I wrote most of the diary that follows as a way for people who are not African American or who's not aware of the actual scope of the actions being taken to motivate African Americans. So I thought I'd share it with y'all. So here's what I see going on in my lil 'hood.
So I know historically, Afr Am don’t' really vote in large numbers in midterm elections, but I’m thinking this year may be different, and let me say that I don’t' expect some astronomical numbers come Nov 2, it's just that I only have personal anecdotal evidence that the Dem and particularly President Obama's push for Afr Am to vote this midterms are actually working. Are they working in large enough numbers to avert a tidal wave? I'm not sure. I can only tell you, that in conversations I've had, and listening to local "urban" radio and national "urban" radio, people are listening. It seems to me, that the heaviest part of the strategy revolves heavily around radio interviews and spots...
The DNC and allies (including President Obama, First Lady Michelle, and local and state Democrats) really have increased their presence on "urban" radio. I listen to both my "urban" radio stations/program, and also to the 3 major nationally syndicated radio programs. So what follows is a little bit of a breakdown of what I've been hearing on the radio airwaves. I've also provided links where I could find them, of the interviews and one local write up.
Sept 10, 2010: President Obama calls in for an interview on the Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS is a nationally syndicated radio show that can be found in essentially every market where there is a significant enough Afr Am population. It's pretty true, that you can probably reach more Afr Am voters/listeners/communities going on the TJMS than you can on the internet or TV). A transcript of the interview can be found here:
Sept 10, 2010: President Obama on the TJMS
October 06, 2010: President Obama calls in for an interview on the Michael Baisden Show (MBS is nationally syndicated and can be found in most major urban areas where there is a large or fair enough population of Afr Am, including NYC, Miami, SC, NC, NOLA, Chicago, etc. If you want to get "in touch" with city-dwellers in urban hotspots, MBS is maybe 2nd best to TJMS.
October 13, 2010: Michelle Obama calls into TJMS. Here is a transcript of that interview: Michelle Obama on the TJMS
October 14, 2010: President Obama calls in for an interview on the Steve Harvey Morning Show
October 26, 2010: President Obama does another interview on the TJMS today; he also did an interview on Rev Al Sharpton's "Hour of Power" radio show. Here is a transcript of President Obama's interview on the TJMS: October 26, 2010: President Obama on TJMS
October 27, 2010: President Obama called in this morning. for an interview with the Rickey Smiley Morning Show today. The RSMS is based here in Dallas, but it is also nationally syndicated. Its listeners are heavily populated in the Southern states though. If you want to reach younger people in GA, AL, SC, TX, etc, then the RSMS is the way to go. Here is write-up in the Dallas Morning News: Obama on Dallas Radio
Of all the shows President Obama does, it's the Ricky Smiley Morning Show that is usually heard on the majority of the "hip-hop" stations which of course means they are geared towards the younger urban population, which includes not only Blacks, but some younger Hispanics as well. Here is the audio from RSMS today: President Obama on the Rickey Smiley Show (Audio)
This is only the interviews that I can remember off hand, which does not include the interview with Rep Clyburn, DNC Chair Tim Kaine, Dem Pollsters, congressmen, union organization, etc. This also does not include all the radio ads that I heard beginning with Obama's opening salvo on the TJMS in September. I listen to my local station and the national syndicated programs, and I can honestly say that there is an ad either from the local Dems (Dallas-Fort Worth), the state Dems, or the DNC. Also, everyday not matter what the topic dujour, all these programs I mentioned have allocated segments to GOTV and encouraging people to "don't sit out". One really effective one I've heard, uses clips from Beck, Rush, Hannity, Fixed News, etc and follows the extreme rhetoric with a simple "OUR President needs you".
So, that's what has been going on in my 'hood, and from conversations I've had with other African Americans throughout the country, the same is essentially happening in their neighborhood.