Who are you voting for?
When this question is asked around the Florida A&M University campus you will hear a resounding roar in support of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. But why? Can students honestly justify why they are so aligned with the Kerry campaign?
Many say it’s a choice for the lesser of two evils, some say it’s because Kerry acknowledges the black vote, others say they just know they can’t do another four years with George W. Bush. No one seems to be able to explain how Kerry will honestly improve America for blacks.
Stern democratic supporters boasts that Kerry attended the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Convention and Bush didn’t. They bring forth disturbing statistics about how black America has declined during the reign of the Bush administration. According to the Media Fund:
The unemployment rate for blacks has increased almost 11 percent.
The number of blacks living in poverty has increased by 1.1 million.
Fifteen percent of black children in America have no health insurance.
While it’s hard to disagree that the quality of life for black America is decreasing and will continue to decrease under the Bush administration, it’s also hard to pinpoint a leader who can make things better.
Kerry claims he can and will. He says he cares about black people. But people will say a lot of things to get your vote.
Up to this point, the presidential campaigns have been almost completely consumed with candidate bashing. Bush talks about how Kerry has switched his stance on the Iraqi war numerous times. Kerry talks about Bush’s lack of intelligence and his inability to lead.
Both have valid points, but how does any of this help black voters decide who to vote for? The answer is, it doesn’t. It only shows us that the candidates can avoid the issues at hand. The debates haven’t even been great fact presenters either. Although Wednesday’s debate on domestic policy was supposed to be a chance for voters to hear about the issues.
At this point, it’s clear that President Bush is not the best choice for America’s president. He was never elected in the first place, yet through creating a war and acquiring some of the greatest public relations professionals and speechwriters, he’s gained support from more than half of the country. And that’s sad.
It’s hard to say where this nation is headed. We have a president leading our country who didn’t win the popular vote, but still took office.
We have a leader who would be lost without his speechwriter and appears to lack the necessary intelligence to lead a nation.
But on the other hand, we have a dry democratic candidate who can’t make up his mind on the war and has failed to take a stance on many domestic issues.
Who do we choose?
It’s hard to say either is a good choice for the presidency.
Elizabeth Broadway is a senior newspaper journalism student from Atlanta. She is editor in chief of The Famuan. Contact her at thefamuaneditor@hotmail.com.