By Antonio D. French
Filed Thursday, September 28, 2006 at 1:13 PM
Several African-American elected officials and community leaders have asked supporters of the extremely well-funded Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures why so little of their budget is being spent with and on the black community. Labels: Health
"As we head into the final days before the November election, I believe that more emphasis should be given to the inclusion efforts of the Coalition," wrote St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green in a letter to Dr. William H. Danforth.
In the letter, written on Sept. 8 and recently obtained by PUB DEF, Green tells Danforth, who has often been the public face of the Stem Cell initiative, that more minorities should be added to the Coalition's staff.
"If at the end of the day when the vendor list is tallied and African-Americans have been fairly represented, then this non-partisan initiative can certainly shine through as inclusive," wrote Green.
The Comptroller isn't the only one complaining about how little of the organization's $16 million is trickling down to black political vendors around the state. Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan recently wrote about a similar letter from Ald. Freeman Bosley, Sr. written to Brad Ketcher, the Coalition's campaign manager.
PUB DEF has been told that that letter was not actually ever mailed. But Ketcher did receive a letter from the chairman of the St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable. In his response letter, dated Sept. 14 and also obtained by PUB DEF, he said "more than $2 million has been expended or is committed to be spent for African-American outreach."
Outreach? Is that money spent with black firms to reach black voters or money spent with out-of-town white-owned companies, such as Clear Channel Radio or Washington-based mail houses?
"The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures has many African American vendors, consultants, staff members and volunteers on our team," said spokewoman Connie Farrow. She told us to look on the campaign's financial reports filed with the state. And so we did.
As of July 1, over $1.2 million to California-based Winner & Mandabach. $350,000 to Seattle-based Michael D. Meyers Co. for direct mail. $94,000 to Ketcher. $64,000 to Farrow. $75,000 to Sandra Aust from the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing. $12,000 to the Kelley Group (that's Robert J. Kelley of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council, AFL-CIO).
Oh wait, a black person: $6,000 to Rev. B.T. Rice for "issue outreach". Not looking so good, Connie.
"The next campaign finance reporting deadline is Oct. 15, which we will meet. Our Coalition and supporters continue to identify opportunities to strengthen our efforts in the African American community," said Farrow.
We will see.
[Editor's Note: PUB DEF contacted the Coalition for Lifesaving Cures last week about doing some advertising. To date, we have not heard back from them.]
13 Comments:
I am bit bewildered at what the post is trying to say. Black votes are for sale as long as the correct vendors are used? Not quite. Blacks deserve a share of the campaign money pie, too, because the black vendors can produce votes. Something along those lines, maybe. An inclusive campaign where significant dollars are spent on black vendors is the only type of campaign worth winning?
Maybe the game is all about the money. I fully expect to get flamed.
9/28/2006 3:18 PM
Anony, politics at this level is big business. $16 million is going to be spent with someone.
That money goes not just to political consultants, but to video production companies, actors in commercials, printers, newspapers, sign vendors, bumpersticker makers, t-shirt makers, radio stations and hosts, websites and blogs, canvasers, poll workers, envelope stuffers... A portion of $16 million can represent a significant economic boost to communities around this state.
Can you imagine a Democratic statewide campaign spending millions of dollars and not pledging to spend much of it with union vendors? Why shouldn't blacks demand the same?
9/28/2006 4:26 PM
Lets assume this technology actually is viable in 10 years and does cure xzy. Do you think it will be available to the poor? Probably not.
I doubt we will see generic 'stem cell' drugs or Medicare paying for the procedure.
No one seems to be talking about that.
9/28/2006 5:41 PM
Doug,
First of all, embryonic stem cell research is more likely to lead to treatments, per se, rather than pills to be swallowed. But if there were stem cell-derived pills, what reason is there to believe that they wouldn't eventually become generic, like most drugs, when the patents run out?
And even assuming for the sake of argument that what you posted is true, is that a reason not to support the initiative? I'm hard pressed to think of how it would be.
God willing, I will never need a cure developed by embryonic stem cell research. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't support it. You seem to be calling support into question on the basis that it might not help "everyone." The fact that it might help "anyone" means we should support it.
9/28/2006 9:27 PM
Antonio and Nia:
Not everything is about race. Black voters should be targeted as much as they represent of the voting population, as every group should be. And as far as vendors is concerned, race should be no part of the selection, only the firm's ability to deliver the message to the voters, which should be greatly higher for a black company in a black neighborhood. As soon as we can move beyond got-to-get-mine mentality, then we can start to address some of the divides in our city.
On a personal note, I think any campaign in this city that doesn't advertise here and through the syndicate is overlooking two good outlets.
9/28/2006 11:34 PM
I support stem cell research however I am skeptical of who it will directly benefit. Lets say that I am not really a big fan of the pharmaceutical industry.
9/29/2006 3:16 PM
nia, nia, nia...
As you know, a lot of people do a lot of things for a lot of different reasons that may not appear to be their objective on the face of it.
But, to answer your question, when choosing candidates, friends, employees, employers and neighbors, race is not a factor for me. I wish others could join me in my color-blind world.
9/30/2006 9:36 AM
Travis,
I have joined you in the color-blind world. It shouldn't matter the color of skin, what should matter is the content of character. I am Afro- American, no I haven't forgotten my past, I'm just embracing my future using color blind tactics.
9/30/2006 7:38 PM
The stem cell people have chosen to use every politically connected consultant in the State of Missouri, both Democrat and Republican. Somehow they have chosen to ignore or reject African American vendors. By the end of the election they will have spent over $20,000,000. If this initiative will have the economic benefit to this state as promised does that mean that the African American community will also be left out on jobs and business opportunities? What about the socalled scientific benefits? Are Blacks going to be left out there? Stem Cell will not pass if Blacks will not vote for it. It seems to me that the leaders of the effort have chosen to make racist decisions to exclude Blacks. Maybe we should exclude stem cell!!!
9/30/2006 7:49 PM
Brian, your self-hate would make you an interesting subject for a study in the area.
10/02/2006 9:34 AM
While reading your post, I KNEW someone would say that to you Brian. I suppose Juan Williams and Bill Cosby are self-haters because they call it like they see it, and they see it differently than Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton pontificate on it.
If Brian, a black man, and I, a white guy, can have the same color-blind vision for St. Louis, it is time we all wake up and work for an all-inclusive, color-blind tomorrow. We jointly need to get beyond "I got to get mine," and move toward we got to make St. Louis work better as a region--all voices at the table, all hands at the wheel, all peoples working together.
10/02/2006 10:53 AM
All people in St. Louis love BBQ, Beer, the Cardinals, and talking about race relations.
We all love that!
So lets BBQ and get drunk while watching the Cardinals! Afterwards we can talk about race relations in the City! I bet our problems would be gone instantly!
10/02/2006 5:21 PM
Whine, whine, whine...
How about all the black groups mobilize your people and create a viable, unified force instead of being splintered all over the place?
It's a whole lot easier getting influence in anything when you can present a powerful, singular message.
Oh wait, that must have been an oxymoron.
Gummy
10/03/2006 11:50 PM
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