Yesterday the three leading Black candidates for Chicago Mayor met to discuss the possibility oftheir uniting around one, and while other Black leaders did not publicly respondwith any specific scenario to shape a united front, I am glad that I DIDpublicly offer one and STILL it was the best scenario to ADD to the Blackpolitical base and not lose ANY hard fought Black political seniority at theState and Federallevels.
**************************************************************************************************Why Carol Moseley Braun Should Be The New Consensus Candidate From The Black Community -- IfSaving Black Political Seniority and Making New Black and Women PoliticalHistory Are Factors
Marksallen
One of the first community organizers to work with Barack Obama in Chicago for over 20 years. Now Associate Editorof The South Street Journal Newspaper and 37 year activist/journalist, recentlyselected as 2010 Who's Who In Black Chicago. (Office) 312-624-8351 and (Cell) 773-392-0165
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Why Carol Moseley Braun Should Be The New Consensus Candidate From The Black Community -- If SavingBlack Political Seniority and Making New Black and Women Political History AreFactors
Last week on radio station WVON several Blackpolitical analysts and journalists and the three leading Black candidates wereasked to discuss a scenario that would make one of them the stronger candidateby which the other two could unites around, yet no one actually produced a realscenario to consider, so I am putting forth a scenario where I believe that putsCarol Moseley Braun as the clear front runnerthat Senator James Meeks and Congressman Danny Davis couldunite around. This scenario would save much needed Black political seniority atthe State and Federal levels while adding to our political base by a Blackwinning City Hall.
A Scenario I called "From Harold To Carol," for thiswill be the first election in over 20 years with no Daley on the ballot andwhere a Black candidate has the chance to be elected Mayor since Harold Washington, thus mysymbolic title "From Harold To Carol." And for women, who are the majority ofChicago's registered voters, Carol would make women political history again,with Braun now becoming the first women to be elected Mayor since Jane Byrne. And this "Haroldto Carol" is even more symbolic in that Harold DID call on Carol to be his floor leader in The State Legislature, and HaroldDID call on Carol to be on his 1987 re-election "DREAM TICKET," and now again its "Harold toCarol."
The Black community fought a long time politically to be in aposition to have a Senator Meeks with a Chairmanship and the seniority to push anew City legislative agenda from City Hall, just as Braun was in a position topush the City Education agenda for Harold. No one with Meeks seniority wouldreplace him with the same authority if he were to leave his position so Isuggest that our community maintain our Seniority in the State Senate withMeeks. Just this week, it has been proven how important the seniority of Danny Davis and his vote is in Congress with hisseniority and member of the most power House Ways and Means Committee, and likeMeeks in the state, there is no Black with the same seniority to replace Davisif he would leave his position now with a Republican in line to take his place,just as we are going to be trying to regain his authority if Democrats regainpower in 2012. So, it is my suggestion that we maintain our political seniorityin Congress with Davis.
Carol Mosley Braun, has NO political office to give up, only a few paidboards that she may give up in order to focus full time on the Mayor's race, butin Braun, as Mayor, we ADD to our political base at the City, state, and federallevel with Braun as Mayor backed with the power and seniority of Meeks and Davisto push the Chicago agenda at the State and Federal levels. With this currentscenario, Davis and Meeks could sustain their state and federal power base,unite behind Braun and that unity is the foundation in place, then the rest isup to educating the people to mobilize, expand their political power base and with Carol MoseleyBraun, her candidacy now pl;aces Chicago in the eyes of the world again, poisedto make Black, women, and political history again. Now in the background I amhearing the words of a Staples Singers song "LETS DO IT AGAIN" in that thepeople of Chicago voted and did it before, by making history with Braun as thefirst Black female elected United States Senator and thepeople can "do it again" with this same woman poised to put Chicago in the political history books again with her electionas next Chicago Mayor - the firstwomen to be elected Mayor since Byrne, and the first Black to be elected sinceHarold - From "Harold to Carol".
The next major item for a strong winningcampaign is money and of course Carol Moseley Braun's campaign can get nostronger financial base of supporters than John Rogers
and ElzieHigginbottom, and her "collective" outreach team has some of the absolute bestand brightest in political operations to reach voters across racial, ethnic,women, and grassroots lines. Carol's campaign kicked off with the strongendorsement of Congressman Bobby Rush and last week more Chicago electedofficial publicly endorsed her, and she won the N'DIGO/WVON Chicago Mayoralpoll, and she is about to open even more campaign offices across thecity.
Of course there were a few "consensus" candidate selectionprocesses that took place in Chicago's Black community which led to Davis,Meeks, and Braun as the leading candidates from the Black community, and nowwith the latest discussion on WVON last week among the three on how they couldcould come to a consensus around one candidate brought a lot of discussion butnone of the candidates, leaders or journalists offered a real scenario toactually lead to the decision on one, so as a veteran Black political organizer,journalist, and activist myself, I will take the bold step of actually offeringup this political scenario of "Harold To Carol," one that preserves politicalseniority and adding to our political base. And with the election being heldduring Black History Month, this may indeed be a motivating factor that couldstimulate voter registration, voter education and Getting out the vote in theBlack community to make Black and political history again.
Last week on radio station WVON several Blackpolitical analysts and journalists and the three leading Black candidates wereasked to discuss a scenario that would make one of them the stronger candidateby which the other two could unites around, yet no one actually produced a realscenario to consider, so I am putting forth a scenario where I believe that putsCarol Moseley Braun as the clear front runnerthat Senator James Meeks and Congressman Danny Davis couldunite around. This scenario would save much needed Black political seniority atthe State and Federal levels while adding to our political base by a Blackwinning City Hall.
A Scenario I called "From Harold To Carol," for thiswill be the first election in over 20 years with no Daley on the ballot andwhere a Black candidate has the chance to be elected Mayor since Harold Washington, thus mysymbolic title "From Harold To Carol." And for women, who are the majority ofChicago's registered voters, Carol would make women political history again,with Braun now becoming the first women to be elected Mayor since Jane Byrne. And this "Haroldto Carol" is even more symbolic in that Harold DID call on Carol to be his floor leader in The State Legislature, and HaroldDID call on Carol to be on his 1987 re-election "DREAM TICKET," and now again its "Harold toCarol."
The Black community fought a long time politically to be in aposition to have a Senator Meeks with a Chairmanship and the seniority to push anew City legislative agenda from City Hall, just as Braun was in a position topush the City Education agenda for Harold. No one with Meeks seniority wouldreplace him with the same authority if he were to leave his position so Isuggest that our community maintain our Seniority in the State Senate withMeeks. Just this week, it has been proven how important the seniority of Danny Davis and his vote is in Congress with hisseniority and member of the most power House Ways and Means Committee, and likeMeeks in the state, there is no Black with the same seniority to replace Davisif he would leave his position now with a Republican in line to take his place,just as we are going to be trying to regain his authority if Democrats regainpower in 2012. So, it is my suggestion that we maintain our political seniorityin Congress with Davis.
Carol Mosley Braun, has NO political office to give up, only a few paidboards that she may give up in order to focus full time on the Mayor's race, butin Braun, as Mayor, we ADD to our political base at the City, state, and federallevel with Braun as Mayor backed with the power and seniority of Meeks and Davisto push the Chicago agenda at the State and Federal levels. With this currentscenario, Davis and Meeks could sustain their state and federal power base,unite behind Braun and that unity is the foundation in place, then the rest isup to educating the people to mobilize, expand their political power base and with Carol MoseleyBraun, her candidacy now pl;aces Chicago in the eyes of the world again, poisedto make Black, women, and political history again. Now in the background I amhearing the words of a Staples Singers song "LETS DO IT AGAIN" in that thepeople of Chicago voted and did it before, by making history with Braun as thefirst Black female elected United States Senator and thepeople can "do it again" with this same woman poised to put Chicago in the political history books again with her electionas next Chicago Mayor - the firstwomen to be elected Mayor since Byrne, and the first Black to be elected sinceHarold - From "Harold to Carol".
The next major item for a strong winningcampaign is money and of course Carol Moseley Braun's campaign can get nostronger financial base of supporters than John Rogers
and ElzieHigginbottom, and her "collective" outreach team has some of the absolute bestand brightest in political operations to reach voters across racial, ethnic,women, and grassroots lines. Carol's campaign kicked off with the strongendorsement of Congressman Bobby Rush and last week more Chicago electedofficial publicly endorsed her, and she won the N'DIGO/WVON Chicago Mayoralpoll, and she is about to open even more campaign offices across thecity.
Of course there were a few "consensus" candidate selectionprocesses that took place in Chicago's Black community which led to Davis,Meeks, and Braun as the leading candidates from the Black community, and nowwith the latest discussion on WVON last week among the three on how they couldcould come to a consensus around one candidate brought a lot of discussion butnone of the candidates, leaders or journalists offered a real scenario toactually lead to the decision on one, so as a veteran Black political organizer,journalist, and activist myself, I will take the bold step of actually offeringup this political scenario of "Harold To Carol," one that preserves politicalseniority and adding to our political base. And with the election being heldduring Black History Month, this may indeed be a motivating factor that couldstimulate voter registration, voter education and Getting out the vote in theBlack community to make Black and political history again.
And today, about 100 women gathered this morning to discuss yet another womens movement to electBraun as the first women Mayor of Chicago since JaneByrne. Chicago made history with Braun before and can "do it again with Braun.And "electability" -- even during her last re-election bid she lost in 1998, shestill won 14 out of 15 elections and in 1998 with the attacks on her, she STILLwon the entire City of Chicago with 79.5% of the entire City of Chicago votes.
"Harold To Carol."
"Harold To Carol."
..
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