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Tonya
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 3452
Registered: 07-2006
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Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 20, 2006 - 05:55 pm: | 
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Tina Johnson-Marcel: Vote for ideals, not skin color
Tina Johnson-Marcel, The Examiner
Oct 17, 2006 5:00 AM (3 days ago)
Current rank: # 3,862 of 5,456 articles
BALTIMORE - Two black men vying for the chance to become only the sixth black senator in U.S. history. One Democrat. One Republican.
It would have been something.
But Kweisi Mfume lost the Democratic primary, so Michael Steele faces Ben Cardin in November.
After the election, Mfume said Cardin would make “a fine senator” and promised to support him.
That should have been that.
But black Republican groups asked Mfume and other black voters to support Steele.
They wanted Mfume — a staunch Democrat who was no doubt eager to take on Steele in November — to endorse Steele simply because they’re both black?
Since he began his campaign, Mfume repeatedly said Steele wasn’t the right man to represent Maryland. So why should he have taken that all back just so a black man, any black man, could be elected to the Senate?
Mfume decided to stay true to his party, ideals and his word by endorsing Cardin, as he should have.
If I ran on a platform that guarantees employees can take a day off every week to get ready to watch Project Runway, free health care for people addicted to coffee, an annual shoe budget of $10,000 for women with children, and a personal valet for life who looks like Brad Pitt (or LL Cool J, take your pick), should all black people, regardless of ideology, vote for me? Just to get a black person in office?
That’s ridiculous.
African-Americans do not all have rhythm, can’t recite the words to every hip-hop song on the radio and do not eat fried pork chop sandwiches on white bread with hot sauce and mayonnaise. Seriously.
This “just because he’s black” mentality will become the undoing of everything black politicians have worked so hard to achieve.
Black Republicans, especially, have struggled for decades to receive parity with their white counterparts. And black voters have fought — still are, really — to be recognized as constituents to be reckoned with. So what are we doing?
I love it that the very party that often de-emphasizes the need for affirmative action is playing that card in this election.
Steele himself has had to deal with his race overshadowing his accomplishments.
The lieutenant governor has been called a sell-out for being a Republican, but embracing this type of phoniness just for a vote would be the ultimate in selling out.
Imagine this scenario: “I didn’t win the nomination and I’m not backing Bush, even though I said I would,” says Sen. John McCain. “I’ve decided to endorse John Kerry because we Vietnam vets have to stick together, ya know. All you other vets who were going to vote for Bush, switch your vote to Kerry, just ‘cause, uh, he served.”
Really?
That’s not the way this thing of ours called politics works. Does it happen? Of course. But it doesn’t have to.
Indeed, many black people are growing weary of the Democratic Party’s assumption that the black vote is “in the bag” for them.
And I’m sure some Mfume supporters are disappointed their guy didn’t make it and felt the Democrats didn’t do enough to support him.
Can people change their minds during the campaign season? Absolutely. Do people vote across party lines? All the time. There’s nothing wrong that.
About 29 percent of Maryland’s population is African-American. That’s a very diverse group of people. I beseech the state GOP not to do what they’re accusing the Democrats of doing — taking black voters for granted.
And to the voters: Make them earn your vote. Do not turn this process into a joke. If Steele’s stand on the issues speaks to you, go for it. But not just because the guy is black.
Because if that’s all it takes, then let me get started on my campaign colors right now.
Tina Johnson-Marcel is a freelance writer living in Glen Burnie. She can be reached at tjohnsonmarcel@yahoo.com Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/printa-347407~Tina_Johnson-Marcel:_Vote_for_ideals,_not_ skin_color.html |
Tonya
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 3455
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 20, 2006 - 06:28 pm: |
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Oops, my bad, that came out all wrong. Here's the "printer friendly" version:
BALTIMORE - Two black men vying for the chance to become only the sixth black senator in U.S. history. One Democrat. One Republican.
It would have been something.
But Kweisi Mfume lost the Democratic primary, so Michael Steele faces Ben Cardin in November.
After the election, Mfume said Cardin would make “a fine senator” and promised to support him.
That should have been that.
But black Republican groups asked Mfume and other black voters to support Steele.
They wanted Mfume — a staunch Democrat who was no doubt eager to take on Steele in November — to endorse Steele simply because they’re both black?
Since he began his campaign, Mfume repeatedly said Steele wasn’t the right man to represent Maryland. So why should he have taken that all back just so a black man, any black man, could be elected to the Senate?
Mfume decided to stay true to his party, ideals and his word by endorsing Cardin, as he should have.
If I ran on a platform that guarantees employees can take a day off every week to get ready to watch Project Runway, free health care for people addicted to coffee, an annual shoe budget of $10,000 for women with children, and a personal valet for life who looks like Brad Pitt (or LL Cool J, take your pick), should all black people, regardless of ideology, vote for me? Just to get a black person in office?
That’s ridiculous.
African-Americans do not all have rhythm, can’t recite the words to every hip-hop song on the radio and do not eat fried pork chop sandwiches on white bread with hot sauce and mayonnaise. Seriously.
This “just because he’s black” mentality will become the undoing of everything black politicians have worked so hard to achieve.
Black Republicans, especially, have struggled for decades to receive parity with their white counterparts. And black voters have fought — still are, really — to be recognized as constituents to be reckoned with. So what are we doing?
I love it that the very party that often de-emphasizes the need for affirmative action is playing that card in this election.
Steele himself has had to deal with his race overshadowing his accomplishments.
The lieutenant governor has been called a sell-out for being a Republican, but embracing this type of phoniness just for a vote would be the ultimate in selling out.
Imagine this scenario: “I didn’t win the nomination and I’m not backing Bush, even though I said I would,” says Sen. John McCain. “I’ve decided to endorse John Kerry because we Vietnam vets have to stick together, ya know. All you other vets who were going to vote for Bush, switch your vote to Kerry, just ‘cause, uh, he served.”
Really?
That’s not the way this thing of ours called politics works. Does it happen? Of course. But it doesn’t have to.
Indeed, many black people are growing weary of the Democratic Party’s assumption that the black vote is “in the bag” for them.
And I’m sure some Mfume supporters are disappointed their guy didn’t make it and felt the Democrats didn’t do enough to support him.
Can people change their minds during the campaign season? Absolutely. Do people vote across party lines? All the time. There’s nothing wrong that.
About 29 percent of Maryland’s population is African-American. That’s a very diverse group of people. I beseech the state GOP not to do what they’re accusing the Democrats of doing — taking black voters for granted.
And to the voters: Make them earn your vote. Do not turn this process into a joke. If Steele’s stand on the issues speaks to you, go for it. But not just because the guy is black.
Because if that’s all it takes, then let me get started on my campaign colors right now. |
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