Posted on 11/22/2002 5:21:42 AM PST by Theodore R.
Activists react to Tarver remarks against Landrieu John Andrew Prime Posted on November 22, 2002
Word from state Sen. Greg Tarver that he was upset with U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and would not support her in her battle to retain her seat in a Dec. 7 runoff drew swift and bitter reactions Thursday.
A group of Shreveport black ministers, neighborhood activists and political aspirants gathered at the Shady Grove No. 2 Baptist Church Thursday, rebuking Tarver and reminding voters they shouldn't vote for someone just because a prominent person tells them they should.
"It's about time the citizens of Shreveport don't let one person dictate to them how to vote," said Joe Wells, a neighborhood activist from the Stoner Hill area. "(Tarver) is speaking for himself and not Shreveport."
Barbara Norton, a Mooretown activist and a recent candidate for the Shreveport City Council, echoed that.
"As Democrats, we must continue to support Democrats," she said.
Tarver, contacted in San Francisco where he was on business, scoffed at the notion he was telling people who to vote for or that he was not supporting his party.
"I don't tell people how to vote, I make recommendations to people, and in my (flier), which is only one of five or six going around, I said 'the decision is yours.' But it doesn't tell people how to vote. I can't even tell my wife how to vote."
A prepared statement by the group the Citizens for Better Elected Officials, or CBEO, endorsed Landrieu over Republican challenger Suzanne Haik Terrell, and accused Tarver of using black voters "to politically terrorize" Landrieu and of "consistently (voting) with Republican interest over the last six years."
The statement, which appeared over the name of Shreveport attorney Larry English, also said that Tarver is alone in refusing to endorse Landrieu, but this week Tarver was joined by fellow state Democratic Sen. Don Cravins, who represents Lafayette, in criticizing Landrieu. Cravins said Landrieu was "very condescending" in a recent conference call. The CBEO statement did not mention Cravins at all.
A.L. Jackson, a minister from the Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood in north Shreveport, said voters are "no longer bound by the old regime," while Prentiss Smith, also a recent aspirant for the Caddo Parish School Board, echoed that "Mary Landrieu is not a rubber stamp for the Democratic Party."
Tarver said that's true of him as well.
"I'm a Democrat, I've been a Democrat all my life, but I'm not going to vote for someone just because they're a Democrat," he said. "I'll look at the candidate and then make a decision. And 99 percent of the time I vote Democrat because they happen to be good candidates and we deal with the same philosophies. But I look at what the candidate has accomplished for the community. I don't care if they're Democrat, Republican or independent, I'll support the candidate that does something for the community."
English emphasized that CBEO has not received any money or direction from the Landrieu camp, but rather wants to send the message that Tarver does not speak for the black community.
"We support Senator Tarver's right to voice his opinions," English said. "But to think we'll follow him lock-step is wrong
What hilarious hypocrisy. These ministers and activists have been telling people how to vote for years. They're just upset because Tarver is not telling people to vote for the "right" candidate. Do you think these folks would have any problem with Tarver if he was telling people to vote for Landrieu?
Barbara Norton, a Mooretown activist and a recent candidate for the Shreveport City Council, echoed that. "As Democrats, we must continue to support Democrats," she said.
Ok....one person shouldn't dictate to others how to vote, BUT you MUST vote for the democrat!
I can't help but wonder if this rhetoric isn't really intended for white moderates. "See, Landrieu really is shoulder to shoulder with the President"
Which is why Landrieu will probably lose. After Nov. 6, the Republicans already are the winning team.
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