Racial Cooperation in Election 2012 and Beyond:The Multiracial Face of the Democratic Party

By: Edward Wyckoff Williams

Posted: November 13, 2012 at 12:52 AM

A major takeaway from Obama's win is how people of all races formed a coalition to re-elect him decisively.

(The Root) -- For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. And so today it seems almost serendipitous that the xenophobic campaign employed to undermine and delegitimize President Obama laid the very seeds of the GOP's electoral demise on Nov. 6, 2012.
Obama's Electoral College victory of 332 to 206 was achieved because of the disproportionate support he received from Asian Americans, African Americans and Latinos. Much of the postelection analysis has claimed that these results could have been read in the tea leaves of the 2010 census. But Obama's rainbow coalition wasn't just about numbers and demographic shifts -- his success reflects changing attitudes about racial identity, social cohesion and a growing cooperation among minority communities.
Obama's strong showing of 93 percent among African Americans was all but guaranteed, but the true game changer came with winning 73 percent of the Asian-American vote and 71 percent of the Latino vote. Asians in particular, who tend to be a wealthier, more educated minority population, have remained an elusive swing-voter bloc for decades. Bill Clinton received only 31 percent of their vote in 1992, and Al Gore won 54 percent in 2000. Their decisive support of President Obama might have a lot to do with immigration policy and Republican rhetoric.
Despite the immigration debates being so heavily focused on Latinos, Asians actually outpace Hispanics in population growth, jumping from 11.9 million in the U.S. in 2000 to 17.3 million in 2010 -- a 46 percent increase -- and two-thirds of Asian Americans are foreign-born. They have settled in key swing states like Arizona, Virginia and Nevada (where they outnumber the much-touted Mormon population).
This is the demographic reality in which Republicans waged a culture war demonizing China, the largest of all Asian countries, and framing Obama's Kenyan heritage as inherently problematic. It seems that the GOP made a terrible error: assuming that only black Americans would hear their coded denigrations that the president needed to "learn how to be an American." Perhaps they assumed that Latinos and Asians wouldn't take offense at the Birther calls for Obama to "show his birth certificate" or the "pernicious narrative" that blacks and Latinos are "dependent on government."
Asian Americans can hail from Korea, Vietnam, China, the Philippines or South Asian nations like Pakistan, India and beyond. Latinos share an equally diverse heritage, from the Caribbean to Mexico and throughout Central and South America. But their journey to the United States is in no way different from that of European immigrants who flooded the halls of Ellis Island in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
And herein lies the tone deafness of GOP xenophobic dogma. In the same way that African-American voters were galvanized by restrictive voter-ID laws that reminded them of poll taxes, water hoses and men in white sheets, Asians and Latinos heard the dog whistles and responded in kind.

So much of my work has focused on exposing subversive Republican tactics and Jim Crow-style politics: educating potential voters about America's long, dark history and how racially divisive strategies still work with key demographics -- namely some white voters. My fear was that Mitt Romney and those committed to "taking back our country" would successfully steal the presidential election -- by suppressing votes, exploiting racial animus and, perhaps, even rigging voter machines and discarding legitimate ballots.
But my fears appear to have been overrated and overindulged. It was difficult to hear and see through the smoke screens of the Republican Party's race-based war on Barack Obama. I, too, had become convinced of the enemy behind the imaginary Maginot Line: not the anti-colonialist, radical-socialist invention of Dinesh D'Souza and Newt Gingrich, but the angry white man who worships at the altar of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.
Thankfully, it was all a mirage, and the rainbow coalition did not discriminate: Obama's showing among blue-collar whites in the Rust Belt was strong, despite Romney's lead among white voters nationally. And 56 percent of all Obama voters were white.
This is key, and has real consequences for how we should now see our body politic. No longer can politicians, pundits or partisan operatives lazily assume that the American electorate is so black and white. Beige and brown have become the order of the day, and even white voters can see through the dated race-baiting intended to manipulate them.
Of course, Obama's success required hard work and strategy as well. The president's Chicago team brilliantly employed a well-organized ground game of volunteers alongside a sophisticated system of analytics. It allowed them to micro-target everyone from blue-collar whites in Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa; African Americans and independents from Denver to Portland, Ore.; and young Cuban Americans and Puerto Ricans in Miami-Dade, Fla. This reflects the new face of an increasingly diverse electorate.
In the wake of defeat, Republicans are now touting a need to adjust their outreach and messaging -- especially to Latino voters -- but what is actually needed is a full repudiation of the racist, xenophobic elements within the GOP. It has been tolerated for far too long, and window-dressing the problem with a Herman Cain or Marco Rubio won't solve the problem.
If Asians, Latinos and African Americans continue to find common ground -- both in social policy and in social identity -- the Republican Party may well find itself marginalized and beholden to a dying demographic. And as Arizona and Texas, with their wealth of electoral votes, become increasingly diverse, that fate seems all but certain.

Reasons for Obama's 2012 Win: 8 People and Things

Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Reasons for Obama's 2012 Win: 8 People and Things

Americans are particular about what kind of rich people they will vote for, drawing the line at those who seem to make their money at the expense of other Americans.

From voter-ID backlash to Hurricane Sandy, here's what made the difference on Nov. 6.

(The Root) -- After nearly two years of campaigning, billions of dollar spent and thousands of hours of TV ads, the 2012 presidential election came down to just one night and nine swing states. But what, ultimately, made the difference between who won and who lost? Below is a look at the eight people and things most responsible for giving Barack Obama a second term in office.
1. First Lady Michelle Obama
Her bumpy introduction [7] to the American people on the campaign trail four years ago is a distant memory now. She has spent much of her husband's first term being much more popular [8]than he -- or anyone else in politics -- is. Her speech at the Democratic National Convention, which was considered one of the week's best (even better than the commander in chief's), confirmed what the president said in his victory speech [9] on election night: that just as he fell in love with her 20 years ago, America has fallen in love with Michelle Obama, too.
2. Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, aka the Republican Rape Jokers
If there are two people to whom Democrats should send the world's biggest thank-you bouquets, they are Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin and Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, because if it weren't for these two geniuses, the GOP would likely control the Senate [10] next year. When asked for his opinion on whether abortion should be allowed for rape survivors, Akin replied, "If it's a legitimate rape, [11] the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
Akin had been leading his opponent, Sen. Claire McCaskill, in a race that many expected Republicans to win. Akin's comments, however, received national attention and ended up hurting not only his campaign but also the campaigns of many Republicans running this year, including presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Romney's newly selected running mate, Paul Ryan, was asked to weigh in, and while he and Romney disagreed with the offensive delivery of Akin's remarks, the controversy cast a spotlight on the fact that Ryan opposed abortion, even in the case of rape and incest [12], the same position held by Akin [13].
Months later, after the Romney campaign had finally begun to close the gap with female voters [14] (thanks in large part to his performance in the first presidential debate), Mourdock said in an Indiana Senate debate, "And I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen." Within days he began to free-fall in the polls, taking Romney's newfound momentum with him.
Romney had the misfortune to have recently endorsed and filmed an ad for Mourdock. Though he denounced the remarks, Romney declined to pull the campaign ad, a move that he may now be rethinking as he reflects on his loss, particularly since President Obama won the election in part because of a double-digit advantage [15] with female voters.
3. Brown Voters 
In an interview with The Root, [16] Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) expressed concern over strict voter-identification laws, spearheaded primarily by Republicans after President Obama's historic 2008 win, which was powered by a coalition of nearly 5 million new voters of color [17]. He worried that the laws could jeopardize President Obama's re-election if they resulted in a decrease of 2 to 5 percent of the black vote. He needn't have worried.

---

Despite fears among progressives that President Obama's supporters would be less enthusiastic this election, black voters made up 13 percent of the electorate, just as they did four years ago, and more than 90 percent [18]of them supported President Obama. Pre-election analysis [19]had speculated that without record African-American support, the president would be unable to carry the state of Virginia. He did carry it.
Latino voters also significantly increased their share of the electorate, from 6 percent in 2000 to 10 percent [20] this time. They, too, overwhelmingly supported President Obama.
4. Voter-ID Laws
As mentioned above, there were fears among progressive activists and Democratic leaders that voter-identification laws could have a chilling effect on the electorate this election cycle. Apparently it did -- just not the impact that some voter-ID proponents may have hoped for. Bucking conventional wisdom that they would be less enthusiastic this election than last, black voters increased their turnout this election cycle over 2008 in the swing states Ohio, Florida and North Carolina [21]. Their turnout was so impressive -- and surprising -- that it led Republican mastermind Karl Rove to cry that it was the Obama campaign that actually engaged in voter-suppression [22] efforts this election through negative campaign ads about Romney. No, that is not a joke.
5. James Carter IV
Some of you may have just scratched your heads, asking "Who?" while others may have just said, "That name sounds familiar." It should. James Carter IV is the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter. Thanks to this election, Carter IV has now secured his own place in presidential history. Working for the publication Mother Jones, Carter IV did something that no Democratic operative working for President Obama or the Democratic National Committee had been able to: He saw footage of Mitt Romney on tape saying what he really thinks about poor people, andconvinced the owner to let the magazine run the video [23]. Carter unearthed the footage of Romney speaking about the "47 percent" [24] at a private fundraiser through good, old-fashioned digging. It became one of the defining moments of the presidential campaign.
6. Bain Capital
Americans don't mind voting for rich people. Just ask the Kennedys, the Bushes and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. But apparently, Americans are particular about what kind of rich people they will vote for, drawing the line at those who seem to make their money at the expense of other Americans.
That was the perception that many voters had of Romney's tenure at Bain Capital. A recent Washington Post [25] article on how the president ultimately won highlighted how devastating the Obama campaign's early attacks on Romney's record at Bain Capital proved to be for the GOP. Those attacks created a gap with working-class voters -- many of whom had more in common with some of the workers laid off during Romney's successful Bain Capital run than they did with Romney himself.
7. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
The idea of putting the governor on this list would have been laughable just a few short months ago. The man who said of President Obama at the Republican National Convention [26], "You see, Mr. President, real leaders do not follow polls. Real leaders change polls," was an unlikely candidate  to help salvage the president's struggling campaign.
But when Christie said in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy [27], "I have to say, the administration, the president  himself and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate have been outstanding with us so far. We have a great partnership with them," he helped solidify the president's image as a leader who is willing to work in a bipartisan fashion, something particularly appealing to independent voters. Clearly, the weight of Christie's praise was not lost on Republicans, who criticized the governor's comments and his literal (as well as symbolic) embrace of the president.

---

8. Hurricane Sandy
No one predicted that just before Election Day, a heretofore-unknown name would end up affecting the outcome of the election, but apparently a hurricane-turned-superstorm by the name of Sandy did just that. A number of disappointed Republicans [28]blamed the storm for Romney's defeat, and according to exit polls, they had good reason to.
According to Fox News, 4 out of 10 voters [29] based their vote in part on the government response to Hurricane Sandy, and those voters overwhelmingly supported the president. His response drew praise from Christie and secured the endorsement of Republican-turned-independent Mayor Bloomberg. It probably didn't help matters that  during a presidential-primary debate, Romney had hinted at eliminating the disaster-relief Federal Emergency Management Agency [30].

President Obama’s full victory speech - The Washington Post

President Obama’s full victory speech - The Washington Post

Text of Barack Obama's Speech After Re-Election

ABC OTUS News – 21 hrs ago

President Barack Obama's speech in Chicago after his re-election Tuesday night, as transcribed by Roll Call:

———

Thank you so much.

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.

It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.

I want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time. By the way, we have to fix that. Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone, whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.

I just spoke with Gov. Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight. In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Gov. Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.

I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America's happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.

And I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation's first lady. Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you're growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom. And I'm so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now one dog's probably enough.

To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics. The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning. But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley. You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything that you've done and all the incredible work that you put in.

I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you'll discover something else.

You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who's working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. You'll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. You'll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who's working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.

That's why we do this. That's what politics can be. That's why elections matter. It's not small, it's big. It's important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.

That won't change after tonight, and it shouldn't. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.

But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America's future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers. A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.

We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. We want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this — this world has ever known. But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being.

We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag. To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner. To the furniture worker's child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president — that's the future we hope for. That's the vision we share. That's where we need to go — forward. That's where we need to go.

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It's not always a straight line. It's not always a smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won't end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is where we must begin.

Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over. And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you've made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.

Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We've got more work to do.

But that doesn't mean your work is done. The role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote. America's never been about what can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That's the principle we were founded on.

This country has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that's not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great.

I am hopeful tonight because I've seen the spirit at work in America. I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I've seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.

I've seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm. And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.

I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own. And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That's who we are. That's the country I'm so proud to lead as your president.

And tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.

I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.

America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you're willing to try.

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.

And together with your help and God's grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States.

COMMENTARY: Job Well Done, Mr. President | Black America Web

Michael CottmanSenior Writer, Blackamericaweb.com

COMMENTARY: Job Well Done, Mr. President

CHICAGO – In the final days leading up to Election Day, a friend told me that God wasn’t finished with President Barack Obama because he has four more years of important work to do on behalf of the American people.

I believe she was right. And I also believe that many African Americans feel the same way.

And it's no coincidence that  “Barack” means “Blessed One.”

Millions of Americans – a determined multi-cultural coalition – returned Obama to the White House for a second term Tuesday and embraced Obama’s message of hope and resilience in the face of economic adversity.

“Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come,” Obama told 10,000 supporters at McCormick Place Convention Center in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.

Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney decisively with 303 electoral votes, compared to 206 for Romney. Obama also won the popular vote in a race where Republicans tried to define Obama as a poor fiscal manager. In fact, Obama beat the odds: He is the first president in decades to win the White House when the unemployment rate is over 7.2 percent.

But Tuesday’s victory for Obama was a phenomenal accomplishment for an African American to win two presidential elections in a deeply divided nation.

Obama, in an impressive triumph, won at least six battleground states.

“Whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you. I have learned from you. And you’ve made me a better president,” Obama said. “And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.”

The president won key battleground states including Colorado, Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. And he won these states – and others – with strong support from African Americans, Latinos, whites, young voters and women who stood in extremely long lines to cast their ballots.

And they also took advantage of early voting, following Obama’s lead when, last week, Obama became the first president in history to vote before Election Day.

Tuesday’s victory for Obama was not just about an election, it was a continuation of a social movement that started during his historic election in 2008.

It’s a movement of optimism that continues with people like an African American doorman of a Chicago hotel who said he’s motivated to work harder because of Obama’s encouragement; or the black woman serving sandwiches in local a deli who said her son is turning his life around because of the president’s leadership; and the Arab cab driver who said Obama was an inspiration to people a world away.

"We are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation," Obama told the crowd. "The best is yet to come."

A year ago, Jim Messina, the Obama campaign manager, told me that Obama would win re-election in large part because of a solid grass-roots ground game that Democrats put in place all across the country.

It was a ground game that buried Romney.

“I pray the president will be successful in guiding our nation,” Romney said in an early-morning concession speech. “And I trust that his intellect and his hard work and his commitment to principle will continue to contribute to the good of our nation.”

For Obama, his decades-long superstition of playing basketball on Election Day continued Tuesday -- and it worked. But superstition aside, many black Americans believe Obama’s resounding victory over Romney was in some way a result of divine intervention.

“While our journey has been long,” Obama told a cheering crowd, “we have picked ourselves up.”

Obama is starting his second term in the White House the way he ended his 17-month campaign: with a passionate directive of hope.

And “God’s grace.”