By Antonio D. French
Filed Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 9:23 AM
Some attendees of Friday's NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner were upset by what they described as a "snub" from the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. PUB DEF received the following report yesterday from one insulted attendee: Labels: Events, U.S._Senate_Race
State auditor Claire McCaskill, a democrat who is working to unseat incumbent U.S. Senator Jim Talent(R-MO) seemingly gave short shrift to the St. Louis County Chapter of the NAACP when she stopped by before the group's 65th annual Freedom Fund Dinner last night at the Airport Hilton and stayed only 10 minutes.
Dinner attendees who were mingling outside the ballroom before the dinner said they caught a fleeting glimpse of McCaskill who smiled and waved during a quick walk-through.
Her political director, Brandon Davis, was later AWOL when he was called to the dais during the event to convey greetings from McCaskill. He failed to respond when his name was mentioned and some dinner attendees noted that he left shortly after McCaskill did.
If McCaskill stayed she eventually could have glad-handed at least 500 potential voters and touched bases with influential people like attorney Frankie Freeman, County Executive Charlie Dooley, State Representatives John Bowman (D-70) and Esther Haywood (D-71), State Senator Rita Days, radio personality Deneen Busby, and television journalist Bonita Cornute.
McCaskill could have politicked with Jim Buford, president of the St. Louis Urban League, county NAACP president Ina Boon and her counterpart in the St. Louis city branch, Harold Crumpton.
It seems like she missed an opportunity to score some points with a segment of her electoral base. The crowd could have been considered a broad cross section of the Black community that was equal parts male and female, of varying incomes, suburban and urban, and between the voting ages of 18 and 70. That is a demographic McCaskill sleeps on while she assiduously courts rural Missouri farmers and others.
PUB DEF contacted the campaign's communications director, Adrianne Marsh, who said McCaskill had a very busy schedule Friday and did not expect to even be able to make the dinner at all.
She said McCaskill left early because of a family obligation. "It's difficult balancing being a candidate for statewide office and a mother of three teenage daughters," said Marsh.
20 Comments:
How did Jim Talent enjoy the event seeing as though he didn't think it was important enough to show up at all.
8/27/2006 11:01 AM
The people at the NAACP dinner were not intending on supporting Senator Jim Talent. So we didn't expect to see Jim Talent. Although some may consider supporting him now.
Therefore, the previous post is a lame comment. We did expect to see Claire McCaskill. This was unforgivable that she conveyed that she didn't even expect to attend the dinner at all, and then attended for all of 10 minutes.
Future advice for Claire McCaskill, tell your teenage daughters and your family that you are running for Senator of the United States of America and the election is in November of this year.
Tell your teenage daughters and your family that you have to attend some Black events and spend quality time with the black folks to give them the impression that you want their vote for Senator in November. Tell them that masses of black people don't normally attend the Annual Hayride Events in the rural Missouri areas. Tell them that you need them to have some compassion if they want you to win at all, and to cut you a break at least until November. Tell them to please let you spend some time with some black people, because black people feel like you are taking their vote for granted right now.
Claire McCaskill you don't have much time to get it together and get on track to winning this election, but if you start now it can possibly be accomplished.
So far you have been a huge disappointment to black people, but we are use to candidates from the Democratic party doing this and yet we still vote for them. That is probably why you don't care about us either, because you feel that black people will vote for you anyway.
8/27/2006 3:18 PM
Claire McCaskill doesn't waste time having compasssion or spending time with black people because she already has those votes in the bag. Missouri Democrats don't even need to go through the motions of sharing power (or even decision-making) with black people, because those votes are a sure thing.
That's why Missouri Democrats think that one candidate (Alan Wheat) back in 1994 is more than enough black representation on the statewide ticket for at least a generation, and why it was so important to bully Maida Coleman out of this year's contest for state auditor. That's also why Missouri senate Democrats are believed to be planning a coup in January to remove Maida as senate majority leader. That's also why white Democrats do not share black Democrats view that the 4th senate district (whose geographic predecessor was once represented by Ted McNeil, Missouri's first black senator) should be represented by an African American. (It should be noted that the 4th district has been represented by a white ever since judges adopted the redistricting plan for city districts proposed by the Democratic party (instead of a plan submitted by the Green Party that would have put more black voters (and no part of the high turnout white 16th Ward) in the 4th District). Why should they care, when black votes are already in the bag?
8/27/2006 4:09 PM
"How did Jim Talent enjoy the event seeing as though he didn't think it was important enough to show up at all."
So the lesson again from the Democrats is: "Black people, you're lucky with what you get from us because the Republicans won't event do that."
Well, I wonder why most black folks don't vote at all?
8/27/2006 4:09 PM
This has nothing to do with the 4th Senate district. Though, it would be prudent to point out that both Pat Dougherty and Jeff Smith benefited from a divided African American community. No district should be guranteed to any race, especially if there is not consensus candidate. Maybe some strong leadership from within could prevent these things from happening.
However, we all know that it is easier to complain than try and fix things. That's why people from all walks will continue to try and blame the Democratic Party for being to scared to make changes.
McCaskill is running for United States Senate from Missouri, not just St. Louis and Kansas City. In 2004 she only focused on those two places and lost. There were no more votes that possibly could have come out of St. Louis. She must spend time everywhere if she hopes to win. Insanity is trying the same thing over again and expecting different results. If McCaskill spends all her time in St. Louis, she will lose again. But like I said, always easier to complain than try and change things. Does anyone have any constructive advise on how to increase Democratic margins in rural Missouri without ever going there?
Oh, and Talent has been actively courting the NAACP, so it is insulting for him to not be present.
8/27/2006 6:53 PM
Is hanging out with a drug-using musician supposed to be McCaskill's way of courting the rural voters of Missouri.
8/27/2006 7:35 PM
Whoa! Nobody's complaining about Claire spending time courting rural Missouri. The complaint was the dismissive manner with which she handled her Freedom Fund dinner appearance (both her own 10-minute waltz-over and her campaign's failure to even have anyone appear to speak in her stead), followed by the campaign's lame explanations. It all smacked of not giving a damn, and fit right into the context of the other recent Democratic Party indignities. The "ya gotta campaign in rural MO too" stuff, while true, is just a smokescreen to divert attention away from the shabby treatment African Americans have received lately from the Democratic Party establishment and its top candidates.
8/27/2006 9:02 PM
Go Claire go! This town has a problem with strong women. The NAACP and the Black Leadership require too much attention. You can never please them.
8/27/2006 10:56 PM
"Maybe some strong leadership from within could prevent these things from happening"
What the hell are you talking about? The within of black politicians can't form because of the lack of support from the white majority controlled Missouri State Democratic Party, with their token black by the name of Mattie Moore. Mattie Moore (the token black) was chosen as State Democratic Party Vice-Chair by Claire McCaskill after the Governor's race when McCaskill defeated former Governor Bob Holden.
Mattie Moore has not spoken out on a damn thing to support blacks on a Statewide level, and follows whatever the white people tell her to do. She did not speak up for Senator Maida Coleman for her bid to become State Auditor, and instead secretly supported Susan Montee like a good step and fetch it. Although she will be the first one to talk about she is a black woman. A black woman that is scared of white people is who she really is.
As Vice-Chair of the State Democratic Party Mattie Moore did not utilize her leadership to support a consensus black candidate for the 4th Senatorial District race, and didn't try to convince the white people to support a black candidate.
Remember a white person (Claire McCaskill) chose Mattie Moore, not a black person. If black people were in Statewide decision making positions, we could sometimes choose black people that would provide strong leadership from within.
Missouri State Democratic Party, elect and support more black people for Statewide offices that are not "Yessems" for white people, and maybe we will have stronger leadership from within.
WRITTEN BY
BLACK LIKE ME
8/27/2006 11:07 PM
"Go Claire, this town has a problem with strong women"
We have plenty of strong women elected for Statewide office in this town, that we don't have a problem with. These same women make the NAACP and black leadership happy. Senators Maida Coleman and Rita Days, Representatives Ester Haywood, Yaphett El-Amin, Juanita Head-Walton, Amber Boykins, Robin Wright-Jones, Maria Nadal-Chapelle, and Connie Johnson. None of these women mentioned above have ever slighted the NAACP dinner with a lame a$$ excuse, in fact if they were ever given the chance to run for U.S. Senator they would do a much better job than Claire McCaskill because they grew up knowing what had to be done to get along with white people. They would probably get more votes out of the rural area than Claire, and look more attractive doing it!
8/27/2006 11:28 PM
Anyone foolish enough to choose their Senator based on whether s/he attends the St. Louis County NAACP dinner has their priorities out of order! So what Talent sent his negro emissaries; that's what he pays them to do-- represent him in the Black community. But Jerry Hunter is NOT even close to leading the Black community to empowerment; he doesn't give half a sh*t about our community. Neither does his massa, (no)Talent.
Get real, Black people: stop seeing everything in terms of meaningless gestures. There is no single litmus test of commitment here; a candidate's stand on issues important to our community is still the most meaningful way to evaluate his/her ability to represent our interests. Talent stands by Bush's war in Iraq, stands for dismantling Social Security, opposes affirmative action and support for minority business, is anti-choice, and would further undermine funding of public schools. Even if he was the keynote speaker at the NAACP National Convention, it wouldn't change his position on issues important to me.
VOTE McCASKILL.
8/28/2006 7:20 AM
Oracle, If I followed your logic on the 4th District, then growing up in KC I wouldnt have been able to vote for Alan Wheat or work on his Senate camapign. All because he is black, I am white and the district was majority white.
8/28/2006 9:26 AM
"Alan Wheat or work on his Senate camapign. All because he is black, I am white and the district was majority white."
You wouldn't have been able to vote for Alan Wheat because you have problems spelling campaign, not because you are white.
8/28/2006 10:21 AM
More from the Democratic Party: Political Fix reports that State Rep. Barbara Fraser, a term-limited Democrat who’s now running for the County Council against Republican incumbent Kurt Odenwald, has announced that — if elected — she’ll push for a law that would allow police to pull over and ticket drivers solely because they don’t have their seatbelt on, or have passengers under the age of 18 who also aren’t buckled.
Sounds like yet another opportunity for pretensual "driving while black" arrests to me.
8/28/2006 10:39 AM
sorry for the mistype on "campaign". You really got me there.
8/28/2006 11:44 AM
Oracle, are you posting on your own behalf or as an official spokesperson for the Progressive Party and its candidates? You're working against the Democratic Party and for a candidate running against McCaskill. All that's fine and dandy, but your comments should be viewed as what they are: a partisan effort to divide black voters to benefit your candidate. How political of you.
8/29/2006 11:18 AM
And exactly what comments on this blog aren't political?
Political discourse is a good thing. I especially distrust those who seek to eliminate choice and silence political expression.
8/29/2006 11:29 AM
Oracle, it's all political, but unlike the other posters here, you have a clear agenda to benefit a candidate. You ought to be up front about that. It's called full disclosure. Like I said, it's fine and good if you want to speak on behalf of other candidates. Go for it. No one's trying to "silence" you. Speak your mind (or their's). But if you're not up front about it, then what you're doing is like running an attack ad with the disclaimer.
8/30/2006 8:22 AM
Let's not be hypocritical here. Several anonymous commenters attacking another commenter, who at least we all can identify by his consistant use of a handle, for being "political" or somehow more partisan than other folks here is just crazy.
Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous, how do we know you're not the same Anony that writes "Go Claire go!" no matter what serious criticism is offered? Or the person that regularly posts obscenity-laden partisan statements throughout this blog?
You see my point? How can you demand someone else to "come clean" when you yourself won't even bother identifying your statements with even a fake name?
8/30/2006 8:42 AM
You gotta love the man's integrity. Posting on his website that he thought El-Amin would win then he was an obvious (at least I thought it was obvious) Jeff Smith Junkie. I respect him very much even though I don't agree with him all of the time.
TimR
9/02/2006 4:32 PM
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