Commentary by Lucius Gantt

Whatever city you live in, in whatever state, a lot of African-Americans sought victory in the 2006 political primary elections. Without looking at the results, I know most Black candidates lost!

They’ll say, "Negroes didn’t turn out to vote for me" or "Black folks don’t like to vote in the rain." They will even say, "Black voters don’t know what is good for them!"

I say that Black voters are some of the smartest voters in the electorate. Punk candidates can’t see it but there is a new generation of Black voters in America. The new Black voter is not influence by campaigns that offer chicken dinners and beer. The new Black voter is not impressed with symbolic actions by incumbent politicians such as voting for holidays and recognizing Black sports teams. The new Black voter will not answer multiple automated campaign calls on the day before the election. The new Black voter will throw away any leaflets that clutter their car windshields on the first Sunday in September or November.

The new generation of Black voters are disgusted with putting politicians first and having politicians put Black voters last.

No candidates hire professional Black campaign consultants, not even the Negro candidates.

The losing candidates of African descent, spend most, if not all, of their campaign dollars with white political vendors. They buy their signs from whites, they buy their T-shirts from whites, they get their literature printed by white printers, they spend all of the advertising dollars with the white owned media.

Most Black community members are not mad with the losing Black candidates. The candidates shouldn’t be mad when we look at them and laugh at their political incompetence.

Black politicians and Black voters in Black communities should stick together. We should help each other, we should patronize each other and we should respect each other!

If candidates think Blacks are professionally inferior during the campaign, they will feel Blacks are inferior once they are elected. If voters think candidates are dumb and stupid during the campaign, they will believe the candidates will do some dumb stuff if they get elected!

We need a new generation of Black political candidates to go along with the new generation of Black voters.

Black politicians that run their own campaigns continued to be viewed like lawyers that represent themselves in court. Black candidates must utilize Black-owned media such as Black newspapers, radio stations and television stations. Black candidates must use Black printers and Black caterers. Black candidates must use more Black sign makers and automated call centers. Black candidates must hire Black graphic designers and copywriters.

Black voters must support the Black candidates that support Black communities.

Continue to let handkerchief-headed candidates lose and continue to laugh at their losses after the elections are over! (Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net)