White House: 'Every Vote Counts'

As we enter the home stretch of midterm elections, every vote counts and there is a clear choice in this election, according to White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett (pictured left).

Jarrett made it very clear that if we do not support the candidates that support President Barack Obama and the presidential agenda, then progress will cease because the Republicans have made it clear that their job is to stop the progression of the presidential agenda.

Now that Democrats have begun to aggressively campaign, with the President and First Lady Michelle Obama both making rounds, there seems to be a lot of energy and excitement on the ground that will hopefully translate into votes.

For example, when the First Lady went to cast her early vote in Chicago, an outpouring of people headed to the polls to cast early votes as well. Who can say that any of those individuals would have taken the time to vote had the First Lady not stopped in Chicago?

Democrats are proposing progress and promising change, but what does this mean to black voters?

Jarrett focused on three main areas of policy: education, affordable health care and financial reform. These are critical to moving this country forward and the progress is contingent on favorable conditions for the President to advance his agenda.

In regards to education, the administration continues to focus on community colleges because hours are flexible, allowing people to attend school and work and receive job retraining. By redesigning the curriculum around jobs of the future, there is also an emphasis on providing internship programs to get young people excited about their career possibilities. The President has made public education a signature issue because young people need to be able to compete in a global economy.

Health care is supposed to be accessible to everyone, but somewhere along the way, it became profit-driven at the expense of employers and American citizens. Only time will tell how health care reform will act to benefit us all, but Republicans might have their eyes set on repealing the act and the changes that have affected the health care industry already.

According to the White House, there has been nine months of steady private sector job growth in the United States. While this growth may not alleviate all of the unemployment woes that we are feeling, we have to remember that this economic crisis did not happen on President Obama's watch.

Republicans openly opposed the Recovery Act and tax cuts.

Had the President not moved forward with the Recovery Act, the unemployment rate would be worse for our community. Credit policies have been reformed to assist people understand credit cards and mortgages, which benefits the black community since we were taken advantage of by subprime lenders and have been adversely affected by the foreclosure crisis in the housing market.

While the President's name is not on the ballot, his long-term vision and policies are.

The ideas that he proposes are not quick fixes to our problems and expecting overnight solutions is naïve.

As a voter, only now am I beginning to realize the sheer importance of my vote. Voting in the midterm elections is more important than voting in the Presidential elections, because midterm elections typically have less voter turnout due to a general ignorance about how our political system works.

In order for the agenda of President Obama to advance, he needs like-minded individuals in Congress with him so that Congress can effectively translate his policies into legislation. My concern is that even as Democrats currently control the House and Senate, there is still bitter political infighting and posturing against the Presidential agenda.

Congress needs balance and compromise in order to function efficiently, and efficiency is something Washington has not seen for some time.

The black community is being battered by the effects of the recession, resulting in unemployment rates two to three times that of the national average. As a community, we have concerns and we need advocates who are willing to represent our best interests.

Both Democrats and Republicans know that the black vote is strong when we vote.

With Election Day looming, who are we to believe in this last push for votes? I'm not going to tell you who you should vote for, but one thing is clear: our voting presence is vital to our well-being in this country. We cannot expect lawmakers to take us seriously if can't show up to the polls and make our voices heard.

Our predecessors worked too hard for us not to take advantage and participate in the political process, so get your wife, get your kids and go vote!