PERIL FOR NAGIN AND BLACK POLITICIANS

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, BlackNews.com Columnist

Politically challenged New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin told a national TV audience that a victory by challenger Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu would be a step back to the past. Though Nagin is black and Landrieu is white, the mayor did not intend this as a deliberate racial slap at Landrieu. Blacks have held unbroken power at New Orleans City Hall for three decades. But then again, he didn't have to.

Ever since Katrina floodwaters sent thousands of poor New Orleans blacks fleeing in terror for their lives, Nagin has been on the national hot seat. The mayor was knocked for being unprepared, indecisive, panicky, then for compounding the tragedy by fingerprinting Bush, FEMA, and state officials, in short everybody but himself, for bungling the rescue and relief efforts. The sheen on Nagin's political star was peeling fast by the hour. That was in September. And with a mayor's election only months away, and thousands of New Orleans black voters scattered to the nation's four corners, and white voters furious at him for political incompetence, and his embarrassing shoot from the lip crack about remaking New Orleans into a chocolate city, Nagin was in trouble.

Nagin's back to the past crack was a subtle signal to black voters to rally behind the black brother at City Hall. It worked. In the April primary, ninety percent of blacks voted for him that was a gigantic bump up from the at best tepid black support that he got four years earlier.

Then the city's business leaders and a large percentage of white voters regarded the former corporate communications exec, and political novice, as a safe, bland, business friendly guy that wouldn't overly play the race card, and exclusively cater to black interests. They were right. The city's black poor grew more numerous, desperate, and underserved. Meanwhile, City Hall patronage, appointments, and contracts still remained comfortably in the hands of casino, corporate officials, and a handful of prosperous and well-connected black business and professionals.

It almost certainly would have stayed that way this election around. Nagin, as all New Orleans mayoral incumbents have for the past three decades, would had a cakewalk back to City Hall, and would have gotten a big slice of the white vote along the way. Katrina radically changed the political and racial equation.

Even if in a perverse twist of politics and race, black votes propel Nagin back into City Hall, Nagin's fortune and that of other black politicians is cloudy. In the past decade, blacks have lost mayor ships in several major cities. The Congressional Black Caucus has been reduced to a bare political whisper in Congress, and in California the nation's biggest, and most politically important state, the number of blacks in the state legislature has been cut nearly in half the past decade.

Black politicians blame their political slide on voter apathy, alienation, inner city population drops, suburban integration, and displacement by Latinos, and increasingly Asians. These factors have contributed to the fall-off in the number of black elected officials. But black politicians such as Nagin must also share much of the blame for their political crash dive. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington D.C. public policy think tank, found that the frustration and disgust of many black voters with black politicians has soared so high that blacks have stayed away from the polls in droves in state and municipal elections in recent elections.

Many black politicians make little or no effort to inform and involve the black public on vital legislation and political actions that directly impact on black communities. Their all-consuming obsession is to elect more black Democrats to office and in making sure that those in office stay there.

Many black politicians are accustomed to the unchallenged and unquestioned brandishing of power. They jealously hoard what they view as their sacred right to propose laws and support public policy they deem important for blacks. Yet those laws and policies more often than not boost middle-class blacks and corporate special interests rather than poor and working-class blacks. The plunging number of black elected officials is a wake-up call that guilt laced appeals for "black solidarity" and voter registration caravans and buses are not going to make blacks dash to the polls to vote for politicians they feel have failed them.

Black politicians hold their fate in their hands. They must reconnect with the black poor, and craft an agenda that can motivate, inspire and renew their belief that black politicians can deliver the goods. That agenda must emphasize jobs, drug and crime prevention programs, and improved neighborhood schools and services.

If Nagin wins it will be because black voters bought his race-tinged pitch about not going back to the past. But they should also demand that Nagin not go back to that same past in which the city's black poor were shamelessly ignored.

 

tis true

 

Whatever. I'd say he's no worse than any other incumbent. Many white and Latino politicians are just as underhanded (if not MORE so), but they always get the benefit of the doubt for it, now don't they? And, I get bored of all the bullshit about how we are obligated to be the moral conscience of the world in comparison to all the other 'races' of people, because, oh yes, it's normal for the other 'races' to 'behave out of character' unlike us, right?

If this guy can inspire unity within the poor black populace by any means, whether it's moral or POLITICAL then I say, so be it.

He probably had all of this figured out from the start anyway, but continue to get shocked over and over again, if you must. :roll:

 

in louisiana,he actually might be better. he is pro business and they attacked him like they did Bush, but noone has any real facts on them being any worse than any other politicians.

Nagin will do just as good as any other and better than the corrupt Landrieu family

 

I don't think anyone is trying to argue that. But when there are Nagin,Jeese Jackson,etc in the black community. They preach about helping blacks and get elected mostly based on their race. Then they continue to screw blacks over for their own personal gain. Its not about white politicians or anyone else. Its about people who use their race to get elected and then screw the people over.

 

But guess what they do right in spite of it all? INSPIRE UNITY. Something that we as a people still need.

 

Nagin is a poor elected official just like most. Pro-business doesn't mean you screw the poor and help create more poor. The politicnas in Louisiana are garbage at best.

 

But electing better leaders such as Maynard Jackson Jr. Who pretty much changed Atlanta and is the reason so many prominent black people have risen down there. Black people have it hard enough getting screwed by other people. Having people like Jesse Jackson and other so called leaders that screw black people over makes it even worse. MLK jr. must be rolling over in his grave if he knew what people like Jesse Jackson were doing.

 

i wouldnt vote for Nagin personally. He is not in my party nor do i agree with him, but the DNC trying to subvert his candidacy, I would be pissed.

 

This state has such horrible politicians that I feel like running for an office. I plan on moving next year. Where is a good place to move too?

 

thats what I said earlier. I know the history of that state very well. i have lots of folks from La and I lived in Mississippi and own lots of property there and have lots of family there--corruption is a sport

 

Still, we would be screwed no matter what, and/or who has the hot seat in office. Having a black politician not only levels the playing field, but also gives us a voice. Who exactly can we look to, other than a black politician? Bill Clinton? Ah, the good ol' days, huh? :wink:

 

silicon, you should run. If you think you have something to give back to the city you definitely should run.

good governance is hard to find adn we need good, caring and competitent leaders--Go for IT!!

I think Nagin is doing an ok job, everyone makes mistakes and people love to point fingers, yet only 50% votes. We have to hold all of them to account.

I miss Ronald Reagan, but I like Bush, though I am critical when he rules against my interests. Nagin cant be evertything to everybody, he will do the best he can.

 

I'm too young to run. And I have no political experience.

 

Great points from you both.

 

well one day and if you are over 18 you are not too young for some positions. dont sell yourself short. and if you work on a few campaigns in local races you will get some experience

 

I'm only 20 and I turn 21 in december. I don't think I will go into politics. I will stay in business.

 

i was in politics in high school and college, and did other things too. you should participate in the civic life of your community as well as a business leader--thats where most of the leaders come from, the business world.

nagin came from the business world.

i went to University with a Louisiana state senator, Bobby Jihdal. went attended Brown University in new england, together

 

I might do that after I move. Once I find a better state to move.

 

thats good