Now that the story regarding a suspect contract Annette Taddeo, as Chair of the Miami-Dade DEC, made with her Executive Director, Juan Cuba is out, and while the likes of Pam Bondi, and whoever else, is looking into said contract ( as well she should), I have a rather pressing question:
Why wasn’t this contract, if it was legal and above board, not put out for an open bid? Why weren’t African-American Political Consulting Firms given the opportunity to provide “consulting” services to the Miami-Dade DEC?
Florida Democratic Party shenanigans aside, when it comes to political consulting, African-Americans are all but shut out of getting a piece of that pie.
Annette Taddeo isn’t the first, and won’t be the last, to keep lucrative contracts away from African-Americans, while counting on us to provide votes, and giving these contracts to friends.
Taddeo gave a contract to her Executive Director. In fact, it appears as though this company, 537 Consulting, LLC, was formed for the sole reason of not having to pay benefits to staff. All appearances of impropriety aside, and it DOES appear that there was impropriety there, where was this inclusiveness Taddeo speaks of? She didn’t just not choose an African-American firm, she didn’t even open it up for them to bid!
But she now wants our votes for Charlie Crist!
With the negative reaction Minorities already have towards Crist, this isn’t doing him any favors.
Really Annette? I have to give you a big fat “Bye Felicia” on that one!
Actions speak louder than words, and behavior such as Taddeo’s, and Democrats around the country, is screaming out: “Hey Black people, we want your votes, but we aren’t going to spend money in your communities!”
Aaron Blake did a piece for The Washington Post regarding the lack of money the Democratic Party spends with racially minority firms. It was sickening and sad.
Read it for yourselves.
The party that likes to talk about how big its tent is, how much more inclusive than Republicans it is, won’t spend very much money on Minority Business Enterprises.
They want our votes, but not our business.
Donna Brazille compared the consultant game to a “racket” in which minority-run firms are not being included.
I spoke to several African-American Political Consultants based in Miami, and they all said the same thing: “We never expect these people to use us, except in the context of using us to help secure votes. They don’t want to spend any notable amount of money with us”
Personally, I say African-Americans shouldn’t continue to blindly and faithfully give their votes away, and get nothing in return. If our businesses aren’t good enough for these people, these people shouldn’t be good enough for our votes.
I also say we have to start looking at those African-American leaders who are supposed to be representing our interests and ask ourselves: Is this person REALLY looking out for our best interests, or is this person being a typical “House Negro”, and only looking out for himself so that he can curry favor with “Massa”.
Yeah I said it, and I meant it!
That slave mentality has to change.
It will only change if we change it. If our so-called leaders are afraid of not receiving crumbs if they speak out publicly, then I guess myself and other like-minded people will have to continue to do so. Look around you. If you are suffering, your businesses are suffering, and yet your representatives are living the high life, something is wrong.
Now this actually applies to anyone, not just African-Americans, but for now, it is African-Americans I am speaking to, because it is in this community that the LEAST amount of consulting dollars is spent.
Someone asked me why I don’t just go Independent.
I’m not leaving the Democratic Party, although I’m sure there are those who want me to do so because they don’t want me talking openly and honestly about their shortcomings.
What I AM going to do, though, is continue to enlighten my people. I’m going to continue to tell my people just how powerful they, and their votes, are.
Did you know that while the Democratic Party has so few minority consultants, minority votes accounted for 44% of President Obama’s vote totals in 2012?
Now that figure includes minorities other than African-Americans, but we showed in 2008, as well as 2012, that when we turn out, we are a force to be reckoned with!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Democrats are taking our votes for granted, and have made us believe that they don’t have to work to earn them.
It isn’t true. It simply isn’t true.
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Leslie Wimes
Latest posts by Leslie Wimes (see all)
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“Truer words were never written” !!! Another fact: The 2010 Census states that Broward County, Florida has become a “Minority Majority” County in its population breakdown, yet the make up of elected officials does not reflect it. We have the numbers. We need to stand together and support each other politically.