My Vote Belongs to the Oppressed
The Democrats don’t have a platform problem. They don’t have a leadership problem. The party is not the problem. The voters are.
It seems that everyone fancies themselves a pundit or strategist worthy of making such claims as, “The Democratic Party needs to find a message that resonates with more working class voters,” and other such high level meta-analysis.
That sort of exercise is fun, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you know shit about shit if you don’t. Here’s what I know:
My vote belongs to the oppressed. I will look to them, and I will follow. I will not demand a perfect candidate, platform, strategy, or message. I will look to the oppressed. When I see 94% of black women voters behind a candidate or party, I will amplify their voices.
Anyone who makes a different choice can count themselves among the oppressors.
I’ll repeat that.
Anyone who makes a different choice can count themselves among the oppressors.
When that many of the historically oppressed are together, that isn’t just a soft preference. That is a message to those of us who lead relatively comfortable lives that this is a matter of life and death. End of story.
I will lend my unequivocal support to even the most boring, uninspiring candidates who understand the importance of protecting the oppressed. Where I find fault with them, I will make a note to lobby them after they win.
We don’t need better leaders. We need to be better voters. There is no perfect leader. There is no perfect platform. There is no perfect strategy.
There is only hard work and the terrible consequences if we refuse to do it. I will save the energy it takes to pretend that I know the perfect leader, platform, or strategy and knstwd commit it to knocking on doors and making phone calls in every election cycle until the oppressed enjoy a life resembling the charmed one I have been blessed to experience.
Make that commitment with me. If you see bad leadership on a large scale, or think you see it, then be a great leader on a small scale.
Whether you choose it or not, it is a fact: Your vote belongs to the oppressed, too. When you abandon them, you become the oppressor. You are no hero for being oh-so-passionate about the precious economic issues that REALLY matter (in your opinion) if you are not working your ass off to affirm the humanity of the oppressed.
If you spend your time convincing yourself and others that only perfection is acceptable, then you. Are. The. Oppressor.
