Re-post #2 is a comment Eye made in response to this diary written by the founder and blog administrator, mooncat: John Knight Backs Artur Davis
That's nice. Seriously though, this statement made by Knight (no pun) exemplifies the quandary some black voters (moi included) and established African Americans organizations like the ADC face regarding Davis's candidacy;
Knight said he's also proud that he is alive at a time when the state has an opportunity to elect a black man to the office of governor.On the one hand Knight says he' proud to be alive at a time when the state has an opportunity to elect a black man to the office of governor, but on the other hand he says "he's not running because he's black". Davis does the same thing. On the one hand he says the state has an opportunity to elect a black man as governor, but on the other hand he says it's not about race.
"And he's not running because he's black," Knight said. "He's running because he's qualified."
So what do black voters and African American political organizations do? Do we vote for him out of racial loyalty? Do we vote for him because he's qualified? Or,do we vote for him because he shares our political philosophy?
If black voters vote for him out of racial loyalty does that make us racist? Should blacks vote for him because he's qualified or because he's more qualified than his opponent? Why would black voters vote against their self interest and for a candidate who doesn't share their political philosophy?
With all due respect to Representative John Knight, if you ask the average James (opposite of Joe) who John Knight is they wouldn't know. If you ask the average James who the ADC is, they know. Does that make the ADC a Kingmaker? I don't know. But the ADC and voters like myself have to decide if we are going to back Artur Davis. In a perfect world we could vote for the candidate who represents our self interest.
One thing I will say about Davis's candidacy, it is pitting democrat vs democrat, white vs black, conservative vs liberal, white progressives vs black progressives, pro choice vs anti choice, north AL vs south AL, rural voters vs urban voters. And some call me "divisive"? Go figure.So, tell me what was wrong with the content of that comment?
The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.~Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D. MA)
3 comments:
What was wrong with the content of your comment was the scope. Left in Alabama is a statewide group. It's not Left in Redeye's part of Alabama or Left in North Alabama.
John Knight's backing of Arthur Davis was news to at least those in his district (Montgomery). The people in his district should know who he is. He should be more important to them then the ADC. When you said "if you ask the average James (opposite of Joe) who John Knight is they wouldn't know", you were basically saying that John Knight is a nobody.
To use recent events as an example, it would be like somebody in South Huntsville saying that the average person don't know who Richard Showers is but the average person in Huntsville would know who the Huntsville City School Board is.
The average person may know who the ADC is but does the average person know who makes up the ADC?
The first part of your comment was great. Where you went wrong was you went to far. If you left out the one paragraph about if the average James knows who John knight was, I don't think that there should have been any problem with that comment. You brought up good points about voting and race.
I don't agree with your points, but thanks for sharing.
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