September 17, 2010 | 4:15 PM | By Anna
Democratic Primary winner Vincent Gray was on WAMU 88.5′s Kojo Nnamdi Show today, taking questions and talking about the future. My favorite moment? When Kojo quoted a recent Colbert King column which contained this comedic gold; apparently Ward 8 political activist Philip Pannell once told WJLA that “that the makeup of Fenty’s cabinet, and his nominations to boards and commissions, “makes Tony Williams look like Shaka Zulu.”" After the laughter in the studio subsided, Kojo asked Gray “How will race factor in to the decisions you make in forming your cabinet, what is your sensitivity to the issue?”
Gray: “I want a cabinet that looks like the city. And that would be the template that I will try to use.”
See a video of the whole exchange (via The Kojo Nnamdi Show’s YouTube channel), below the fold.
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September 17, 2010 | 2:07 PM | By Anna
Bread for The World
After-school program, Washington, D.C.
Any piece with the line “I’ve seen Latin American juntas surrender power more gracefully” deserves a look, especially when the target of such a damning pronouncement is Michelle Rhee. Eugene Robinson is offended:
It may be the case that Rhee, who can point to some admirable accomplishments during her tenure, is the only visionary-cum-taskmaster who can whip the chronically troubled D.C. schools into shape — though it’s always foolish to forget Charles de Gaulle’s famous observation that “the graveyards are full of indispensible men.” But what’s so offensive is the idea that Gray — a native Washingtonian who graduated from Dunbar High School and has dedicated his career to public service — would inevitably allow the children of his beloved city to be devastated. Whether through incompetence, callousness or some other failing, Rhee does not specify.
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September 17, 2010 | 1:20 PM | By Anna
Remember that incendiary Milloy column? Borderstan gets it:
Yes, I guess Milloy was referring to this area of the city, to Logan Circle and U Street and the 14th Street corridor. We are, I suppose, the stereotype, of all things suspicious to Milloy. We have dog parks (two of them) and we have bike lanes (lots of them). “Chic eateries” and users of “social networks” abound…
On Tuesday, we collectively did as he suspects: Voters in precincts here gave Fenty 70 to 80% of the vote. But, while we supported him here, I don’t think you’d find many people here who would disagree that Fenty was the cause of many of his own problems….
None of this is meant to downplay the serious problems facing Washingtonians in other parts of the city, too many of them in dire economic circumstances. But wishing these newcomers would go away will do nothing to solve the horribly high rates of unemployment in DC.
I would also suggest—strongly—that many of my new neighbors make an effort to understand DC’s history. Only by doing so can you understand Milloy’s column and the frustrations he expressed.
September 17, 2010 | 10:48 AM | By Anna
M.V. Jantzen
One of the larger questions I want to explore on DCentric is, “Why is Marion Barry still so popular?” I know district residents who can rattle off a list of reasons why; I know other residents who are utterly perplexed by the man’s enduring appeal. There are often striking differences between those two groups (here’s one: the former are usually from here or have lived here for quite a long time).
I think it’s an important issue to understand, because the answer to that question involves race, class– and a different way of understanding the district. Don’t believe me? Well, just yesterday some DCers declared that Ward 8 voters’ support for Barry is proof that they aren’t that intelligent. Look at these comments from DCist, under Aaron Morrissey’s “Courtland Milloy vs. The World“:
Marion Barry and his cronies allowed the District to collapse in on itself during his time in office, which saw a skyrocketing crime rate, inept leadership in practically every city agency, and absolutely abysmal public schools. And as a consequence for his putrid leadership, he continues to get elected to the DC Council by the thoughtful residents of Ward 8. [link]
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September 16, 2010 | 3:59 PM | By Anna
The Atlantic’s Ta-Nehisi Coates on Adrian Fenty:
A lot has been made of the role of race in this campaign, and the sense that Fenty is the tool of white interlopers seeking to turn D.C. into Seattle. Fear of the oncoming white horde of gentrifiers is old in D.C. and I do not doubt that the paranoia was an integral part of the political landscape. But having understood that landscape, it’s a politician job to navigate it.
…The business is politics, not debate club.
It is not enough to simply be right, if only because sometimes you aren’t.
September 16, 2010 | 1:47 PM | By Anna
The National Academy of Sciences
Well, this is tactless:
Vincent C. Gray’s mayoral campaign is responding to comments from Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee that his victory in Tuesday’s election is “devastating for the school children of Washington D.C.”
Traci Hughes, a Gray spokesman, called Rhee’s statement “unfortunate.”
The comments were made last night at the Newseum, where Rhee was on a panel for the premier of “Waiting for Superman“, a documentary in which she is featured. Chancellor Rhee is supposed to meet with Gray next week: “Awkward”, party of two.
September 16, 2010 | 10:21 AM | By Anna
Quick follow-up about Maryland Delegate Saqib Ali, whom we posted about last week after his opponent, State Senator Nancy King sent out campaign mail which featured an altered image of him with a darker complexion; he lost by 227 votes.
“We fought the best race we possibly could,” Ali said. “We spent nearly a quarter million dollars, knocked on thousands of doors. We tried to concentrate on the issues.”
Ali said King’s negative campaign mailers – one of which featured a photo of Ali with darkened skin – did not help her gain ground with voters…
Ali, whose term as delegate ends in January, would not comment on his future in politics. “I’m going to go home, take a nap, rest and see what tomorrow brings,” he said. “We’re going to hold our heads high.”
September 15, 2010 | 4:39 PM | By Anna
The National Academy of Sciences
Michelle Rhee
DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee is such a polarizing figure that yesterday, some voters seemed to be voting either for or against her, rather than for Vince Gray or Adrian Fenty. After Fenty’s loss, Rhee has been on a lot of D.C. minds. Will she stay under Gray? Or will she move on?
I thought it would be interesting to take a look at what people were saying about her, on Twitter. Continue reading →
September 15, 2010 | 2:43 PM | By Anna
We usually serve links in the morning, but after yesterday’s historic primary, we’d be remiss if we didn’t round up the best post-mortems we’ve seen. Today, all anyone can talk about is, “What happened to Adrian Fenty?” The five features below have answers. The first article, from the Washington Post, is excellent– if you can only read one, that’s my pick.
How Adrian Fenty lost his reelection bid for D.C. mayor “…the story of a mayor who misread an electorate he was sure he knew better than anyone, who ignored advisers’ early warnings that key constituencies were abandoning him, who shut out confidantes who told him what he did not want to hear and who began to listen only when the race was all but lost.” (The Washington Post)
Adrian Fenty loses D.C. mayoral primary: Why his re-election bid failed “The price that Fenty was paying for all of those recreation centers, for all of the ribbon-cuttings, for all of the education initiatives, was the most powerful block of voters in town.No one could argue that he’d neglected black neighborhoods, but in the end, that was almost the point: Black neighborhoods, in many instances, didn’t want to see the brand of change Fenty was providing. Asked about the sparkling Deanwood Recreation Center, a Ward 7 resident quoted in the Washington Examiner said, “Fenty is getting ready for white people moving into the community.”" (tbd.com)
Post-Election Analysis: It’s Not The End of The District “Finally, reform just doesn’t turn back on itself, as Fenty tried to say it would. Over the last 12 years, each mayor has left a foundation upon which his successor has built. We can all marvel at what Fenty has done in four years, but not much of it would have been possible without Mayor Anthony Williams. Gray will enter office in uncertain economic times — but also with many of the toughest decisions already made for him. Reforms gain momentum and evolve — and even if he wanted to, Gray wouldn’t simply be able to stop the city and throw it into reverse. ” (DCist) Continue reading →
September 14, 2010 | 12:29 PM | By Anna
Over in Ward 8, when the The Advoc8te, who blogs at Congress Heights on the Rise tried to vote today, she encountered this drama, involving an ANC Commissioner, two police cars and allegations of electioneering:
On my way into the elementary school I did see Commissioner Mary Cuthbert (8C03) (she of the n-word infamy) sitting alongside the fence directly in front of her the school in support of her candidate (Gray) and clutching some “Gray for Mayor” t-shirts… It seems Mary was clearly (and I mean clearly) within the “campaigning free zone” which had been indicated by very direct signage advising there would be no campaigning beyond that point.
…The polling station manager asked Ms. Cuthbert to please move farther down the fence beyond the posted signs – she refused. He asked again and she refused again stating that the law is she can’t be within 50 feet of the door so she didn’t care where he put the signs she wasn’t moving (please note: all the other campaigners stayed outside of the campaign free zone). At some point William Lockridge got involved and he started yelling at the polling manager and getting up in his face and someone called the police.
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