Newscoma

I struggle sometimes to see the relevance of certain things and then small, significant things happen that put those very things into perspective for me.

I’m in Memphis right now. A stranger gave me a lesson on her views of the infrastructure here and why her city’s politics were fascinating. She did this while she was playing a Megatouch game that was somewhat like a Scrabble game.

“You new here?” she asked while staring at the screen, hitting letters to create words faster than the Blue Angels. My back was to her, so I was surprised that she had spoken to me. She was older, I’d say in her mid-50s, and was wearing a Beale Street T-shirt from 2003.

I nodded. She said she was a schoolteacher and noticed I was taking everything in. She called over the owner of the small bar I stopped into last night and introduced me to her. You could tell that she was somewhat of a regular, as their was an easiness between patron and owner. I told them who I was and we started talking. The conversation inevitably turned to politics when I told them about my part-time job. She told me her name was Sheila. The owner saw a friend of hers and left us to greet one of what I can only assume was a regular customer.

“Memphis politics is an odd funny game,” Sheila said, putting another quarter into the machine, her hands moving automatically into the creation of more words quickly. She eyed the machine and then gave me fleeting glances as to let me know that she was involved in the conversation and the game. “You just learning some of this stuff?”

I told her that I had watched Memphis politics for years, but always from outside the looking glass. She nodded as if she understood.

“I’ve been in the school system here for nearly 30 years. Herenton wasn’t a bad superintendent you know back in the beginning. He fought for us for some things we needed. Then he became mayor and we saw less of the man we knew. You familiar with him?”

I said that I was and that I’d seen him speak a few times.  I told her I didn’t understand why he’d run for mayor again only to say he was going to resign not even three months after the last mayoral election.

“I guess I just don’t get it,” I countered. “That just seemed like a colossal waste of time.”

She laughed, “No one does when it comes to him. You aren’t alone.”

Her game was over and she turned toward me. “Memphis is one of those places that politics doesn’t always make sense. We are the largest city in the state, but it’s like there are two or three cities here. The infighting in this town in incredible. I’ve been in the system myself for a long time and I can tell you that the thing that not only Memphis needs, but this entire state, is for people to be clear so we know what we are getting when we vote. I guess that is everywhere but it makes me lose faith. I want to know what’s going on. I don’t want politicians dumbing it down for me.”

She sighed. I was surprised she was being so frank with me, a total stranger, about her politics. Politics, such as topics such as religion, usually isn’t thrown out there within 15 minutes of meeting somebody.

“The thing is that we watch the fights, and then we find out about the bills these guys pass after the fact. But maybe it’s our fault too. I gave up on being a voice a long time ago when I thought I wasn’t making a difference. Do you think you make a difference?” Sheila looked at me intently.

(more…)

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.

Media ploy.

Plain and simple.

The mayor of Memphis took over the blogosphere and much of Memphis news last night hinting that he might run against Rep. Steve Cohen in the 9th district. Excuse me as I pick myself off the ground from the laughter.

Why am I laughing, you ask. It’s not a Ha-Ha that’s funny guffaw but more of one where I smirk and roll my eyes.

Because sitting over here on the sidelines in the 8th district, I’ve seen Willie Herenton do antics like this time and time again. I don’t know all the ins and out of Shelby County politics, and I own that, but I do know that he likes to dance with the media, a playful game of seduction that gives him headlines when times get a little tough for him.

And they are a bit tough right now, regardless of what one might think. He always has something going on.

Polar Donkey says this for some background:

Perhaps, or maybe additionally, how would the politician with the aforementioned investigators on his tail, undermine a possible coming indictment. You politicize it. If you declare you are running for an important office before an indictment, it casts doubt on the motivations of that indictment. Maybe its a conspiracy to keep him out of office? In an Obama Presidency I don’t know how much weight this will still carry but that might be a brier patch the Justice Department just doesn’t want to get into.

Herenton knows what he’s doing. Simply, it’s a public relations weapon of mass distraction.

Cohen has been good for Memphis and for the state. Herenton wants you to look at something bright and shiny to avoid what’s going on in his town right now.

So he says he’s taking on Cohen and everyone is going to talk about that instead of the storm that usually surrounds him.

Memphis old school politics is always intriguing to me because it is an art form that I think you have to live in Memphis to understand. It’s like watching a situation comedy that’s not very funny with a loud laugh track.

But, you know, I’m kind of smitten with Memphis politics nonetheless and I keep on watching. I’m going to make some popcorn. I’ll be over here in Hoots watching with bated breath.

Best political line of the day:

For a man who has won five terms as the Mayor of the 18th largest city in America, Willie Herenton has shown all the sensitivity of a drunken farmhand who has commandeered his boss’s tractor for a joyride into to town.

Heh. Left Wing Cracker is better than groovy.