I remember the 2004 election cycle. Two things stuck out to me at the time. The first was how black elected officials all lined up behind individuals candidates (except Al Sharpton), seemingly without negotiating what these candidates would do for Black America, if elected. Then, like good Democrats, many of us stood in line for hours to vote for a guy who, despite the possibility that some shady business went down in Ohio, packed it in without a fight, even though his campaign had said it would just 12 hours prior to the concession.

So, I have to ask, what are we demanding for our support?

Fast forward 2 years, and on the cusp of what some would call an even more important election, I read this:

African-American voters could decide whether Democrats win or Republicans keep control of the House of Representatives and Senate on Nov. 7, and Democrats are working overtime to ensure that African-Americans turn out to vote.

But for several reasons, that may be harder this year than it has traditionally been.

African-Americans are less loyal to the Democratic Party than in previous decades. Many are disillusioned with voting after feeling shut out in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. And the Republican Party is working aggressively to attract more African-American voters.

So Democrats are pulling out the stops in their courtship of this longtime solid, faithful voting group.

The article goes on to state how this sentiment of disillusionment is driving some black folks to the Republican party while others are declaring themselves independents.

But, as the Democrats stand poised to take back the House and, possibly, the Senate, we’ll find ourselves once again asking, “what’s in it for us?”

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