Saturday, January 08, 2011

Black Politics in Chicago. Different Names, Same Games

Almost every weekend that I can afford it, I take myself out for breakfast. Usually the same breakfast, at the same place. The waiters know me. They say hello and ask me how I am doing even if I am not in their section. Yep, I am a regular. On these little "me time" breaks from my regular insanity, I eat good food (that is bad for me), I drink strong coffee with real cream and I read the paper. If my "me time" falls on a Sunday morning or afternoon, I have a heavy bag from Walgreens, containing a copy of the Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun Times. This past Sunday I opened the Trib, only to see Carol Mosley-Braun standing next to Jesse Jackson and I let out the biggest sigh before I even read the article.

The headline read: "A United Front Backs Braun. African American leaders line up behind mayoral candidate" OMG, just what a drama queen like myself needs to read! So, who are these "leaders" that so graciously backed the Black candidate they think can win? None other than Jesse Jackson, Senator James Meeks and U.S. Representative Danny Davis, the latter two having dropped out of the race for Mayor already.  Leaders, huh? I am going to say this- they are no leaders of mine. I don't vote for them and I am not persuaded by their foolishness in Chicago politics. I read the article anyway. The essence of it was this: these guys decided to get behind one Black candidate to strengthen the chance of that person winning. They did that by having back room deals and deciding what was best for the Black community. Four people deciding what is best for more than 1.6 million Blacks in Chicago? I think not. I certainly do not need those four deciding anything for me.

Let's think about this: all four have less than stellar records in their lives as public officials. Just last month, Meeks said, during an interview, that "only African Americans should be eligible for city contracts set aside for women and minorities." He doesn't think that "women, Asians and Hispanics should be able to use the title of minority." Um... WTF? He tried to clean it up later and say that he didn't think that White women should get city contracts. Wow- damage done and he can't make that shit better.  Meeks has also made enemies in the gay community, by voting against civil unions here in Illinois.

Davis proclaimed that he would "stop overnight deals in the city" if he were elected... I think he meant he would stop overnight deals like the one that he participated in before backing Braun, right? He also said that he was in the race for Mayor 100%. He said that he was "in it to win it" just days before he backed out on New Year's Eve. His credibility is questionable to say the least.

Let's not even review the scandalicious life of Jesse Jackson and his family. While he is on a public crusade to save all the Black people who are wasting away in the ghetto, the Jackson family (who owns a large liquor distributorship) makes money off a vice that consumes and destroys that very same community. He has had several affairs- he does lead by example here as Jr. has been bitten by the cheating bug also. A child out of wedlock, and really no relevancy since the 80s (and that is being generous). Yuck. I am offended by the whole family.

And Braun. What about the lady that these "leaders of the Black community" are backing? She has been entrenched in trouble/scandal since the 90s AND she lost re-election to a no name Republican in 1998.

Here's the deal: the citizens of Chicago do NOT need more scandal in our leadership. Between our last three governors, outrageous taxes and our city being broke, we have enough to deal with. Those four chukleheads don't get to tell me to vote for someone simply because they are Black... you gotta come with something better than that. How about a credible record? How about someone who isn't going to continue the same mistakes of the past administration? Is this really the best that the Black community has to offer? Finally... what is wrong with Braun? Didn't she get the memo that said the first Black, female mayor of Chicago will be me?

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