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"It's Time for Independents for Obama"
By Wayne Griffin
April 13 - April 19, 2007
 There are two popular myths about politics in America which it’s time to challenge. One is that all independent voters are white. And the other is that all black people are Democrats. A presidential election is a good moment to set the record straight, particularly since South Carolina is set to play an important role in the 2008 primaries and all voters – including independents – can vote. Setting this record straight is connected to the political fortunes of one particular presidential candidate – Barack Obama.
I’m a fourth generation African American here in the Palmetto state. I started voting independent in the late 1980s. Today, I’m the state chairman of the South Carolina Independence Party, a ballot-qualified party with roots in the Perot movement but which is also part of an overall national effort to bring independent politics to black voters.
Roughly 35% of voting-age African Americans under 30 consider themselves independents, not Democrats. They feel that the political process has become partisan and the Democratic Party has become unresponsive, so being an independent is the only alternative, since the Republicans have never been especially hospitable to black people. (They’re currently flying the confederate flag on statehouse grounds).
There are many signs that a significant portion of black America is looking to break the mold on partisan politics. Right next door, in Augusta, Georgia, a black independent, Helen Blocker-Adams, running for the state assembly garnered 32% of the vote against an incumbent black Democrat in 2006. In 2005, 47% of black voters walked away from the Democratic Party in the New York City mayoral election to back Independent/Republican Mike Bloomberg. And this is not just a “black thing.” Polls show that 40% of all Americans are now independents, and base their votes on the candidate, not the party. The question for us, for the independents, is how to best use the new power that we have to influence the 2008 presidential elections.
Now, you might ask, what does any of this have to do with Barack Obama? I believe that Obama – and his campaign – are both products of the swing towards political independence. Here’s what Senator Obama has to say about the cynicism and partisanship of American politics. He says restoring confidence in the political process is “the most difficult task that confronts us, even harder than dealing with Iraq.” He adds, “We have a sense that special interests and big money set the agenda, so there’s reason for cynicism, but there’s also reason for hope.”
Those words are spoken by independents every day of the week. And, the real hope lies in the fact that so many Americans – black and white – are waking up to the corruption of partisan politics and becoming independents. If we can bring those two things together – the Obama candidacy and the independent movement – to develop a black and independent voter alliance, there is real reason to think we can make serious changes for the good. Barack Obama is the presidential candidate who stands for that new politic. That’s why I’ll be voting for him in the Democratic primary. And that’s why I’m forming South Carolina Independents for Obama. We’ll be mobilizing independents of all hues to vote for Barack Obama in the Democratic primary on January 29, 2008.
A new poll of independent voters in the state over the last three weeks shows Obama to be the most popular presidential candidate with independent voters. But, the pressure is on, particularly in the black community, to back Hillary Clinton. The word out in the churches, for example, is that some ministers (the ones who are supporting Hillary) are unhappy that Obama is even running because, “It’s not his time. It’s Hillary’s time.”
Well, time is a funny thing. As the saying goes, time doesn’t stand still. And neither does the political clock. When the moment for change comes, you’ve got to grab it, or it passes you by. Black people need to provide leadership to a new multiracial mass movement for reform. It’s time for a black and independent alliance. It’s time for progressive change that brings Americans together. It’s time to end the war in Iraq. That means it’s time for South Carolina’s independents to support Barack Obama.
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Wayne Griffin is a longtime independent who was elected to the Greer City Council in 1998. He currently chairs the Independence Party of South Carolina.
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Press Release
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South Carolina Independents for Obama
217 East Stone Ave. Suite 52
Greenville, SC 29609
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2006 |
CONTACT: Wayne Griffin |
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Ph: 864-235-5740 |
South Carolina’s Leading African-American
Independent Pledges Support for Barack Obama
Wayne Griffin to Encourage
“Independents of all Hues” to Vote in
the Democratic Primary for Obama
Greer, SC - Greer City Councilman Wayne Griffin, a long time African American independent and Chair of the Independence Party of South Carolina, announced yesterday his intention to vote in the Democratic Party primary for Barack Obama and to mobilize independents across the state to do the same. South Carolina is one of 26 states where independents can vote in partisan primaries.
“So many Americans are becoming independents these days,” stated Griffin, who was elected to the Council in 1998. “They feel the parties don’t speak for them and they want to make a change in the political climate where partisanship is so powerful.”
Griffin continued, “ I believe that Barack Obama and his campaign are both products of the swing towards political independence. If we can bring those two things together – the Obama candidacy and the independent movement – to develop a black and independent voter alliance, we can make serious changes for the good. Barack Obama is the presidential candidate who stands for that new politic. That’s why I’ll be voting for him in the Democratic primary on January 29, 2008 and mobilizing independents of all hues to join me.”
A poll of independent voters in the state over the last three weeks shows Obama to be the most popular presidential candidate among black and white independents, receiving a favorability rating of 51%, followed by John Edwards with 46% and Hillary Clinton with 43%.
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