I wanted to keep this short and sweet, but I've failed. Kwame Kilpatrick, Mayor of that town that oscillates between unbridled potential energy and a sinkhole of inertia and everything ghetto, De-troit, has got to go. Whether the bastard goes to jail or not, he must resign. His presence is, in the words of Terrance Howard to Ludacris in the Oscar winning film Crash (and Obama to Ludacris for that matter) "You're an EMBARASSMENT!!!" His momma barely survived a primary run off. Such is the mold, breaking. I mean, an incumbent black politician, entrenched and powerful, almost loosing an election to an energetic newcomer without all the damn baggage and corrupt cronyism, pandering to mega-pastors and hoodlums alike? Wha' th' Fudge? Well, I'm PROUD to say we did it in Maryland first, knocking out yet another self-serving Congressional Black Caucus knucklehead, Albert Wynn, and putting in Donna Edwards. This despite Wynn's eleventh hour conversion to Obama. Now, should Barack be the litmus test? No, but reality makes things shake out that way. Almost all of the US and state/local black democrat incumbents who supported Hillary Clinton most certainly held the immutable genetic trait of being entrenched, surrounded by cronies, in bed with developers, mega-pastors, lunatic cliques within powerful unions, and all sorts of other such foolishness. living in the time of 19th Cenutry machine politics. Trust me, such tribalism with the polity and through interest groups is likewise historically entrenched. Centuries now. But Barack is the hammer of change (pardon the 1966 Mao Cultural revolution prose). Seriously, just as the Barack-Ludacris interchange is metaphor for the new world vs. old ghettofab culture war, Kwame's demise is allegory for a younger generation that's eager to copy the fatuousness and power politics of his mom's. Thus his age doesn't immunize him from tsunami that will hopefully sweep away old tools like Major Owens or even Maxine Waters and insert more folk like Donna, like Kevin Powell, or, on the local level, leaders like our very own DC Hercules of buppy nerds, Adrian Fenty (the anti-matter Marion Barry). Oh look--lemme keep it simple. Kwame's a crook, an embarassment. I could care less how many bammas and rappers think he's cool. He's done. An embarassment. Can we start using that word again? The Black Arts folk scared it out of our vocabulary in the late 60s, for the meaning for which it was intended. I'm happy to see it making a comeback. Now if it would only trickle into the book biz! Even if Barack loses to McCain, at least this revolution, of quiet cool, of polish, education and getting things done, has been fomented. Rent Crash and drink in the metaphor...
5 comments:
A-to the Men!
Thank you!!
I like your Ludacris examples.
The amazing thing is that I don't think this mayor has done anything of benefit to the city besides more gambling in the waterfront. He's like Harold Ford, Jr., Jesse, Jr., and Kendrick Meek so he's definitely not part of any "new" movement. If that were the case he'd be like Ricahrd Daley, Jr.--like his dad in some respects but 180 degrees away in most policy matters.
I say lock him up but you're right: the bammas will consider him a martyr, and his mother will claim so police conspiracy. look for her to extract a pardon promise from Obama!!!
I know NOTHING about the USA inner politics.
Funny read, tho.
But only to read that line, it is NOT enough to rent [download illegally - WHY NOT?] CRASH!
That movie has allot of FAULTS!
BTW I saw Batman - the Dark Night. I didn't like it!
The same day I saw RIPARO by Marco S. Puccioni GREAT Movie.
As a Detroiter, may I say you pretty much nailed that one. I was formerly a strong supporter of Kilpatrick's, but this has gone waaaaay too far. He is beyond an embarrassment. Kwame is a serious liability to this city.
The tragedy is that he actually HAS done an awful lot for Detroit. Nobody wants to acknowledge it now because everyone who was ever associated with him is trying to act like they never even knew he'd been born. But the truth is that the man did bring a lot of new development to this city. He had an absolutely brilliant political career ahead of him and his potential was unlimited.
And then he flew too close to the sun. His unbelievable arrogance didn't just put a torch to his aspirations, but it has threatened the future hopes of this entire city, and that is far worse. And unforgivable.
I will preface this by saying that I am white. Blacks can be so selectively naive about Obama, as we have been about Bush, Cheney & McCain (the "new" McCain, not the guy we all loved in 2000). Obama is a Chicago politician in every sense of that term. Months ago he supported both Kilpatricks. Now he needs them to get out the vote to counterweigh the recalcitrant Hillary supporters and all those silent majority whites. I think what you will see is the opposite of your theory coming true. "Entrenched" black politicians and criminals getting bolder because they know Obama needs them, just as McCain kowtows to the right wing arseholes who've destroyed this country. So much for your revolution. Welcome to the real world, dude.
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