The Democratic National Committee today debuted its latest attempt to court black voters for the midterm elections, this one a radio spot featuring President Obama. Titled “Vote,” the ad sticks tightly to what’s become the main Democratic talking point in the lead-up to Nov. 2: If the Democrats don’t win and keep both houses, the Republican victors will dismantle all the hard work of the past 20-plus months.
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Following a short clip from Obama’s recent speech at the University of Wisconsin-Madison—“We cannot sit this one out”—the bulk of the 60-second ad features the president acknowledging national frustration before slamming the GOP.
“I know so many across the country are hurting, and think change isn’t happening fast enough,” he says. “That’s why we’ve fought so hard to repair the economic mess we were handed, to begin putting people back to work. … But now, that’s all at stake. The same Republicans who’ve fought against change are pushing the same plan that crashed our economy—tax cuts for millionaires, deep cuts to education, repealing health care reform.”
Though the ad speaks to a dissatisfaction that cuts across racial barriers, it’s being targeted to African Americans via nationally syndicated black radio shows, including those of Tom Joyner, Steve Harvey, Coco Brother and Al Sharpton.
The DNC has allocated $50 million for its Vote 2010 campaign, and a new study shows that black voter turnout could have a significant impact on the midterm elections—that is, if the DNC can disprove pollsters who think African Americans will stay home in droves on Election Day.
Cord Jefferson is a staff writer at The Root. Follow him on Twitter.
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