By Rick Morris
In a recent column, I passionately took up for one of our Dignitaries, Burrell Jackson, when he put out a press release detailing controversial aspects of his race for Republican state central committeeman in the
Now, we’re a relatively new brand and I’m not an egotistical person (that assertion may have caused a lot of spit-takes, but it’s true!), so I was not presumptuous enough to assume that my column would cause anyone at Cuyahoga County Republican HQ to take notice. I am pleased to note that I was wrong about that; call it the power of Google Blog search or call it what you will, somehow, the rumblings from that column made their way all through the corridors of the local party establishment and folks are unhappy. So, since I have their attention, I’m going to expound once more before I let this go.
The word “tokenism” was used by me on behalf of my friend. It is a loaded term, as I know very well because I choose my words carefully. So I want to clarify that even though it was used in an angry manner, there is an underlying serious point that should be taken to heart.
I’ll start by addressing the comment section of that column. In it, a statement was posted from the Jim Trakas congressional campaign taking up for David Gunning and pointing out that even though Mr. Gunning contributed to Democrat Joe Cimperman, he also gave a maximum donation to the Trakas campaign. While my view of Mr. Gunning’s activities differs from that of Jim Trakas because of my admittedly biased perch as a
And it’s reciprocity that’s at the core of my initial critique. The
Such a pattern is nothing new. I should note that many, many moons ago as a then-idealistic very young activist that I ended up volunteering for a black GOP candidate who was running in a fairly significant race (I’ll note that it was late in the Bob Hughes era but I’ll not provide a year because I don’t want to mention the candidate, who has not asked to become a part of this controversy). He, too, ended up on his own in that race notwithstanding the fact that he was a viable potential building block for East Side Republicanism. So the moral of the story is that the names change but the story remains the same.
I understand the notion of limited finances and of having to prioritize where dollars and organizational support goes. This, too, is not a new story for this party and I suspect for Republican organizations in urban areas all over the country. But the two circumstances are in many ways connected and the dream of constructing an actual two-party system in the minority community will never be realized until money and commitment match rhetoric – and charismatic, accomplished leaders like Burrell Jackson need to be the foundation for such an endeavor.
Words must match deeds. If Burrell is a vital piece of a grand plan going forward, then he must be supported even if his first few campaigns are longshots. The bottom-line obsession with ONLY putting cash into possible or likely winners does nothing for the long haul and frustrates those who allowed themselves to believe things were changing. To the inevitable counterpoint that he is responsible for his own campaign: of course he is, but his contacts and Rolodex are nothing compared to the resources available to the organization as a whole!
If this party organization, and others like it, wish to avoid the “T word,” then they must step up and truly support those who are showing what amounts to real bravery by embracing the role of Republican advocate in the black community.
