increased their 13% vote share to 19% in 2010.

My friend, who considers himself a “young professional,” says that there is ample opportunity for young voters to raise their voice. Young African Americans and Latinos are 15% and 18% of the total youth population respectively. In 2015, Young People of Color will be over 37% percent of the 18-24 age population.

Experts who think that young VOC can’t be energized in 2012 in the same way that they were in 2008 are mistaken. On the contrary, Kansas City, Missouri grew by 4.1% to 459,787 and is now close to 40% POC of which many voters are under 29. I believe they understand the relationship between political independence and democracy. They know that being registered makes you relevant and that sidestepping your responsibilities creates a vacuum that sucks hope out of the political process.

Now that these voters are showing signs of rejuvenation, experts will have to honor the power of their vote. As they become more engaged, the political organizations that invested in them will begin to invest again. As they become an asset, the issues that affect them will be debated more. As their interests become clearer their preferences will as well. As we learned in 2008, the power of the youth vote extends through their interests and affects policy for every American. That’s popping the clutch.

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Kirk Clay is Senior Advisor at PowerPAC

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CAN WE ALL GET ALONG; IS HATRED A GREATER MOTIVATOR THAN LOVE?

Depiction of the House vote on H.R. 3590 (the ...
Depiction of the House vote on H.R. 3590 (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) on March 21, 2010, by congressional district. Democratic yea Democratic nay Republican nay No representative seated (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Kirk Clay

Analyzing Partisan Manipulation and Voter Mobilization

After witnessing the woman’s healthcare debate, I’m reminded that every politician becomes a little “Etch A Sketchy” when appealing to their base. Just like the etch-a-sketch easily erases an image, they use language in a way that if called to question, they can deny any intent to disrespect others. They use terms like “Obamacare” and “self-deportation” or twist remarks about foreign policy to spark a reaction from their base. Underneath this is a subtle reference to values in a manner that manipulates their base.

What’s worse is that election year tactics like “Death Panel” town hall meetings produce obstructionist legislators. The use of shock to motivate the base also triggers a downward spiral that adds to the dysfunction in Washington and encourages the 60 member Tea Party Caucus. It’s an outrage that during one of the toughest periods in American history longstanding GOP moderate forerunners have been held hostage. Outside of the bi-partisan response to the financial crisis in 2008, there has not been a real attempt to legislate in a post-partisan manner.

What’s clear to me is that after 40 years of one party control of the house, some of the most conservative elements in this country came together and developed a strategy to win a majority in ’94. Now, the philosophy that “you can’t win without demonizing the opposite party” has become edict and only the American voter has the ability to break this cycle. Will politicians attempt to manipulate voters with the use of fear and hate? Will they use wedge issues to mobilize and turnout their base on Election Day?

I think back to the 2006 elections when these extremist unleashed a harsh “cultural war” to get their base to vote. The political atmosphere is similar to that of today.  However there’s strong evidence that things may be different this time.  We’ve had six years of new registrants and many young voters plus voters of color (VOC) will return to the electorate in 2012.

This political geography is highlighted in majority minority cities like Norfolk where its population grew 3.4% to 242,803. This increase gives Norfolk more than 83,000 “key” Voters of Color. Also, People of Color are 26% of Virginia’s Citizen Voting Age Population. They were 24% of vote share in 2008 and about 23% in 2010.

If a modern coalition of conscious Whites, Latinos, African Americans, Asians, Native Americans, Women, Unions, and Young Voters all demanded honest and trustworthy candidates, we could revitalize and expand our democracy. The truth is, we all love our country and that means every community in it. That’s what motivates most Americans to be compassionate. Hate only motivates “Etch A Sketchy” candidates to become partisan obstructionists. In my part of town, you can’t win without love. That’s popping the clutch.

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Kirk Clay is Senior Advisor at PowerPAC

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WE NEED COOPERATION, NOT POLARIZATION

VOTE! exhibit poster, 2/2009
Election2012 #CLUTCHState Update: How Many Days #B4uVote? No Excuses... Just Results

By Kirk Clay

My Way Or the Highway Politicians

As Super Tuesday becomes the focal point of this election season. As speculation continues over whether the GOP will have a clear front runner by next Wednesday, my attention turns toward Georgia. Not because of the obvious reasons, but because of what the proverbial “Promised Land” represents for Voters of Color (VOC). Although 2010 census data shows that Atlanta only grew 0.8% to 420,003, neighboring Athens-Clark County grew by 15% to 116,714. This significant growth helped to give Georgia a new congressional seat plus an extra Electoral College vote.

 

I remember my first trip to Atlanta. I was recruited by one of the ministers who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He asked that I help to manage a “whistle stop” caravan through the Deep South and wanted me to join him in Atlanta for the launch of this effort. This was an experience of a lifetime and my first multi-state bus tour. Being a twenty something organizer from the Midwest, I often wondered what caused him to take me under his wing.

 

I will never forget how nervous I was running through the Atlanta airport having arrived close to midnight. You see, my flight was held over because of the weather and in those days I had no way to get word to the team that I would be six hours late. To my surprise, officials were waiting for me to land and whisked me through the airport to the ground transportation area. When I got there, I was surprised to see five American made SUVs sitting in the airport driveway.

 

With the doors open and his feet on the dashboard he sputtered “Don’t just stand there, get in. We have to make it to the Mississippi Delta by sunrise.” Of course, that’s exactly what I did. We traveled all night to make up for lost time. We only stopped for gas and a hot meal. His amazing network of restaurants and gas stations opened their kitchens along the way.

 

Although we didn’t have a chance to talk about the fact that he held up the entire campaign that night, I eventually mustered up enough courage to apologize, saying “I’m sorry, for causing such a fuss at the airport. What can I do to make things right?” He took a deep breath: “Well,” he said decisively, “we in the movement, promised to never leave anyone behind, and everyone is important to the movement.”

 

I wish our Congressional leaders had the same spirit of duty and responsibility to every person in this country. I wish they would remain focused and committed to serving the needs of Americans. After the surprise announcement that one of the most moderate members of the Senate will retire, it’s sad to say that I fear the roadblocks to recovery may remain in place all year.

 

Look at their economic policy work.  So far it seems to emphasize obstruction more than cooperation. What’s more, their priorities do not reflect the reality of our deliberate economic resurgence. They seem to believe that backsliding on women’s healthcare, higher education, and middle class safety nets are must do fiscal treatments. They ignore what most experts have acknowledged for years that “at the end of the day investing in the economy is good for the economy.”

 

However, Voters of Color (VOC) in places like Georgia are becoming energized. In fact, the political landscape resembles that of November 3, 1998 where the hyper-partisan nature motivated communities of color to demonstrate their concerns through the power of the vote. In 1998 Voters of Color were 30% of the vote share. Progressive candidates won the governorship, retained control of both houses of the legislature, and candidates of color made significant gains.

 

As history has shown, Voters of Color can make a difference in the outcome of elections. For example, VOC in Georgia make up close to 35% of the citizen voting age population and most of those registered voted in 2008. In fact, POC made up 34% of the vote share in the 2008 general election. This number increased to 35% in 2010, a Tea Party wave year. The potential impact would be significant in 2012 if every eligible Voter of Color voted. Especially in cities like Atlanta and Athens-Clark County where there are over 230,000 “Key” Voters of Color combined.

 

This takes me back to my lessons learned during my first visit to Atlanta.  That experience helped me to understand how important it is for everyone— Whites, Latinos, African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans—to work within an all-inclusive cooperative environment. 2012 is a critical moment for our nation as we remain committed to ensuring that our democracy leaves no one behind. Organizations and institutions within our communities must embrace a diverse and energetic approach to political enfranchisement. That’s popping the clutch.

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Kirk Clay is Senior Advisor at PowerPAC