St. Louis City Politics - Change I Can't Believe In

Can someone tell me is it me or my imagination that there once was visceral dislike of the policies and governance of Mayor Francis Slay? Am I off base by thinking there was this strong recall movement, and a desire of many in North St. Louis to seek change at 1200 Market? Or was that change “not to be believed in”? Am I just too caught up in Obamania that what I see as a strong movement to replace Mayor Slay is just a hologram? It's December folks, the filing deadline is weeks away, and the best opposition so far is Irene Smith. The line coined by Shakespeare in Julius Caesar, “ambition must be made of sterner stuff than that” rings loud – and true. Traversing through the CWE I see the Slay signs already up. Now I know this is St. Louis, part of a state that absolutely refused to turn blue – no thanks to the “great” voter turnout, more about that later – and whose black leadership often has history of looking like a circular firing squad. And I realize the black leadership often split, often manipulated, and often toothless still plod along with 20th century approaches to politics. But does not the manner in which Barack Obama won White House, by effective use of the internet, prodigious fund raising, and finding the best and the brightest to manage his campaign, serve as a winning template?
So on December 20, 2008 can someone tell me why the same folks who were expending energy on a re-call effort, now limp along when it comes to an actual election? A few years ago, I remember asking one of the leaders “well if you recall Mayor Slay” who you gonna get to run? That person looked at me squarely and smugly and said “me” Well it’s “me time” but the most resounding sound from those folks now is silence. Humm.

This summer I volunteered for the Obama Campaign for Change, and on the day after Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver, I drove an Obama Field Organizer around one of their assigned wards to give them the lay of the land. I have a feeling my action that afternoon was far more than the Alderman or Committee people did for that organizer – all summer. But we canvassed; we made phone calls; our efforts were inspired. Asians, college students, whites of many ages knocking on doors throughout North St Louis in hopes of delivering change. The recruitment of volunteers was consistently a tough task, yet noticeable by their absence and impact, were the ward organizations. The field organizer would ask me the existing ground game, and I would say, less than a month ago folks were knocking at my door on behalf of the committepeople, now two weeks later, they can’t produce anyone to do something as prosaic as data entry. Interesting. Thus the North City voter turnout numbers produced last month in the St. Louis American was telling. And yes I would invite readers, as did the American to make whatever connections they deem necessary in ward turnout, and the effectiveness and/or agenda of the Alderman in those wards.

I agree with the lead editorial in last week’s American, which asked where is the leadership that will bring about a real challenge to the Slay Administration. What troubles me is the lack of a political insfrastrure needed to unseat an unpopular Mayor, and an utter lack of message. I remember the great riff that then Senator Obama said about John McCain, saying that the McCain team was running out of ideas, out of issues and out time. One can easily apply that line to that once engaged anti Slay movement. It appears that what is afoot is a campaign built solely around anti Slay sentiment, but not about bringing change and reform. That mentality is an insult, and is demeaning. St. Louis needs a candidate to address issues like the broken Public School System, mismanagement in the Police Department, and a crumbling infrastructure. In addition there needs to be reform in city development which currently allows Alderman total control over block grant funds which have too often have lead to incomplete and sometimes disconnected development projects.
Working for the campaign for change, was a once in a lifetime experience, seeing effective, sober, disciplined grassroots politics that worked, and yes it was a reflection of the man at the top Barack Obama. When I contrast that to the politics of North St Louis, the contrast between the politics and the political leadership in this city is downright shaming.

Progressive Left - Is there cheese with that "whine" ?

I enjoy a good glass of wine to end the day, perhaps a nice crisp Cabernet Sauvignon. But my gut tells me that the wine producers are getting a lot of orders from inside the beltway. And the ahem “whine” requests are ironically coming from the so called “Progressive” wing of the Democratic Party. What amazes me is that these are supposed to be the intellectuals, the ones that “get it”. Yet, their hand wringing over the “Clintonian” look of the Obama cabinet, or President Elect Obama’s decision not to actively campaign in the Georgia Senate runoff election is extremely disappointing. They continue to question President Elect Obama’s change mantra as if competence is not a component of change, as if they fail to grasp the concept that the idealistic realities of a primary campaign and general election, may give way to the more sobering realities of the Oval Office in real time. They seem to have forgotten that the sixteen month Iraq withdrawal timetable introduced by then Senator Obama and supported by the left has been effectively adopted by both Bagdad, and the Bush Administration. And that Bush holdover Gates will be charged to manage that withdrawal. If you listen to the whine from the left, one would think Gates will secretly work to lengthen the conflict.

As I wrote in my blog Browner, Younger and Smarter, the Obama coalition that reflects that title, turned to Obama primarily because of their perception he would bring competence back to the White House. As it stands now the liberal wing of the Democratic Party seems to have gotten the case of “yes buts” meaning - yes Larry Summers, Paul Volker, Tim Geithner, and Hillary Clinton are competent, high quality picks, but whaaaa, what about us?

What about you on the left? During the campaign, those on the left, as well as many independent voters, decried Senator McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin as the anthesis of “Country First”. Now as it appears that President Elect Obama is making country first decisions, choosing direct reports who have respect on both sides of the aisle, as competent, intelligent policy technicians with gravitas both at home and abroad to pursue Obama’s policy directives. The key formulation is these will be President Obama’s policy objectives. No matter whose administration these individuals served under before, and their past political loyalties notwithstanding, President Elect Obama has made it crystal clear, they now work for him.

As a person who wrote in October 2006 that Senator Obama should stand down and give way to the inevitability of Senator Hillary Clinton, I understand the error of underestimating Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Obama is a very astute politician - a fact ought not to be “slept on”. This is not a man who will allow his reports to undermine his vision. And let's be clear Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett, will be in the room when every key decision is being made, protecting his backside. As for Obama's own political instincts recall that then Senator Obama understood the potential danger of Reverend Wright long before the media picked up on his speeches, and put distance between him by not allowing him to speak at his announcement rally in Springfield, he turned down public financing as it became clear to him he was sitting on a cash cow, and decided against the town hall debates with Senator McCain in order to get his message out with more clarity. Senator Obama while having the most liberal voting record has been moving toward a more pragmatic, and realistic centrist position since he won the nomination. Why, because that’s where the country is. The country rejected writ large the failed policies that were driven from the extreme of the right, and President Elect Obama is wise not to allow the political pendulum to drift dangerously to the left. Remember his oft stump remark, this election is about “big things” and as the days and weeks have passed since his election, those “things” have gotten even bigger.

Senator Obama needs Republican support; he needs John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, as much as he needs Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, and Nancy Pelosi. As Karl Rove mentioned President Obama will have about 180 days before the first Congressional break, he can’t hit the ground running by marginalizing the Republican Party, or governing as if they don’t exists. That is change we can believe in. This is change that makes sense. As for those on the left who feel they are shut out? The aforementioned troika of gatekeepers Emanuel Axelrod, and Jarrett are positioned to provide a listening ear to views of the left, and make sure that their concerns, and input is included in the process.
Members of the left, we should all raise a glass to the victory of Barack Obama, and a return of competent government, but let’s not sully that glass with bitterness based on unrealistic views of what change means.