I’m in Memphis right now and yesterday I went to Monumental Baptist Church to Rainbow Push’s Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. event. Not only did the service celebrate the holiday, for the first time I got to see some authentic Memphis politicking.
In a word, wow.
I have seen former Mayor Willie Herenton speak before in 2007 at the Media Reform Conference (he was with Rep. Steve Cohen on the stage which when you look back in the time machine is a bit ironic), but it’s been awhile and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him stumping it. Later in the day when I met up with Steve Ross, who had Mabelsat for me for the part of the afternoon, I told him that Herenton’s body language was a sight to see.
He smiled deliberately at me.
“You ready for some Memphis politics?” he grinned. “There is nothing like it.”
“Herenton’s got moves,” I responded because I’m always fascinated by politicians’ body language. How they move says a lot. The Herenton I saw yesterday was much different than four years ago. “It was almost like a work of art.”
“He doesn’t like Steve Cohen very much, does he?” I knew the answer to this question, incidentally. I’m not naive.
Ross just smiled again. I realized at that moment that I have a lot to learn about Memphis politics. Not the big picture stuff, but those things lurking right below the surface so attending the services yesterday basically was just the tip of the iceburg in my education of political wrangling in the River City.
Ross asked who else was there and I told him that Mayor AC Wharton took to the stage as did Shelby Co. Mayor Joe Ford. Kind words of MLK’s dedication to fighting injustice. How his actions have molded generations throughout the year. Preachers took to the stage telling of how King had to keep knocking for three loaves of bread at midnight and that he kept on knocking when the door was slammed in his face referencing Luke 11:5.
Money was taken up for Haiti and Dr. Kenneth Roberson said it was midnight there now just as it had been midnight in America before King kept on knocking.
The event lasted more than three hours. Yet I was still fascinated with Herenton, who told the crowd that Martin Luther King was a “man” who did things to break down doors and had to go through being scrutinized continually by J. Edgar Hoover.
“I’m know the man is dead and I’m going to say something that you aren’t going to like,” he said. “But I understand now what King felt like when it comes to bedrooms being bugged if you know what I mean.”
As his speech went on, there was a hypnotic quality to him talking around the issues that have been going on.And that’s kind of how I saw it. He talked around things, not coming out and saying them. He said repeatedly that he wasn’t going to talk about politics, but I found that everything he said was exactly what he was doing with double meanings pressed directly into the bulk of his speech.
He continued to say that he was a “man” but he was born a boy in 1940. It was the spine of the 20 minutes speech. Although he never said it, you knew he was referring to Cohen. The message was “I’m the man, he’s the boy” which Ross said he has done repeatedly. I’ve seen it from the outside looking in, but I’ve never seen him doing it.
A woman next to me who’s small, absolutely beautiful daughter kept offering me cookies and trying to put lip gloss on me, said, “I guess he isn’t going to bring up the child support.”
I just smiled. I didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t say it with any inflection, so I wasn’t sure how she really felt regarding Herenton. She said this to me knowingly as if we had just shared a secret. I honestly don’t have an opinion on that but she apparently did.
I just didn’t know what it was.
I’ve often said that I’d love to live in Memphis just for the mere joy of going into the voting booth to hit Cohen’s name for whatever office he’s running for. I’d still love it. With that said, I want you to know the main thing I learned yesterday watching Herenton. Cohen is going to have a race in front of him. Herenton didn’t hold back and his body language was what held my attention as much as anything, his former training as a boxer, which Ross informed me about, had him weaving ever so subtly, floating like a butterfuly, to quote the wonderful Muhammad Ali.
But his words stung like a bee.
Later in the evening, sitting with LWC and Ross, I was given a Cliff’s Notes version of Memphis Politics 101.
Needless to say, I find this all to be fascinating.
A million years ago, Herenton was the Superintendent of schools. White parents all over Shelby County put their children in private school. It was rude and wrong, but set a foundation for Memphis’s relationship with Herenton that is based on everything except what matters most.
I’m learning more about him right now. I honestly find him to be fascinating.
Cathy McCaughan….I don’t believe I’ve heard or read anyone state the development of the former Mayor’s relationship with the city of Memphis more succinctly. I think you’ve hit the proverbial nail squarely on the head.
Trace, wow, I am surprised you heard the “dog whistles”. This is power politics. Power in every sense of the word, not just for an ego trip, but to change the landscape. Just remember, there’s usually an equal and opposite reaction to playing this rough. WW can be the most charming politico when he wants to be, he is that gifted. But, in the end, he has chosen to be radioactive. Hopefully the city has moved on, I guess we will see in August 2010.
Coming from upstate and in Nashville, I have seen politics played for the win and some politics played a little dirty, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone come out with a baseball bat so deliberately. You guys have a pretty interesting political environment here on the Mississippi. Thanks for the feedback. I think you hit it on the head when you said he’s chosen to be radioactive.
I’m just visiting your fine city, but do you as a Memphian think Herenton’s got a shot?
Does Herenton have a chance? Yes he does. Look at his last two elections for mayor. Will he win…. I really don’t think so, but he will make damn sure Cohen is good and bloody before it’s over.
Herenton has a pod boss mentality. It is always about him and everything is framed as a challenge to his power.
Cohen is pretty good at standing up to a bully. The best thing for Cohen is that Herenton not get indicted. That’s what Herenton wants so he can play the victim and run as an underdog fighter. When Herenton doesn’t get indicted, Cohen should call him out by saying there’s no indictment and no conspiracy to get you, it is just about the issues and leadership (Not really, this election is all about personalities.).
You’ve got to stand up to Herenton’s bullying and counter attack what he perceives as his own strength. That throws him on the defensive or pushes him to sound completely crazy. It pretty easy to attack his leadership. MSARC scandal, the animal Shelter, Bass Pro Shop. But the thing that would drive him nuts, saying the city is starting to do better without him. The world didn’t end when Herenton left and people aren’t getting exhausted by his antics anymore.
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Herenton has one indisputable and inarguable fact that is the cornerstone of his campaign: He is a black man seeking to represent black voters in a state that doesn’t have any black representation on the national level. As Obama’s election showed, that resonates very deeply in the Ninth District.
Cohen and Herernton’s enemies will do their best to make his as radioactive as possible but, as you can see, it doesn’t matter a whit to Herenton. He truly doesn’t care because of his unshakeable faith in the one indisputabel and inarguable fact.
Cohen has a record of constituent service to show, but Herenton has proven he takes care of his own. Again, Herenton’s enemies will make hay of that. But African-American voters will read it very differently than white progressives and Herenton’s critics will.
This race will get very, very ugly; believe that. Cohen knows that, but I don’t think he’s willing to go as low as Herenton will and that will be Cohen’s undoing.
In the end, Herenton will make the race about ‘race’. He has stated it in print and it will both be his primary strength and his primary undoing.
When he goes into the ‘race’ issue, don’t be surprised if this election gain national attention and put Memphis, once again, under the microscope of race and how it response to Herenton’s kind of racism.
Cohen will win. Memphis will win. Racism will be put one step deeper in its grave.
“Memphis Deserves Better” and Memphis deserves Steve Cohen more than it can endure the national embarrassment that Herenton is going to become.