I attended a Meet-Up of supporters of John Kerry, the current front-runner for the Democratic Presidential nomination. The "Meet-Up" is the new name for organized gatherings of supporters for political candidates, sort of a pep sessions to rally the troops. The Kerry Meet-Up had a full house, standing room only. We met at a trendy Restaurant; they all seem to be held at places like these. I looked around the room and something struck me, there were hardly any minorities in the room. Counting myself, there were three blacks, about four or five Hispanics, and two Asians. In a city that is pretty much one-third black, with about a third Hispanics, as well, it just seemed a little odd.

What does this say about the level of interest that minorities are showing in this election? Are we collectively not feeling any interest in these Democratic Politicians chasing after the Presidential nod from our party? What does this say about the level of outreach that the respective candidates are doing to connect with the minority community? As the crowd discussed ways to bolster support for the Kerry campaign, an effort to organize a Voter Registration drive was put in motion. I marveled at the peppy, Ken & Barbie-like couples that offered themselves up as the leaders of the Voter Registration effort. I wondered if these folks were really going to make an effort to get to the south side and west side communities of the city to register Blacks and Latinos. I somehow just don't think so.

Afterwards, I was telling a friend about the Meet-Up, and my concerns about the lack of minority attendance, and she said, "There really isn't anyone in the race for black folks to get excited about." Is this true? Is it that none of these guys are resonating with the black community? I know that it has become expected that the Democratic Party will always enjoy the political support of most of the black electorate. Some would say that because they, the Democratic Party, can count on our support, that they tend to take for granted our support. This can't be good, not for us as a political force. Many Black people pretty much expect the Republican Party to hold views that are counter to our own. They tend to support issues that are often not in the best interest of the black community. So, more often than not, our political support goes to the lesser of two evils.

Now, many folks of all shades in the rainbow feel that President Bush must go, especially those who are Democrats. And because of this growing frustration with the Bush Administration's domestic policies, foreign policies, environmental policies, etc., many feel that a change needs to happen in Washington, DC. But my question is a simple one, do we really care who leads this charge?

Senator John Kerry is the current White Knight leading the charge. Because Kerry is leading the pack, Democrats are lining up to support him, but I'm not too sure it's really him we support. I think that many Democrats just want Bush out of office so bad, we'd support Ronald McDonald for President, if we thought he could secure enough of the popular vote, and, of course, the Electoral College, lest we forget all that Florida nonsense from 2000. Let's be honest for a moment; do any of these guys light a passion in your heart to run out to the Polls and cast your vote?

I am a life-long Democrat. The first Presidential candidate I voted for was Jimmy Carter, and I've been chasing that old Donkey ever since. As I settle into my 40's I'm starting to wonder if, indeed, being loyal to Democrats is really all it's cracked up to be. There are times that I wonder if we should really expect more from the party than it gives us. In the grand scheme of things, is the Democratic Party doing much more for us than just giving us lip service? Now, don't start thinking that the Republican Party is going to do much of anything for us, they have pretty much written off the black vote. But maybe we should think about stirring up the pot a little. Maybe every now and then we should give some serious consideration to Independent Candidates, people who are not beholding to either political party, but to the people who cast the votes to put them in office.

If mainstream Democratic Candidates truly thought that minorities might support alternative party candidates, they'd work just a little harder to speak to our needs and interests. Like the old saying goes, You never really miss it, until it's gone. Maybe if blacks and Hispanics really started voting for third party candidates, we wouldn't have to feel like no one is really going to do much for us, any way.

At the end of the day, what we really are doing is picking one rich white guy to beat the other rich white guy. And we, as black folks, just hope that the one guy who does win will do a little more for us than the last guy, or at least not do us any more harm. If you're a Democrat, a Republican, or still waiting for Ross Perot to throw his hat in the ring, do your part and vote because every vote counts. []

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*Christopher Vaughn is a career Human Services Professional. He has held positions ranging from Direct Service to Program Administration with the Criminal Justice system in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Chris, an Alumnus of the University of Illinois, is currently working as a Community Advocacy Consultant in Chicago, Illinois.