What would happen if Rick Baker went partisan for the black vote, as Rick Kriseman seems to be doing, and said, "Look at what Democrats did?"
Rick Kriseman has shown photos of Rick Baker with Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell -- and has attempted to bring national partisan politics into the nonpartisan St. Petersburg mayoral race.
Kriseman has shown the black community photos of him standing with President Obama, and has mentioned Michelle Obama as well.
We all know that when white democrats want to lead black voters by the nose these days, they simply say "Obama," and they expect us to come running.
They don't realize that they don't get President Obama's street cred by osmosis, especially when their rhetoric doesn't match their ACTIONS.
But I asked myself this, and I think you should ask yourself this as well: Why isn't Rick Kriseman talking about what the Florida Democratic Party is doing for the black community in St. Pete?
Well, besides saying they won't turn out to vote.
The party is closer to home, right?
President Obama is out of office.
What about the current chair of the party, Stephen Bittel?
What if Rick Baker started aligning Rick Kriseman with Stephen Bittel and his recent comments that had him on the verge of being thrown out as chair of the party?
Stephen Bittel singled out the black legislators in the DEMOCRATIC party, and called them children. He accused them of always using the race card.
All because Senate minority leader Oscar Braynon, a black man, brought concerns to him held by the entire delegation of elected officials present at a Democratic event.
Black, white, Hispanic, non-Hispanic. They were all there.
Now, mind you, in the incident, that took place at Leadership Blue, the party's biggest fundraising event of the year, ALL legislators in attendance were upset at being snubbed by Bittel.
It was the BLACK legislators Bittel singled out, to call names and lash out at.
Bittel issued an apology, but the damage was done. Based on what I've been told, the incident hasn't been forgiven nor forgotten, despite the appearances the party wants to put up.
Moving right along.
Sally Boynton Brown.
How can we forget Sally appearing at an event in Broward County and declaring that poor and minority voters don't vote based on issues, they vote only on emotion.
As if education, criminal justice reform, voting rights, immigration rights, equal rights, all are things poor and minority brains can't process.
Boynton Brown, just like Bittel, issued an apology, but not before an intense uproar over the comments occurred.
Moving. Right. Along.
We just got a glimpse of domestic terrorism in Charlottesville, VA.
What happened there was horrific, and it goes to show that the term "domestic terrorist" should not be thrown around lightly.
Well, that's just what Susan McGrath, chair of the Pinellas County DEC did to black supporters of Jesse Nevel and Akile Cainion.
Rick Kriseman was just as silent then as he was when he was sitting next to Paul Congemi, as Congemi told black people to go back to Africa.
I know no one will forget past Pinellas County DEC Chair Mark Hanisee leaving a message for the Rev. Manuel Sykes, a black man, telling him he would be "persona non grata" if he dared to run for Congress in CD13.
We all know, Democrats feel non-blacks can govern blacks, but blacks can't govern non-blacks, so we have to stay in our carved-out districts!
Every white Democrat in this country uses President Obama as their Negro whisperer for the black vote, instead of actually making tangible change in black communities.
Sadly, there are black voters who fall for it, then complain that these same politicians are ignoring their communities.
If all these people have to do is say "Obama" and party-guilt black voters into voting for them, there will continue to be situations such as St. Petersburg.
A thriving downtown, and midtown looking like a third world country.
Complete with sewage all over the place.
Leslie Wimes, a Sunshine State News columnist, is founder and president of Women on the Move and the Democratic African American Women Caucus, www.daawc.com. Follow Leslie on Twitter: @womenonthemove1
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