During the 2011 Cincinnati City Council election season hopeful Democrat candidates tried to spoon feed blacks the tired line – I’m an endorsed Democrat. Apparently they didn’t get the memo floating around black communities, which reads blacks are fed up with the local Democratic Party.
That does not mean blacks in Cincinnati and Hamilton County have stopped drinking the local Democrats Kool-Aid, case in point their support of Democrats in the Cincinnati City Council race. Some just refuse to drink as much of the sugary substance. If they are a Democrat - they are Progressive, if they are not a Democrat - they are Independent, and if they identify themselves as a Democrat - they don’t vote the straight Democrat ticket, and they will tell you in a “Joe Deters lynch-a-black man minute” that they voted for Republican Charlie Winburn. Woo-hoo.
Blacks dissatisfaction with the local Democratic party can more recently be traced back to one man - Timothy Burke, Chair of the Democratic Party. The pill is still yet to be swallowed, although Burke denies he cut a deal in 2008 with the republicans not to run democratic candidates against currently elected republican judges, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, and the sheriff. There are some recent whispers that Burke is once again shaking the pill bottle and considering playing let’s make a deal.
Burke remains on the black shit-list and many are disappointed that Burke and other prominent democrats haven’t fought harder to help Tracie Hunter secure her seat on the Juvenile Court bench. Count the votes and let’s stop wasting tax-payer dollars, OK?
A few prominent Democrats say that Burke isn’t all bad. Last month he stood with the black Democratic Municipal Court judges who fought to be sure African Americans received a fair consideration for the two openings for magistrate in Municipal Court.
Too bad it didn’t work out.
Although the local Democratic Kool -Aid is nasty as hell, it’s better than the deadly sugary drink mix served up by Hamilton County Republican Party chairman Alex Triantafilou (pronounced trying-to-fool-ya) and Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters (prounounced Hoe Penis).
Christopher Smitherman, Cincinnati NAACP President, Councilman, Stockbroker – often acts as a broker between the ever spanning space of Middle class blacks, aggrieved blacks and the white economic and political power structure.
Smitherman may handle stocks and people’s money with no problem but he’s got his work cut out for him trying to mediate between blacks and what some view as the greedy and crooked local Republican party. Sure there are good local republicans, Kingpin Deters is not one of them. The good ones, not to be confused with the good ole’ boys must work harder to be more inclusive.
Having a black mayor, a black city manager, a black police chief, a black football coach, a black baseball coach, a black majority on Cincinnati City Council don’t mean a black-eyed peas thing if every other power structure is controlled by some unethical Republicans.
Who-we-be? You tell me.
I don’t speak for anyone mentioned in this piece. I write my opinion while others speak thiers. I reserve the right NOT to edit. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. Have a Happy New Year. Can't we all just get along? Maybe not.
2 comments:
Yes, we can only hope the political landscape will change in Small Town, USA, oops I mean Hamilton County, Ohio.
Seriously speaking, Hamilton County has the potential to be a world class county, but continue to be led by "small" town politics. Let's hope, pray and continue to fight for change in 2012.
so true E. Fordham. Hamilton County can be great. I'd personally like to see more diversity and fairness. It' a New Year and hopefully a New begininng.
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