Why Carol Moseley Braun Should Be The New Consensus Candidate From The Black Community -- If Saving Black Political Seniority and Making New Black Political History Are Factors
Last week on radio station WVON several Black political analysts and journalists and the three leading Black candidates were asked to discuss a scenario that would make one of them the stronger candidate by which the other two could unites around, yet no one actually produced a real scenario to consider, so I am putting forth a scenario where I believe that puts Carol Moseley Braun as the clear front runner that Senator James Meeks and Congressman Danny Davis could unite around. This scenario would save much needed Black political seniority at the State and Federal levels while adding to our political base by a Black winning City Hall.
A Scenario I called "From Harold To Carol," for this will be the first election in over 20 years with no Daley on the ballot and where a Black candidate has the chance to be elected Mayor since Harold Washington, thus my symbolic title "From Harold To Carol." And for women, who are the majority of Chicago'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 "Harold to Carol" is even more symbolic in that Harold DID call on Carol to be his floor leader in The State Legislature, and Harold DID call on Carol to be on his 1987 re-election "DREAM TICKET," and now again its "Harold to Carol."
The Black community fought a long time politically to be in a position to have a Senator Meeks with a Chairmanship and the seniority to push a new City legislative agenda from City Hall, just as Braun was in a position to push the City Education agenda for Harold. No one with Meeks seniority would replace him with the same authority if he were to leave his position so I suggest that our community maintain our Seniority in the State Senate with Meeks. Just this week, it has been proven how important the seniority of Danny Davis and his vote is in Congress with his seniority and member of the most power House Ways and Means Committee, and like Meeks in the state, there is no Black with the same seniority to replace Davis if 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 regain power in 2012. So, it is my suggestion that we maintain our political seniority in Congress with Davis.
Carol Mosley Braun, has NO political office to give up, only a few paid boards that she may give up in order to focus full time on the Mayor's race, but in Braun, as Mayor, we ADD to our political base at the City, state, and federal level with Braun as Mayor backed with the power and seniority of Meeks and Davis to push the Chicago agenda at the State and Federal levels. With this current scenario, 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 is up to educating the people to mobilize, expand their political power base and with Carol Moseley Braun, her candidacy now pl;aces Chicago in the eyes of the world again, poised to make Black, women, and political history again. Now in the background I am hearing the words of a Staples Singers song "LETS DO IT AGAIN" in that the people of Chicago voted and did it before, by making history with Braun as the first Black female elected United States Senator and the people can "do it again" with this same woman poised to put Chicago in the political history books again with her election as next Chicago Mayor - the first women to be elected Mayor since Byrne, and the first Black to be elected since Harold - From "Harold to Carol".
The next major item for a strong winning campaign is money and of course Carol Moseley Braun's campaign can get no stronger financial base of supporters than John Rogers
and Elzie Higginbottom, and her "collective" outreach team has some of the absolute best and brightest in political operations to reach voters across racial, ethnic, women, and grassroots lines. Carol's campaign kicked off with the strong endorsement of Congressman Bobby Rush and last week more Chicago elected official publicly endorsed her, and she won the N'DIGO/WVON Chicago Mayoral poll, and she is about to open even more campaign offices across the city.
Of course there were a few "consensus" candidate selection processes that took place in Chicago's Black community which led to Davis, Meeks, and Braun as the leading candidates from the Black community, and now with the latest discussion on WVON last week among the three on how they could could come to a consensus around one candidate brought a lot of discussion but none of the candidates, leaders or journalists offered a real scenario to actually 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 offering up this political scenario of "Harold To Carol," one that preserves political seniority and adding to our political base. And with the election being held during Black History Month, this may indeed be a motivating factor that could stimulate voter registration, voter education and Getting out the vote in the Black community to make Black and political history again. And today, about 100 women gathered this morning to discuss yet another womens movement to elect Braun as the first women Mayor of Chicago since Jane Byrne. 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, she still won 14 out of 15 elections and in 1998 with the attacks on her, she STILL won the entire City of Chicago with 79.5% of the entire City of Chicago votes.
"Harold To Carol."
Last week on radio station WVON several Black political analysts and journalists and the three leading Black candidates were asked to discuss a scenario that would make one of them the stronger candidate by which the other two could unites around, yet no one actually produced a real scenario to consider, so I am putting forth a scenario where I believe that puts Carol Moseley Braun as the clear front runner that Senator James Meeks and Congressman Danny Davis could unite around. This scenario would save much needed Black political seniority at the State and Federal levels while adding to our political base by a Black winning City Hall.
A Scenario I called "From Harold To Carol," for this will be the first election in over 20 years with no Daley on the ballot and where a Black candidate has the chance to be elected Mayor since Harold Washington, thus my symbolic title "From Harold To Carol." And for women, who are the majority of Chicago'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 "Harold to Carol" is even more symbolic in that Harold DID call on Carol to be his floor leader in The State Legislature, and Harold DID call on Carol to be on his 1987 re-election "DREAM TICKET," and now again its "Harold to Carol."
The Black community fought a long time politically to be in a position to have a Senator Meeks with a Chairmanship and the seniority to push a new City legislative agenda from City Hall, just as Braun was in a position to push the City Education agenda for Harold. No one with Meeks seniority would replace him with the same authority if he were to leave his position so I suggest that our community maintain our Seniority in the State Senate with Meeks. Just this week, it has been proven how important the seniority of Danny Davis and his vote is in Congress with his seniority and member of the most power House Ways and Means Committee, and like Meeks in the state, there is no Black with the same seniority to replace Davis if 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 regain power in 2012. So, it is my suggestion that we maintain our political seniority in Congress with Davis.
Carol Mosley Braun, has NO political office to give up, only a few paid boards that she may give up in order to focus full time on the Mayor's race, but in Braun, as Mayor, we ADD to our political base at the City, state, and federal level with Braun as Mayor backed with the power and seniority of Meeks and Davis to push the Chicago agenda at the State and Federal levels. With this current scenario, 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 is up to educating the people to mobilize, expand their political power base and with Carol Moseley Braun, her candidacy now pl;aces Chicago in the eyes of the world again, poised to make Black, women, and political history again. Now in the background I am hearing the words of a Staples Singers song "LETS DO IT AGAIN" in that the people of Chicago voted and did it before, by making history with Braun as the first Black female elected United States Senator and the people can "do it again" with this same woman poised to put Chicago in the political history books again with her election as next Chicago Mayor - the first women to be elected Mayor since Byrne, and the first Black to be elected since Harold - From "Harold to Carol".
The next major item for a strong winning campaign is money and of course Carol Moseley Braun's campaign can get no stronger financial base of supporters than John Rogers
and Elzie Higginbottom, and her "collective" outreach team has some of the absolute best and brightest in political operations to reach voters across racial, ethnic, women, and grassroots lines. Carol's campaign kicked off with the strong endorsement of Congressman Bobby Rush and last week more Chicago elected official publicly endorsed her, and she won the N'DIGO/WVON Chicago Mayoral poll, and she is about to open even more campaign offices across the city.
Of course there were a few "consensus" candidate selection processes that took place in Chicago's Black community which led to Davis, Meeks, and Braun as the leading candidates from the Black community, and now with the latest discussion on WVON last week among the three on how they could could come to a consensus around one candidate brought a lot of discussion but none of the candidates, leaders or journalists offered a real scenario to actually 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 offering up this political scenario of "Harold To Carol," one that preserves political seniority and adding to our political base. And with the election being held during Black History Month, this may indeed be a motivating factor that could stimulate voter registration, voter education and Getting out the vote in the Black community to make Black and political history again. And today, about 100 women gathered this morning to discuss yet another womens movement to elect Braun as the first women Mayor of Chicago since Jane Byrne. 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, she still won 14 out of 15 elections and in 1998 with the attacks on her, she STILL won the entire City of Chicago with 79.5% of the entire City of Chicago votes.
"Harold To Carol."
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