COUNTER TO THE POINT

Believing In One’s Own Hype Is The

First Step Towards Irrelevance

January 3, 2009

One of the reasons why I like having my own blog is it gives me a chance to expound on what I say in the press since they usually only give me one or two lines and it always seem that the most critical lines are chosen.

It is not my intention for this blog to be all about criticizing Mayor Booker, in fact contrary to popular opinion I have been a fan and continue to be a fan of his since ‘98 when he first ran for Central Ward Council.

Truth is told I was not the only fan of his. Most young upcoming leaders in Newark including Ras Baraka at one point had some working relationship with him starting with the meetings we use to hold at Focus when Anibal Ramos was the Director and Hector Corchado was the Hispanic leading the charge for Latino power in the City.

You see before the press decided to write the plot, young leaders in Newark were coming together. Booker was just one of many leaders at the table, not The One. It was at these meetings where the events that the press gave Booker all the credit for was planned and implemented.

Few if any of you would know that I helped plan and participated in sleeping under the tent at Garden Spires and marched in the Youth Awareness march around the City. In fact I personally had to approach Mayor James about giving us the permit to march because at the time the City did not want to give us the permit to march due to Booker’s involvement. I and Baraka walked away from the table at Focus because Booker’s handlers stated that events planned had to benefit Booker or they wouldn’t participate and we didn’t sign up for that.

Fathers in the Hood, an organization that was started by me and a few of my childhood friends from the Central Ward, had joint events with Booker for the children of the Central Ward. When Booker lost in ‘02 I personally escorted him to DC to meet with SEIU President Andy Stern and took the heat for doing it from Newark politicians when I got back. So unlike most of the chin wipers around him I’ve been in the trenches with him from the start and have the scars to prove it.

You ask yourself if this is true why the public perception that the two of you don’t get along? Well simple, I don’t believe the hype nor do I revel in it. I’m not a chin wiper. I to am a leader in my own right. I have always been the type of leader who calls it as I see it with everyone even those I support. If a policy is implemented that I think benefits the residents in the City I say good job. If they are not sound policies for the residents then I question them and suggest how it should be done different.

I’m not down with the “Hate Booker At All Cost” crew but I will challenge him on policy as I should since it was his policy ideas that won me over, most of which either are not implemented as of yet or he changed once he got elected.

If former Mayor James was here he would tell you he and I had a lot of disagreements yet he never pushed me away even if those around him rather he did. Booker handlers on the other hand choose to do the opposite if you don’t agree with everything the Mayor does, and then they feel it is their job to shield him away from the criticism or me in this instance.

The poll that was released is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Why release a poll saying you have an 80% favorability rating? Clearly the approval rating is what you should be focusing on. The handlers around him though believe if the approval rating is only at the high 50% or low 60% then that is not enough. They would rather quote the favorability number since this is the number that makes him seem invincible and continue the hype around him. It is this same logic and same handlers who have weakened him to the point where he can now only hold on to one of the two assembly seats he won a year ago.

The point:

An opinion other than “you the man boss” is good to have around you. It makes for a better leader. Hype is something that coaches do for their players before a game that they have a slim chance of winning. You can never win in the game of politics, you can only try to keep up. You see I would have rather given him the low number so that he can see he has work to do. Believing in your own hype doesn’t resolve the problems the people you were elected to represent are faced with. It just gives the impression that the problems are solved.

And that’s the point…. Counter

The 5REASONS Report

See You Later, 2008! Don’t Bother to Call, Either

By 5Reasons

January 3, 2009

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Okay, who am I kidding? It was just the worst of times. Except for November 4th, it was a wholly unforgettable and regrettable year. Fortunately for us, the calendar has changed, and perhaps we can start anew. But the negative effects of the economic collapse may impact us for some time to come.

Throughout the year, the national political class talked about the struggles on “Main Street” juxtaposed with the problems of Wall Street. Indeed, the Main Streets of the country have long been forgotten, and some of them like Newark are all but abandoned. In 2008, Newark saw more than 40% of its available properties for sale driven to the market by foreclosures. Families and folks losing their homes have become so commonplace that it is considered the norm. The dream of homeownership has been whisked away by poor financial products that exploited undereducated consumers.

In September, when AIG and their banking brethren crumbled, President Bush declared some companies “too large to fail.” Taxpayers handed over a trillion dollars to these outfits with the understanding that it would eventually help ordinary consumers, like working-class Newark families, to stay in their homes. But throughout this crisis, we have learned yet again that working folks aren’t a priority. They passed out those shiny new $100 bills, but there hasn’t been one concrete plan to help the folks who are losing their homes.

Newarkers, fortunately, are a resilient group that has seen tough times before. The word “recession” is a Burbarian economic concept; in Newark, we know that jobs are always scarce, and we know the harsh realities of daily living. Simply put, no one is actively looking out for your interests. Anything you get, you have to earn and then some. But even Newarkers, as tough as they are, could use some relief every now and then. And this is one of those times.

In 2009, policymakers should focus their attention on more than saving the Fortune 500. It’s humorous to consider how this trillion dollars in corporate welfare compares to the much less expensive social welfare from a decade ago. But in a society that values wealth more than productivity or the dignity of work, those are the skewed program proposals you get.

If there is anything good to say about 2008, it’s that it’s over. The saying is that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Well, we’ve certainly gained some quality muscle mass last year. So long, 2008; don’t bother to call or write.