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Russell Simmons Urges the African-American Community to Vote

By Kirsten West Savali on Oct 29th 2010 4:50PM

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Russell Simmons Urges the African-American Community to Vote During Conference Call


During a brief conference call this afternoon, Russell Simmons, founder of Def Jams Records and hip-hop's most visible ambassador and political activist, urged young people not to be "blindsided" by Republican machinations and vote Democratic in the November 2nd midterm election.
In his characteristic blunt manner, he didn't wax poetic about reviving the Kennedy Camelot Years or even the fact that President Barack Obama is our first African-American president; instead, he went for the jugular, insisting that the Republican Party is a threat to our 14th amendment rights.
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The 14th Amendment, which overturned the Dred Scott Decision, in addition to being the determining factor in the Brown v Board of Education case, are cornerstones of African-American progression in the United States. Though neither slavery nor segregation are realistic consequences of voting Republican, the risk of dismantling the foundation of equality being laid by the Obama Administration is very real- and potentially imminent if we do not allow the Democratic party to climb out of the "Bushes."
Clyde Williams, DNC national political director, echoed Mr. Simmons concerns, stating:
"There is a clear line of distinction between good and bad. We cannot sit at home. African-Americans have been the Democratic Party's strongest constituency before Obama was in office. We have to show up like we did in 2008."
Mr. Simmons made it clear that the hip-hop community is engaged and that he doesn't have time to entertain pointless conversations:

"We just need to vote. That's what I'm going to do, that's what we all need to do. Vote. Real talk."
While I can understand some of the frustrations of the progressive base who don't see their agenda reflected in the Obama Administration, our president was never liberal, nor did he profess to be.

He has put in to action the campaign promises of health care, education, and mortgage reform, yet there are some who are still upset. Why? It depends on who you ask. For some, he's not "black" enough, and for others, he's "too black."
Republicans are crafty.

They have leeched on to the feelings of some who feel neglected over Obama's lack of a "black agenda," wormed their way in to the minds of women who are frustrated with his "ambivalent attitude" on the reproductive rights debate, whispered in to our Christian leaders ears that he just may be too tolerant of other religions and redefined his support of business as a lack of support "for the people."

In short, any time he has done anything that actually aligns with a conservative agenda, they call him a hypocrite and plead with the African-American community to kick him out of office.
The GOP rationale is simple: Why send a Democrat to do a Republican's job?
One thing is clear, next Tuesday's election will be a clear indication of the presidential outcome in 2012.

We cannot allow rhetoric to cloud our judgment.

Obama needs all the Democratic support he can get to continue the difficult fights ahead of him as he struggles to build a better America, one we can all be proud of.
Russell Simmons said it best:

"If we lose this election, we lose our children's future."
And that is something we cannot afford to lose.



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