Sunday, 14 April 2013

[WardFive] Re: [ward5] Race doesn’t belong in D.C. Council election By Colbert I. King, Friday, April 12, 8:22 PM [ Mara, per to Post’s Craig, urged about 100 people to vote as a bloc]

Mrs. KPW,
 
Somebody tried turn her statement about helping folks who are in need and need housing into a racial comment is typical.  Any Black Person should be automatically empathetic towards people who are in needing positions of life; especially if they are Black People.  The one thing that I did like about Michael Brown is that his legislation and concern was about the population who were in the most need. None of them are "Angels" and all are pimping the game so, the fact that Mrs. Bonds is Expressing her Allegiance and Identifying with her people's needs, I like that.
 
I would like if a White candidate stood up for Needing Whites -- and I don't mean Whites who are in "need" of a Trolley!  Like whites out in areas where Whites are "poor" just like areas where Blacks are "poor". 
 
Great that Michael is not splitting the Black vote and he should come forth and do some campaigning for Mrs. Bonds. Some of these "wanabees" should take note in Ward 5 so that they don't split the vote here as well. 
 
My stance is that in a City that is predominantly Black vs. White, we should have corresponding Black Representatives
 
 -- because we have just as qualified Blacks as we have Whites in this City.  And Whites should insist.  But here is a most basic reason -- our Black children need to see their own SKIN as leaders when they look at our leadership.  It is amazing that People (Black and White) are so angry at Harry Thomas and Kwame Brown when probably many of the White CM's have done the same or similar things and not been punished or penalized-- Regardless if it is from Kids or not.  And I am definitely not condoning wrongdoing on anyone's part.
 
However, Black Kids need to see some Black leadership -- this shouldn't be another South Africa!!  So, just in case that folks want to know, Mendelson is my absolute favorite on the Council and he is as White -- last time I saw him.
 
Rob
 


On Sun, Apr 14, 2013 at 12:18 PM, KPW <WKPW3@aol.com> wrote:
 

It sounds like Mara got caught with his statement like Romney with the 47%.  Who would be splitting the vote in this Chevy Chase area that was being addressed?  Was he talking to a group of Republicans?  Everybody is reform-minded, but what does that mean?




Patrick Mara
At-Large D.C. Council candidate Patrick Mara this month at Ballou High School. (Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)
Today's column on the upcoming special election for an at-large seat on the D.C. Council quoted Republican candidate Patrick Mara as telling the audience at a recent forum in the Chevy Chase neighborhood, "Please don't split the vote."
Before filing the column, I e-mailed Mara's campaign manager, Daniel Hoicowitz, and asked what Mara meant by that remark. Hoicowitz replied via e-mail. Here is his response in full:
Patrick has spoken about this with voters a few times.
In 2012, Mara supported Sekou Biddle in the Democratic Primary. Biddle is a progressive Democrat with a background in education reform. Patrick believes that we need more Council members who focus on education as well as ethical government. Patrick often says, "We can't fix our schools if our government is broken."
In the 2012 Democratic Primary, Biddle and Peter Shapiro were on the ballot. Shapiro is a progressive Democrat who was campaigning on a message of reform. In the same election Vincent Orange was on the ballot. Orange was in the middle of a controversy about his self-described "suspicious money orders" and connections to Jeffrey Thompson.
Orange won that election. Some people speculate that voters who were interested in ethics and education split between Biddle and Shapiro.
As you know, Patrick ran in the 2011 special election. Again, Orange was on the ballot. Voters had several reform-minded candidates to choose from, including Patrick, Sekou Biddle, Bryan Weaver and Joshua Lopez. Patrick came in a close second to Orange..
Again, had voters coalesced around one of the reformers, perhaps Orange would not have won.
So, when you hear Patrick say "Don't split the vote," he is referring to the dynamic that seemed to have played out in 2011 and 2012.
I advised Hoicowitz that I would make sure his view was reflected in my column. I failed to do so, and I apologize to the Mara campaign.



-----Original Message-----
From: Rob <indianrob@gmail.com>
To: ward5 <ward5@yahoogroups.com>; Ward 5 Google Groups <wardfive@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Apr 14, 2013 11:51 am
Subject: Re: [ward5] Race doesn't belong in D.C. Council election By Colbert I. King, Friday, April 12, 8:22 PM [ Mara, per to Post's Craig, urged about 100 people to vote as a bloc]

 
Finally!! Thank you Mrs. KPW for correcting Eric J. You are absolutely right.
 
Furthermore, the Race Card was actually being utilized from Sekou's camp as well.  Because Sekou is Black and his wife is White, they thought that this would garner support on both sides -- this was the angle that was being played out. And you are absolutely Right -- What Record did Sekou have?? I have asked that time and time again -- with no answer.   Isn't he the one who voted for extending the Truancy days to 25 when on the School Board?  But so much is like that "French Model" commercial -- because Eric says so on the internet, we should believe that Sekou is a "French Model" (has a record to run on).
 
And I don't remember Eric discussing the fact the Grosso was banking on the split of the Black vote and Whites voting him into the At-Large position.  Grosso has never done anything that I know of and definitely not been involved in Ward 5 that I am am aware of.  Sure he could be doing stuff elsewhere but not here in Ward 5.  Doesn't make him a bad person or that I have anything against him.  Actually, I am not surprised other than this amazing piece of Jim Crow legislation to give "option" to Charter Schools to give preference to kids in the neighborhood that they are operating.  Perfect way for Wards 1, 2 and 3 to keep parents from other Wards from applying and Black Kids out of their schools.
 
Other than this confusion about the Denver Convention which our folks who attended the Convention probably deserved -- Eric J. should be SINGING ANITA BONDS Name from the top of the Washington Monument about Service, Record, and everything else. But you see, this is how "clear" his vision is -- seeing the imaginary things that Sekou does and missing Anita Bonds Years of Service.
 
Furthermore, the reason that former Mayor Williams and Fenty were called "sell-outs" were their focus was mostly so development friendly and most forgetful of those in need -- who happened to be all Black.  Not much focus on housing for the less fortunate at all.  And then their entire approach to Hiring and approach to the School Privatization / Charter School / selling off of DC's Property.  I don't understand why Eric J wants us to believe that he is a "french model".  
 
Rob Ramson
 
 
    


On Sat, Apr 13, 2013 at 9:36 AM, KPW <WKPW3@aol.com> wrote:
 
By the way, people will look at race until there is equality.  That is human nature, however, even though the race issue is mentioned does not mean that people are racist and won't work for all.  Maybe this election is another teachable moment and not a time to down people because they raised the issue.  People that seem to be making this issue have an agenda or aren't much on the candidates anyway and have another preference.    Some could think that when Ward 3 votes one way and Ward 8 another that race is involved or when one ward holds out when other parts of the ward go another way that race is involved.  Maybe it is perception of what a candidate will do for them.  I'm not going to use discussions of race to color my thoughts on any candidate that I choose, because as a political person, I know that in elections people use whatever they can to shape an election the way they want it to go.  


-----Original Message-----
From: KPW <WKPW3@aol.com>
To: ward5 <ward5@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sat, Apr 13, 2013 9:19 am
Subject: Re: [ward5] Race doesn't belong in D.C. Council election By Colbert I. King, Friday, April 12, 8:22 PM [ Mara, per to Post's Craig, urged about 100 people to vote as a bloc]

 
If Biddle hadn't run against Vincent Orange who was a former councilmember and almost like an incumbent, he would have been supported.  I don't know what the color of his wife has to do with it.  People were ready to support Don Peebles for mayor and he has a white wife.  I don't recall anyone on this listserv making an issue of his wife.  I don't see where he had all those qualifications either.  In a field of candidates there is one candidate deemed the best of the lot and/or the right person at that time.  That was Orange and not Biddle in my opinion.  I knew Orange a long and time and the work he had done so there was not contest.  That was nothing to do with race.  It is a matter of perception.  There was a racial divide in that election exacerbated by the media.

It depends on how you interpret the wording and the context as to whether the race card is being played.  Just know that it is not just Black folks that play the race card.



Colbert King has discussed prominently three candidates in this article:  Bonds, Mara, and Silverman.  I wonder if he has narrowed down the race to those three.

Anyway, I want the candidates to address jobs, economic opportunities, affordable housing, transportation, and education.

I'm moving beyond race.  As the article stated, Bonds and Mara can run on their own without any discussion of race.  May the best person at this time win and we will look at our decision again in the 2014 election to see if we were right.


-----Original Message-----
From: Eric J. Jones <ejjones.threed@gmail.com>
To: ward5 <ward5@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sat, Apr 13, 2013 8:59 am
Subject: Re: [ward5] Race doesn't belong in D.C. Council election By Colbert I. King, Friday, April 12, 8:22 PM [ Mara, per to Post's Craig, urged about 100 people to vote as a bloc]

 
KPW
Didn't that represent Sekou as well and you didn't support him. He wasb already there and had a record to run on. He was attacked because of the color of his skin and the race of his wife on this list serve and many downplayed it.
Likewise Mayors Fenty and Williams were attacked and called names such as sellout and others by folks on this list serve.
Now it's ok to play the race card/game because of the candidate who it favors. I'm sorry it was wrong then and now. No different than attacking someone on their religion or sexual orientation/status.
The remaks around this race truly show how sad we are becoming as a community and folks wonder why I haven't run. I don't want to be part of that. Who needs that in their life?
On Apr 12, 2013 11:25 PM, "KPW" <WKPW3@aol.com> wrote:
 
Excerpts from article
Not to be outdone, at-large candidate Patrick Mara, according to The Post's Tim Craig, urged about 100 people in the audience at a recent candidate forum in the Chevy Chase neighborhood to vote as a bloc. "Please don't split the vote," Mara said. Hmm.

...
In this largely Democratic city, Bonds has sat at the top of the Democratic food chain, serving as party chairman. She is not just a fixture in party circles: Bonds has been involved in public service for years, working in the administrations of Marion Barry and Anthony Williams. She has served on the council for months and has a record on which to run.

It's no mistake that her candidacy has won the endorsements of expected mayoral candidates Muriel Bowser, Jack Evans and Tommy Wells, all Democrats. They recognize her potency as a Democratic figure. Without the appeal to race, Bonds is expected to do well at the polls — but not because she is an African American woman.





Race doesn't belong in D.C. Council election

By , Friday, April 12, 8:22 PM

Of all the factors weighing on the April 23 special election for the D.C. Council's at-large seat, a candidate's race should be among the least important. Voters need to know whether a candidate will work hard, keep his or her word and maintain high ethical standards once settled in the John A. Wilson Building. Simply stated, race tells us none of that. And race is no indicator of where a candidate stands on the issues.

If you happen to be among those who care about the racial composition of the council, then race does matter — to you.

The council's racial makeup is, however, a weak reed on which to rely in determining how its members will respond on any given issue. Based on years of council-watching, I am confident that race is not a reliable predictor of how a member will vote.

Council members tend to pair off or team up on social and political issues of mutual interest and based on constituent demands. To be sure, voting patterns and coalitions form around fiscal and taxation issues. Those patterns are defined not by race but by policy preferences and politics.

Still, none of that has stopped some candidates from resorting to both veiled and undisguised racial appeals. Voters got a dose of it this week from Anita Bonds, who was appointed last year to the at-large seat for which she is now campaigning. Speaking on WAMU-FM , Bonds said: " People want to have their leadership reflect who they are . The majority of the District of Columbia is African American. . . . There is a natural tendency to want your own."

Not to be outdone, at-large candidate Patrick Mara, according to The Post's Tim Craig, urged about 100 people in the audience at a recent candidate forum in the Chevy Chase neighborhood to vote as a bloc. "Please don't split the vote," Mara said. Hmm.

Appeals to racial-bloc voting are nearly as old as the Civil War amendments. Yes, they often work. That certainly doesn't mean the best candidate always wins. Sometimes it's just the opposite.

Such appeals are off-putting.

In this largely Democratic city, Bonds has sat at the top of the Democratic food chain, serving as party chairman. She is not just a fixture in party circles: Bonds has been involved in public service for years, working in the administrations of Marion Barry and Anthony Williams. She has served on the council for months and has a record on which to run.

It's no mistake that her candidacy has won the endorsements of expected mayoral candidates Muriel Bowser, Jack Evans and Tommy Wells, all Democrats. They recognize her potency as a Democratic figure. Without the appeal to race, Bonds is expected to do well at the polls — but not because she is an African American woman.

She didn't have to go there.

Neither did Mara. He knows what he needs to win. Mara knows where his voters are, and he knows that he needs to get them to the polls. His Republican affiliation is a tough sell in the District, but his independence and work as an elected school-board member have attracted an array of supporters not usually found on the GOP side. Mara needs an aggressive citywide ground game, not a Ward 3 voting bloc.

A third competitive candidate, Elissa Silverman, is a good example of why race shouldn't matter. Silverman, a Democrat, and Mara have one thing in common: color. Beyond that, the two candidates couldn't be further apart.

Silverman is more issue-oriented and freer from partisan politics than Bonds. And Silverman, a former Post journalist who works for the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, has a deeper understanding of the District's challenges and issues, especially the budget, than does the rest of the field, which includes Democrats Matthew Frumin and Paul Zukerberg and Statehood Green Party candidate Perry Redd.

The April 23 winner doesn't get to represent only the city's heavily black wards or only white voters who live west of Rock Creek Park, on Capitol Hill or in NoMa. The winner is accountable to and will serve the entire city. Candidates who present themselves as anything but inclusive might find themselves excluded.

No early voting for me. Let's see how the candidates close out their campaigns.

A city transforming itself into a thriving urban center can be defeated by identity politics. This contest matters to the District. Race should not.

Read more from Colbert King's archive.



--
R. Ramson
3744 12th Street, N.E.,
Washington D.C., 20017
202-438-5988

"We must become the change we want to see" - Mohandas Gandhi-
(Together, for a Brighter Tomorrow)




 

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--
R. Ramson
3744 12th Street, N.E.,
Washington D.C., 20017
202-438-5988

"We must become the change we want to see" - Mohandas Gandhi-
(Together, for a Brighter Tomorrow)




 

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