Charlatans And Carpetbaggers

By Lucius Gantt

As political primaries are taking place across America, voters know that governmental changes are needed but they wonder if their votes will be life changing.

You will not necessarily see the captains of the campaign ships. You will not know the names of political power brokers. (If you don't know, David Axelrod and I both worked on the Doug Jamerson campaign in Florida so I know more than most candidates think.)

Instead, America's Black voters will welcome the sights of political charlatans and carpetbaggers!

Let me explain. Political power in a capitalist oriented political scenario is based on political money, the highest paid people on the campaign staff are the people who authorize political purchasing transactions, they pay for the polling, they pay for the printing, they will spend millions and billions for political advertising.

If $500,000,000 is spent for advertising by a political national committee, a state political party, or a well financed political candidate, a political media consultant can easily earn $50,000,000.

Follow me. If you don't know, African American men and women, Black organizations, like predominately Black labor unions, Black businesses and corporations, and rich brothers and sisters donate large sums of money to campaigns and candidates, without a campaign earmark!

An "earmark" is a designation or reservation of campaign funds for a specific person, purpose or recipient.

Tell me, why can't Oprah, the AKAs, Longshoremen, hospitality workers, farm workers, sanitation workers, or significant Black political donors tell Democrats and Republicans, "I want my money spent with Black political professionals?"

The big Black campaign contributors won't earmark money for Blacks because they have no clue how politics work.

Now let me tell you what political parties and political candidates will do.

Parties and campaigns will give a few Blacks titles such as consultant, operative, or strategist.

These charlatans and carpetbaggers are merely House Nigs"! They are happy to have a title, thankful to be invited to appear on TV, excited to speak at a NAN, SCLC, NAACP, or a big Black church meeting to read the talking points they were told to read.

Hmmm! They'll say, the Democrat or Republican is your friend, your ally, your confidant, your provider, your protector, your amigo, your confidant, or your community advocate.

But when costs rise, your child or relative is deployed to unacceptable war zones to risk their lives for a wannabe dictators, your friends and neighbors are gunned down by government agents for peacefully protesting, the charalatans and carpetbaggers are nowhere to be found.

Don't get me wrong, most Blacks in politics are good people but they can't help candidates win and they can't help voters progress or improve the standard of living in the projects, ghettos and barrios.

Charlatans and carpetbaggers read talking points, discuss press releases, smile on television and look good in newspapers and magazines.

However, they don't have a clue about how to motivate, inspire and deliver voters to polling places. The have no sense of political timing (only a political fool would tell a candidate to wait until the weekend before a general election to canvass neighborhoods or host political events, for instance).

Whereever you live, do the campaign signs and brochures look errily similar? They look the same because all of the Black candidates are told, "Spend the money with who we tell you to."

That means the same political professionals are doing the same graphics, same signage, same imaging, and same lettering that other candidates use because they all hire the same political vendors.

I wish the political parties and all political candidates well,

but I'll probably never work on a political campaign again, unless I know a candidate personally.

Why? Because I get paid to do the wild thing like Bruce, Bubba, Becky, and Amy gets paid.

I do political TRUTH, not talking points made for charlatans and carpetbaggers!