Bushs-Guiliani meddling in Houston mayoral elections was needless, counterproductive

Special to USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston
The Black Business Journal
BBJonline.com
USAfricaonline.com
NigeriaCentral.com

Removing all embellishments and after all is said and done, Houstonians chose tempered experience and authentic public safety public servant (Lee Brown) over a glib, inexperienced, untested smooth-talking and handsome council member (Orlando Sanchez). Now, let the task of making our city, America's premier international city continue!

It is remarkable that despite the needless intervention of two presidential personages, and other non-Houstonian heavy-hitting Republicans, voters in Houston have, based on the merits of the experience and record of incumbent Mayor Lee Brown, reelected him to a historic third term on December 1, 2001.

Worthy of post-election reflections are the controversial roles of former President George H. Bush, his wife and former First Lady Barbara Bush, President George W. Bush and New York's abrasive Mayor Rudy Guiliani. They all endorsed, made tv appearances and campaigned for Brown's conservative (and it must be said) Republican opponent, Cuban-American Orlando Sanchez.

First, while most of us (still) expect less of Mr. Guiliani (the man is a controversial and giddy embodiment of irascible politics, verbal and assorted indiscretions), Bush Sr. and President Bush minimized their deserved toga of statesmanship by wading into the local elections here.

(In picture: Houston Mayor Lee Brown, right, during an exclusive interview with USAfricaonline.com Founder Chido Nwangwu)

Houston may be important to the Republican Party but in most cultures and societies, elders/statesmen/presidents usually tower beyond local partisans politics. Yet, it is their right to associate with and/or endorse whosoever, and such choices, thankfully, have consequences in politics.

Second, the fact that two presidential personages could not deliver one of the biggest cities in the state they acquired as their homes (and in fact where the incumbent President served as Governor) raises further questions about the viability of the Bush political coattails. The undercurrent of racial/ethnic identity politics, which impacted and soiled the dying days of the mayoral campaign, further complicated their endorsements. Somehow, Lee Brown, an accomplished gentleman (in pix above), does not take these things personal. It must be said that his major limitation has been communicating his vision and better intentions.

Third, Houstonians who saw the Guiliani's many tv ads, certainly, would have remembered Guiliani's insults to our city a few years back, and told him to just keep his opinion to the Gracie Mansion in the Big Apple.

Fourth, it underscored the folly, too, on Guiliani's part to who, at various instances, capitalizes on the crest and sympathies arising from his leadership duty as Mayor during the September 11 2001 terrorism in New York for his own partisan interests. Anyway, he has been known to lack a discretionary sense of proportions in politics (and other stuff); and seem not to know when and how to bow out!

Fifth, it is telling that the Bushs-Guiliani endorsements were equally driven by partisan party (Republican) interests, since all four Sanchez endorsers confessed they barely knew the man. In a sweet twist, it showed the wisdom of Houston voters affirming that the days of some "influential" individuals and non-Houstonians telling us whom to vote for is a distant thunder worthy of only modest consideration.

Sixth, the Houston votes despite the high-powered endorsements revealed that many Houstonians still have shards of regard for the city's non-partisan mayoral politics. The independents (including the Chris Bell supporters) and the high-voter turnout from the civil rights coalition across the African-American community overcame the strategic, expensive tv commercials orchestrated on the behalf of Sanchez & Co.

Finally, shred of all embellishments and after all is said and done, Houstonians chose tempered experience and authentic public safety public servant (Brown) over a glib, inexperienced, untested smooth-talking and handsome council member (Sanchez). Now, let the task of making our city, America's premier international city continue!

Osama bin-Laden's goons threaten Nigeria and Africa's stability What has Africa to do with September 11 terror? Africans reported dead in terrorist attack at WTC September 11 terror and the ghost of things to come.... Will religious conflicts be the time-bomb for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian rule? ARINZE: Will he be the FIRST BLACK AFRICAN POPE? By Chido Nwangwu CONTINENTAL AGENDA Bush's position on Africa is "ill-advised." The position stated by Republican presidential aspirant and Governor of Texas, George Bush where he said that "Africa will not be an area of priority" in his presidency has been questioned by USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido Nwangwu. He added that Bush's "pre-election position was neither validated by the economic exchanges nor geo-strategic interests of our two continents." These views were stated during an interview CNN's anchor Bernard Shaw and senior analyst Jeff Greenfield had with Mr. Nwangwu on Saturday November 18, 2000 during a special edition of 'Inside Politics 2000.' Nwangwu, adviser to the Mayor of Houston (the 4th largest city in the U.S., and immigrant home to thousands of Africans) argued further that "the issues of the heritage interests of 35 million African-Americans in Africa, the volume and value of oil business between between the U.S and Nigeria and the horrendous AIDS crisis in Africa do not lend any basis for Governor Bush's ill-advised position which removes Africa from fair consideration" were he to be elected president. By Al Johnson DIPLOMACY Walter Carrington: African-American diplomat who put principles above self for Nigeria (USAfrica's founder Chido Nwangwu, left, with then U.S. Ambassador Carrington at the U.S. embassy, Nigeria) Nigerian-born Agbani Darego crowned Miss World. Miss Darego, center, is seen after being named the winner for the 2001 beauty pageant at Sun City, South Africa, Friday, November 16, 2001. With her are the first runner up, Zizi Lee of Aruba, left, and second runner-up Juliet-Jane Horne of Scotland, right. She is the first Black African woman to win the title.White South Africans (under the apartheid regime) won the pageant in 1958 and 1974, and an Arab Egyptian was victorious in 1954. Photo by Themba Hadebe (AP). Special to USAfricaonline.com

USAfrica The Newspaper voted the "Best Community Newspaper" in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors and readers of the Houston Press, reflecting their poll and annual rankings. USAfrica FORUM IN THE HOUSE OF MANDELA: A SILLY CRY FOR REPARATIONS By Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo Nelson Mandela, Tribute to the world's political superstar and Lion of Africa   Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's burden mounts with murder charges, trials Why Bush should focus on dangers facing Nigeria's return to democracy and Obasanjo's slippery slide USAfricaonline.com is listed among the world's leading web sites by the international newspaper, USAToday. DEMOCRACY'S WARRIOR Out of Africa. …The cock that crows in the morning belongs to one household but his voice is the property of the neighborhood. -- Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah. An editor carries on his crusade against public corruption and press censorship in his native Nigeria and other African countries. By John Suval. Recent and continuing crises regarding Sharia in northern Nigeria and security of lives in Nigeria highlight the other issue whether the Obasanjo's government has failed to enforce basic human rights of all Nigerians? See the USAfrica Special reports. Sharia-related killings and carnage in Kaduna reenact deadly prologue to Nigeria-Biafra war of 1967. Is Obasanjo really up to Nigeria's challenge and crises? By USAfricaonline editorial board member, Ken Okorie. His commentary appears courtesy of our related web site, NigeriaCentral.com Johnnie Cochran will soon learn that defending Abacha's loot is not as simple as his O.J Simpson's case. September 11 terror and the ghost of things to come.... See DETAILS LITERATURE Since 1958, Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" set a standard of artistic excellence, and more. By Douglas Killam. Investigating Marc Rich and his deals with Nigeria's Oil NEWS INVESTIGATION REPORT for PetroGasWorks.com AFRICA AND THE U.S. ELECTIONS Beyond U.S. electoral shenanigans, rewards and dynamics of a democratic republic hold lessons for African politics.