Posted on 05/05/2004 5:46:47 AM PDT by mhking
Oliver Kellman has been trying to set up a meeting with his old boss, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). So far, she has not personally returned his calls and they have no set meeting.
And it’s no wonder.
Three years ago, Kellman, now 36, was an apparently happy Democrat working as the chief of staff for Jackson Lee, one of the more vocal liberals in the House. He had worked for other Democrats, such as Reps. John Conyers (Mich.) and Eliot Engel (N.Y.).
But about a month ago, he severed ties with a party he had been affiliated with since childhood. He now works against his former bosses each week, venting on Talknet radio, with which he recently signed, about a Democratic Party he says ignores African-Americans like him.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
He has signed up to do one show a week for 26 weeks, spending about $12,000 of his own money for the endeavor. The show airs Tuesdays at 6 p.m. on www.talknetradio.com, and is called “Political Propaganda or Not with Oliver Kellman.”
Why the big switch? “After I left the Hill, I opened up a lobbying shop [Kellman & Associates]. As a lobbyist, you work with people on both sides of the aisle.”
What he found next shocked him: Republicans took him more seriously than Democrats, he says. “Really, I just got fed up. We’ve raised some money for the party, and just the attitude of the DNC [Democratic National Committee] toward returning our phone calls” was surprising.
Kellman says getting individuals at the DNC to meet with him and his clients was a struggle. So his loyalties turned.
DNC aides say they don’t recall any request from Kellman coming into the chairman’s office. “We’re proud of our record with the African-American community, and we’ll put that up against the Republican Party any day of the week,” said Daniella Gibbs, the DNC’s deputy communications director.
But the bottom line for Kellman: “I’m being ignored. There are a number of African-American lobbyists and we all say the same thing — we are being ignored.”
Republicans, meanwhile, helped more than he imagined: “If I needed a contact in the administration, they’ve led me towards the proper contact. The attitude and assistance I got, even though I was a Democrat, astonished me. I’m talking about members of Congress as well as people over at the RNC [Republican National Committee].”
Kellman insisted that there is no bad blood between him and Jackson Lee. “I really understand the stamina I got working for her,” he said. “I’ll never ever say anything bad of her.”
How does Kellman think Jackson Lee is taking his switch? “She may be disappointed. I’ve talked to a number of people, and they’ve expressed disappointment, but they understand why I’ve switched.”
Calls to Jackson Lee’s office were not returned.
As recently as last week, Kellman still sounded like an aide making a transparent excuse for a boss. “You know, she’s a very busy member, and I’m not as close to her as when I worked on the Hill,” he said.
But this week, Kellman’s tune seemed to change. Jackson Lee’s office, upon learning of the story about Kellman, phoned him yesterday, asking about it. Kellman says he and the congresswoman’s chief of staff, Leon Buck, have been in close contact all along. What’s more, he now says, he can meet with Jackson Lee whenever he wants because “we are still close. I don’t have a set meeting with her. I can just go in and talk with her” — something he says he plans to do this week.
“A lot of my friends said, ‘Kerry’s going to win and this is going to be bad for you,’” he said.
To them, he says: “I’m going to do my best to make sure Bush maintains control of the White House.”
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I think that's admirable.
I've had to struggle a little bit, but I thought of something nice to say about the lady myself. Namely -- Sheila Jackson Lee is a true leader in repairing Congressional self esteem. Whenever members of Congress doubt their own intelligence, they can always point to Sheila and say, "See, I'm smarter than that!"
Blacks are being taken for granted, and if they can continue to be counted upon to vote monolithically for Democrats they will continue to be taken for granted. On some issues, such as vouchers, Democrats are at odds with blacks on something which would be good for both blacks and whites.
Republicans are for vouchers because it is the right thing to do for America, although we all know pandering is not beyond them, either.
All politics is personal.
This gentleman finally saw the light.
He also commented that President Bush was such a nice, warm guy (or something to that effect), and that Kerry was cool and aloof.
I've printed it and faxed it to Queen Sheila and told her to keep supporting our Mars Colonization.
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