To say that the 2012 presidential campaign is not nearly as exciting as the 2008 presidential campaign is an enormous understatement. The political process and political landscape is changing on an almost daily basis but most are not aware of it. In tracking the states that have passed voter ID laws, have ongoing or pending voter ID trials or purged voter lists, this presidential campaign should be a wake- up call for all Americans who care about freedoms and democracy. August 6, 2012 marked the 47th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voter Rights Act of 1965 into law. In doing so, he gave a speech where he said, that the right to vote is the basic right by which all others, without it, are meaningless.
And we are fighting today to keep the right to vote and in some instances to restore it.
This is not a time for progressives to openly complain about what President Obama has not done, is not doing or won’t do. It’s not a time to jump ship. It is a time for us to fight even harder than we did in 2008 despite the spirit of apathy that seems pervasive among many of us. And the Democratic convention matters in terms of getting out the voices of the unheard, undervalued and unvalued out. And in many respects, that is most of us.
The Democratic National Convention is an opportunity for those voices to be heard. No, those voices will not be heard at the big carefully scripted speeches on the platform but will be heard by those who dare to report on the other voices. I will be going to the convention to help fight for the soul of our country by reporting on what matters most, the lives of everyday Americans.
Democracy as a form of government is not easy. That’s one huge lesson of President Obama’s first term. But we must fight daily for democracy and the freedoms for particularly which my forefathers lost their lives. The Democratic National Convention matters because it is the time to rouse up a spirit of what’s at stake. And there is plenty at stake in this election from women’s rights to voting rights, health care and let’s not forget the economy.
I am but one voice but reporting on the many voices of the underserved, under represented and undervalued will multiply my one voice. We have one vote, unless you believe the Republicans hoopla and hype about voter fraud. But we can collectively have many voices, if we amplify our individual voices by combining with other voices.
The Democratic National Convention matters because the voices of the underserved, under represented and undervalued must be heard. The other folks attending the GOP convention down in Tampa want to drown out those voices, despite their presumed ploy to have an African American, Latinos and Native Americans speak at their convention.
I am one voice who believes that our collective voices can be empowering. I am The Voice who still believes we can all still make a difference—one voice at a time. Please click on the CNN link below for why I want to go to the Democratic National convention.
CNN- The Voice
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