Guest Post by Morbo
One of the great political myths of America is that African-American voters are like lemmings who do whatever their clergy or political leaders tell them to.
That certainly was not the case this month in Prince George’s County, Md., a majority-black jurisdiction east of Washington, D.C. Several local Democratic politicians there, including former County Executive Wayne Curry, broke ranks and endorsed Republican Senate candidate Michael S. Steele, who is black. A political analyst predicted the move would rip through the county like a rocket. If it was a rocket, it sure fizzled.
Black voters did not back Steele. They went heavily for U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin. Furthermore, the local pols who backed Steele are facing the wrath of their constituents.
The Washington Post reported that County Council Vice Chairman Camille Exum “faced angry questions from constituents about her decision to cross party lines and endorse Steele over Democrat Benjamin L. Cardin in the U.S. Senate race a week before the election.”
Another council member, David Harrington, was, The Post reported, “overwhelmed with e-mails expressing concern about his endorsement of Steele.” Harrington had to hold what was described as an “emergency meeting” with constituents to explain himself.
It didn’t help that on Election Day, officials with the Maryland Republican Party stabbed the local politicians in the back by engaging in a cheap stunt. They bused in homeless men from Philadelphia to pass out misleading literature in heavily African-American areas.
But even if that had not happened, the voters in Prince George’s would still have been angry.
One man put Exum on the spot by asking, “When I vote for someone, I vote issues. Did you agree with the Republican on the issues?”
Excellent point. Curry, Exum, Harrington and the others who endorsed Steele tried to argue that they were only trying to express their dissatisfaction with the Maryland Democratic Party, which they claimed takes black voters for granted. Even if the party were guilty of this — and I don’t believe it is — there are better ways to express that concern than endorse a man whose values and political views are out of whack with most of the county’s voters. How about the phone? Pick it up and call the head of the Maryland Democratic Party.
A band of black clergy also endorsed Steele. Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church in Lanham, led this effort. Jackson claims to be a Democrat but is so obsessed with the idea gay people might have rights that he has in effect left the party. Jackson pastors a large church, but at the end of the day, most of his parishioners decided they were able to make up their own minds on who to support. In fact, Prince George’s supported Cardin by a higher margin than any other county in the state.
The Post noted that several of the local politicians who backed Steele have ambitions for higher office. Others may want to get reelected to the positions they hold now. Here’s a tip for all of those angry voters in Prince George’s County: None of these folks owns the office they hold. If you’re angry with them, the best way to show it is to offer voters an alternative during the next election. I have no doubt there are plenty of real Democrats out there itching to take them on.