Times endorsement: Hope or fear?
If you read Sunday's Times, you found two endorsements for Cedric Glover. On the editorial page, a well-written piece gave the why for the endorsement. "In a racially balanced city, too many view cross-town neighborhoods with wariness, when a little talk and empathy would reveal a common desire for a better Shreveport. We believe Cedric Glover offers the best blend of skills and credibility to lead and inspire Shreveport to its better nature over the next four years."
The front page endorsement, not so well masked as a news story, was not what we would identify as a call for unity. In her lead paragraph, Times reporter Michelle Mahfoufi wrote, "Images from the Ku Klux Klan's night rides and other intimidation tactics to keep black voters from the polls still haunt 88-year-old Maggie Roberson. It's the reason she's never voted. "It got so bad. Every night and morning I'd turn on the TV and two or three of them got killed," Roberson said."
Unfortunately, the Times seems to be rallying black Shreveport around the sordid past and not the promising future on which both Cedric and Jerry Jones have campaigned. The front page piece (one of two; the other hyping actors and activists supporting Glover) insinuates the "white demon" which lies just under the surface of Shreveport could resurrect itselt at any moment, and only a black administration can fairly represent a "racially balanced" city.
Is the paper's endorsement the push which Cedric needs, or is it one more effort to put white Shreveport on a guilt trip all the way to the voting booth?
The front page endorsement, not so well masked as a news story, was not what we would identify as a call for unity. In her lead paragraph, Times reporter Michelle Mahfoufi wrote, "Images from the Ku Klux Klan's night rides and other intimidation tactics to keep black voters from the polls still haunt 88-year-old Maggie Roberson. It's the reason she's never voted. "It got so bad. Every night and morning I'd turn on the TV and two or three of them got killed," Roberson said."
Unfortunately, the Times seems to be rallying black Shreveport around the sordid past and not the promising future on which both Cedric and Jerry Jones have campaigned. The front page piece (one of two; the other hyping actors and activists supporting Glover) insinuates the "white demon" which lies just under the surface of Shreveport could resurrect itselt at any moment, and only a black administration can fairly represent a "racially balanced" city.
Is the paper's endorsement the push which Cedric needs, or is it one more effort to put white Shreveport on a guilt trip all the way to the voting booth?
posted by The Pat Culverhouse Show at 11/06/2006 09:13:00 AM
5 Comments:
The Times needs to stop telling us how to vote. We are a lot smarter than some of the out-of-towners they have covering local news. Creditable newspapers don't endorse anymore -- they inform. Let me see if I understand this...The Times endorses Jim McCrery, a Republican, who needs to be voted out of office. The problems The Times cited as reasons to vote for McCrery are problems McCrery helped create. Then The Times endorses Cedric Glover for mayor...a candidate who does not have a college education, is a professional politician, is the candidate of Hightower and Pernici, and whose record in Baton Rouge is lackluster. What am I missing here? The Times needs to get a grip on reality and stop reflecting its editorial opinions in its news stories. Cases in point: A big story about Glover on the front page which mentions the KKK, and then a story of the front page saying that the Democrats are not friends of big oil. That is a bad thing? And then they quote Bobby Jelks, who is McCrery's treasurer. How stupid does the The Times think we are?
The Times has no shame. They also ran a front page story which said the Democrats are not good for the big oil companies. And they quoted McCrery's treasurer. And who did they endorse for Congress? That rag does not even try to be subtle anymore. There's no one down at The Times who I would listen to when it comes to anything. They are so out of touch. What The Times did with Glover is going to backfire. It just convinced more whites they have to go and vote -- and that includes me.
I've been listening to Larry Ryan broadcasting his show from Jerry Jones' campaign headquarters. I wonder if anyone from their station is going over to Cedric Glover's headquarters and broadcast? If not, well, sounds like an endorsement for Jones from the Radio Group to me.
The Times' endorsement of McCrery was an attempt to appear less "liberal". Should anyone claim such, they can counter with "we endorsed McCrery, how is that liberal?"
I think Jones must have purchased the remote broadcast from Larry Ryan. Good move on his part.
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