Just Give Us A Chance

By Lucius Gantt, The Westside Gazette
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
https://thewestsidegazette.com/

Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has made a couple of “stump speeches” recently and talked about possibilities and opportunities.

When President Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate, Joe Biden gave Kamala Harris a monumental opportunity.

Biden didn’t have to withdraw from the Presidential race and when he did, he didn’t have to release his Democratic delegates, he didn’t have to release his campaign contributions, and he didn’t have to endorse Vice President Harris.

Joe Biden gave Kamala Harris an opportunity.

Biden didn’t have to make his campaign team available to Kamala, but he did, and she quickly moved to hire top members of the Biden team.

Joe Biden gave Kamala Harris an opportunity.

I have no problem with Biden and his team doing everything they can to help Kamala Harris defeat the disgraceful and disrespectful convicted criminal, Donald Trump.

Kamala Harris is a great candidate who has had a winning record, but she is not a super campaign consultant or a political media consultant. Still, Kamala Harris has had opportunities.

At the time this column was written, the big question was: who was Kamala Harris going to select as her running mate?

Well, obviously, she needs a good campaigner, a good speaker, and someone she believes could take over the office of President, if need be.

In my mind, she also needs a VP who will trust her, work with her, and be loyal to her.

The MAGA media continues to insist that polls will decide whether Kamala Harris will be elected as the first female President of the United States.

The “polls” are close. Kamala is trending higher than Biden was trending before her, but let The Gantt Report tell you what is going to happen, after the Democratic Convention, if Democrats don’t muck it up, Kamala’s “poll numbers” will be higher than Trump’s! Each party gets a “poll bump” after being on primetime TV for four nights in a row.

Today, if you watch network news, you’ll see white political consultants comment about Kamala and the Presidential race.

On CNN, you’re likely to see David Axelrod, a chief consultant for former President Barack Obama, talking about the 2024 race.

If you don’t know, at one time, Axelrod’s claim to fame was his work with Black candidates. What you also may not know, when Axelrod worked on the campaign for a Black candidate in Florida there was a Black political consultant sitting at the same table right next to the Black candidate that Axelrod was pitching his services to.

No disrespect to Axelrod or to Barack Obama, but Kamala Harris can be better than Obama. Why? She can be better because Obama gave Blacks who went to ivy league schools work opportunities because ivy league “professionals” were the pollsters and consultants he knew of.

Kamala Harris went to Howard University, an HBCU. Kamala knows Black people from Black communities who have excelled in their professions, Kamala knows Black women and Black men who have had to be better and work harder to get “opportunities” that they never received before.

Kamala needs Black political professionals on her team that love her, will support her, will fight for her, will watch her back and will not be afraid to tell others on the Kamala team how to generate a voter turnout as high as Obama’s, or much higher.

Kamala must know the Democratic messaging is suspect and not at all sufficient to guarantee her victory in November. The messaging is pale and has no geo-demographic targeting, the timing for GOTV outreach is wrong and the last-minute “hush money” thrown at the black press is nowhere near enough. White messages “dipped in chocolate” are not good messages that should motivate and inspire 90% of the Democratic party’s strongest and most loyal base of voters to turn out in record-breaking numbers.

Finally, Kamala should know qualified and professional Black printers, Black political writers, Black political trainers, Black TV and radio producers, Black professional GOTV companies, Black social media advertisers, Black fundraisers, Black mailers and Black political consultants do exist.

No one will have to tell Kamala to hire women, Jews, and Hispanics on her team, they will be there and many on her staff will have purchasing power to hire people or purchase goods and services.

Most of the people making money in Democratic politics were hired long ago by Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who had the same job Jamie Harrison, a Black man, has right now. Tell me, what Black professionals have Harrison hired in decision-making positions or in political purchasing decisions? I’ll wait. I’m not talking about untrained door knockers, phone callers, texters, and people like that. I’m talking about Blacks who have worked with the same politicians as Axelrod, Steve Fisher, Sergio Bendixen and other famous white and Hispanic consultants.

Kamala, put some Black political professionals at your campaign table that can professionally advise you and your Biden consultants.

Joe Biden gave Kamala the opportunity of her life, the opportunity to make history.

Kamala, there are Blacks with great political minds, great media minds and great business minds that Black and white candidates love and trust.

Kamala you talk about possibilities and opportunities. Just give Black political professionals a chance. Give us an opportunity to make history with you!

Just give us a chance!