Posted by
Isaiah L. Carter on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 1:49:27 PM
The Revolution That Won’t be Televised
By Isaiah L. Carter
September 19, 2006. This day, about 30 or so men and women packed into a small room in an up-and-coming restaurant in the Fells Point area of Baltimore City. These people met for one specific purpose: To discuss the state of Black Politics in Maryland, and in the country that we live. Among the people who attended this event were business entities, radio personalities, and a car salesman. Also among the attendees was the Lieutenant Governor of the state of Maryland, Michael S. Steele.
Democrats, be fearful.
In that room, Steele gave us more than any other politician has ever given… he gave us himself, no strings attached, no hype, no cameras. We got Michael Steele, and nothing else. He showed us that he is a true man of the community, one who is not afraid of standing up to for what he knows is right. He was endorsed and promoted by those who have watched him and seen the work that he has done, and what he is capable of doing. He showed himself and proved to be a man who knows where he came from, what he wants to do for his community, and where he is going. He gave us a message that was better than any other Republican (and definitely better than any Democrat) has given us.
Democrats, be very fearful.
As he sat in that room, this state’s LG was grilled like a fine piece of USDA Prime, by both Democrats and Republicans. And as we sat in this room, I bore witness to the lines that have polarized our parties for decades slowly being blurred. I watched as the LG answered the questions posed to him directly, showing passion and fervor with every sentence. And the result of all of this was Black Americans of all stripes coming together as one unit, crossing over the forbidden boundaries that have divided and conquered us for well over 50 years.
Scared yet, Dems?
The real stars, however, were the people who came out to this gathering: Black Americans of all stripes who were in touch with their community and with the politics of this state. For some, the question was raised as to why Black people have been voting Democrat for all these years. One reason that was brought up was the addiction to instant gratification that we have had as a people: government handouts, certain programs that are here today and gone tomorrow, or certain social programs that only go but so far to help the community, but either don’t go far enough or don’t provide lasting solutions. The point that Steele made was that Black people nowadays are gravitating more to the Republican side because we are sick of either being thrown fish and eating for a day, or being promised bread and handed stones. What Black people want now is to be taught to fish, to own the fishing companies! Our race does not want to be promised bread any longer; we want to own the bakeries! And the Democratic Party has kept us underneath their thumb for so long, kept us dependent on them for our needs such that we think we cannot exist without their “leadership.”
Truth be told, I was afraid last night. I thought that someone was going to bring a pack of Oreo cookies or something else equally offensive and make fun of the LG because of his Republican affiliation. To my great relief, and to my surprise, this was not the case at all. I thanked God above for His grace to allow me to see this glorious event, to see Black people unite under the common cause of voting our interests and our beliefs, something that the Left is praying we don’t do. As Black Americans, we must learn from this event. We must remember the things that we gleaned from that night, and put them into practice, spreading the word abroad that the message does not have to have a (D) on the package to be valid. Let us look to be community-minded in this endeavor, and let us demonstrate what we have learned by voting for Michael Steele to represent us in the Senate.