(NNPA)—After the “Tuesday Evening Massacre” of the Elephants over the Donkeys, in January 2009, I wrote an article that warned about our being complacent and resting on the mere fact that we had elected a Black president. I suggested that we should get busy right away doing the commensurate work it would surely take for us to get something more for our votes than just a good feeling about “making history.” Obviously, we failed in that regard, and now we are crying about the massacre that took place on Nov. 4.
As far back as 2006, I have warned against our complacency and settling for an emotional victory rather than a substantive victory. Now, we have very little, if anything, to show for our record turnout of 2008 and 2012. And that’s because we failed to act appropriately on the morning after those elections.
My article, “When Elephants and Donkeys Fight,” was based on an African proverb: “When elephants fight, the grass suffers.” November 4 was a graphic illustration of that reality for us, the grassroots. And for the next two years the elephants and donkeys will continue to fight and we will continue to suffer. Why? Because we have no clout with either party, we have no say-so about what happens to us.
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