While presenting one face in public, behind the scenes Democratic US Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume is hurting for cash and near begging for money.
If you look at Mfume’s campaign site he currently mentions the following on the front page:
My race for the U.S. Senate is wide open.
It?s a “dead heat,” according to a recent Baltimore Sun poll, and I?m proud to say that we picked up important endorsements and support from our friends in Prince George’s County, MD.
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The political bosses didn?t want another voice in this campaign. They thought that they could hand pick a nominee without that person working for it, but our campaign will not be denied ? and our voice is strong.
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Well behind the scenes he’s not getting so many great endorsements and his strength is non-existent, if you look at it in terms of dollars.
Here is a portion of an e-mail that Mfume is sending out this weekend:
Subject: Urgent Appeal
Hi, it?s Kweisi.
I know you get a lot of email but I need you to give me just two minutes of your time.
I?m writing again because I need your immediate help, in the next five business days if possible, for my campaign for the U.S. Senate. Let me explain what?s at stake?
The Maryland Senate Race has tremendous importance far beyond the borders of this state. With our current Democratic incumbent Senator Paul Sarbanes retiring, it is crucially important that we don?t let this seat fall into Republican hands.
Please don?t give George W. Bush another ?yes man? in the United States Senate.
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I need to raise another $100,000 by the December 31st filing deadline to get our message out.
Please give your most generous contribution to my campaign for the United States Senate. I need gifts of all sizes from $500, $250, $100, $50 and even $30 will help.
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Please consider this urgent request very carefully.
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(If you are in the media or a blogger that wants the full e-mail, use the “Contact” link on the upper left of this page. Identify who you are with and I will consider forwarding you a copy, provided you credit IndependentConservative.com with a functional link on your site.)
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Now THAT does not sound like a man running a strong campaign! In fact, it sounds like a man that is on his heels and about to go down for the count. Or maybe the ref is already counting and Mfume will be out in “5″ (days).
Also notice how he attempts to Bash Bush and calls Republican challengers “Bush” yes men. Republican Senate candidate Michael Steele is the lead Republican candidate, so it is obvious that he is calling Steele a Bush “yes man”. This relates back to a statement Mfume made while President of the NAACP, when he called Black Conservatives “ventriloquist?s dummies”. Does he think crying about Bush and cheap shots at Michael Steele will put him over the top?!! Much like Howard Dean, Mfume is using the “Right now it’s not our job to give out specifics.” line of attack. Where he offers no details of his own plan, but expects money because he says he does not like Bush. Of course this won’t work.
The bottom line is that Mfume is hurting for cash and may not be able to sustain at this point. So he’s using any desperate means he can think of. He’s not getting so many great endorsements. Not even from Black Liberals in the US Congress:
Black lawmakers keep quiet on Cardin v. Mfume primary
Most members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are staying on the sidelines in the Senate Democratic primary between Maryland Rep. Ben Cardin and former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume.
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Despite Mfume?s his national reputation, he has not been able to raise a substantial amount of money. He had just $97,000 in cash at the end of the third quarter, while Cardin had raked in more than $1.5 million.
Among lawmakers, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) gave Cardin $10,000 from his PAC and $4,000 from his personal campaign. Reps. Gary Ackerman (N.Y.), Ellen Tauscher (Calif.), Joe Crowley (N.Y.) and Diana DeGette (Colo.) have contributed to Cardin.
None has given to Mfume.
Joe Trippi, who ran Howard Dean?s presidential campaign in 2004 and is advising Mfume, said Mfume?s campaign would attract white, progressive voters in Montgomery County and other parts of the state, in part by presenting himself as the anti-war candidate.
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Give Mfume a White Flag! For his war stance and his campaign.
It should be no surprise that most people with political clout are treating Mfume like he’s radioactive and have no desire to endorse him. As President of the NAACP the organization’s membership numbers continued to decline and they continued to be ignored. Also when Mfume suddenly stepped down, we learned of all the scandal he was involved in within the organization.
- Mfume Accused of Favoritism At NAACP
- Mfume admits having a personal relationship with NAACP staffer
- Pattern of abuse claims at NAACP kept quiet
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In one example, an employee hired in 1997 at $19,000 a year received three raises in one year and was earning more than $50,000 by 2001, despite “moderate” performance evaluations.
According to the report, the sister of the woman who received the $20,000 raise after less than six months on the job was herself briefly employed by the NAACP and later received $83,000 in consulting fees from the organization.
A salary analysis by an outside consulting firm in 2000 suggested that the NAACP make some adjustments, but Goodman’s report showed that the recommendations were not always followed.
“There were many raises given in the files … that do not appear to have had any relationship to those recommendations,” the report said.
‘Terribly sexist’
A former NAACP employee said in an interview with The Sun that women were typically paid less than men at the organization, regardless of experience. Eden Brown Gaines, a staff lawyer at the NAACP for about a year in 2002-2003, called her former workplace “a terribly sexist organization.”
“If I had thought there was anything I could do to make things better at the NAACP, I would have complained,” said Gaines, now a Washington lawyer specializing in employment discrimination and civil rights. “But that kind of unprofessionalism, ignorance and mismanagement was so institutionally ingrained, it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to change that.”
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All that while he was President of the Nation’s oldest Civil Rights organization. I guess we can’t say that he led by example when you look at all the facts. Nobody in their right mind would give this man a dime! We already have more than enough scandal in the halls of Congress. (Of course Democrats will never mention Mfume when they are talking about a “Culture of Corruption”.)
Some feel that Mfume was booted because of his efforts to work with President Bush. Interesting that Mfume now wants to Bash Bush for campaign funds, while he used to try and forge alliances with him.
Also on Mfume’s Blog he mentions:
What’s the matter with Steele?
A story in The Austin American-Statesman reports that Bush is having great success using the war as a fund raising tool for GOP candidates. Dems say Bush is a liability, but… “Despite the Democrat’s assertion, the numbers show that Bush has been a fund raising asset for GOP candidates. Kennedy’s campaign expected to raise $1 million at the Friday event. Bush events earlier this year brought in at least $1 million for other GOP Senate candidates.”
Bush only managed to shake out $500k for Steele….
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I’m sure Mfume wishes he could have half of that! Not to mention, you can’t expect a Republican to pick up millions in a very Blue state. Steele is flowing with cash, but Mfume still tries to make it appear negative.
Also, The Baltimore Sun has finally decided to print a positive story about Michael Steele.
Steele urges black legislators to help empower minorities
Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele implored black legislators from around the country yesterday to turn the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of social equality into one of economic empowerment for minorities.
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Del. Nathaniel T. Oaks, a Baltimore Democrat, introduced Steele to the audience by thanking him for capital projects Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s administration has approved for his district.
“Some people may say that’s a hard thing to do because he’s a Republican. I was just looking at the bacon I’ve taken home,” said Oaks, who added that he voted for Steele.
“He put a lot of emphasis on education, minority ownership,” Oaks said. “He has truly reflected his complexion in office.”
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Hmmm. Seems other Black Democrats are able to see past the “R” next to Steele’s name and respect his efforts and ideas.
December 11th, 2005 at 7:38 am
[quote]Despite Mfume’s his national reputation, he has not been able to raise a substantial amount of money. He had just $97,000 in cash at the end of the third quarter, while Cardin had raked in more than $1.5 million.[/quote]
This is SHAMEFUL.
When are loyal Black Democrats going to start demanding that their party return some tangible results for their continued loyalties. After so many years as a congressman and after working as the ground forces for the Democratic party into the Black community as head of the NAACP IS THIS ALL THAT HE CAN SHOW FOR HIS EFFORTS?
If he has such a national name why does the other guy who no one has heard of outside of the state have so much more cash?
When Hillary ran for a NY race money poured in from all across the nation. Why is this not the case with Mfume?
D: This is the key reason why Black Democrats support MAJORITY MINORITY DISTRICTS. Rather than blame their weak chances of getting elected by a mass audience on the FLAWS IN THEIR PLATFORM they choose to blame it on Racism. Why is Michael Steele doing so well comparatively?
December 11th, 2005 at 6:18 pm
I think you’ve said it all. The Democrats “Black Base” works it’s butt off and sees little in return.
And remember when (Moonbat) Sharpton said he would go Independent and stop catering to Democrats, then he ran right back around election time.
Then (Moonbat) McKinney got no support from her party when challenged by Majette. After the loss her father who loves to blame anything on J-E-W-S said that they would no longer be part of the Democratic Party. He said they were going to be Independents. Then there was talk of McKinney running on the Green Party ticket for President, VP or something… And look at her now, right back in the Democratic party camp.
It makes me think of battered spouse syndrome! They keep running back to the one that claims to love them, but continually kicks them in the butt!
Meanwhile, President Bush has shown support for Steele DURING THE PRIMARY.
December 11th, 2005 at 11:29 pm
Michael Steele is a Bush “Yes Man”
The Independent Conservative has the details here.
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December 12th, 2005 at 2:29 pm
OK guys. It seems to me like there is overkill be directed at Mfume. Let him and Steele fight it out based on ideas and postitions.
If were are going to have a fair fight let’s be fair all the way around. Besides everyone running for office is appealing to their supporters in everyway possible with urgent appeals to give money. When are we going to have some critical analysis of the other Democrats in the race. Anyone of them could get nominated.
December 12th, 2005 at 2:43 pm
John, I really could care less about any of the Democrats in the race. But since Mfume started the flame tossing at Black Conservatives I’ll be giving some analysis of him, because I am a Black Conservative myself. Got a problem with it, find another blog!
December 12th, 2005 at 3:01 pm
No…no I don’t have a problem with it.
In fact I could care less. But in order to maitain creditbility it is important to have balance (no pun intended). I do know that in the comments referenced above that Mfume’s comments were about Black conservative organizations that were funded by Corporations and not Black conservatives. That was corrected by the press several times.
But just so that we are all on the same page (and again for the record) he did not call Steele a “Yes Man”. The comment in the solicitation letter you posted could just as eaisily refer to one of the other Democrats running in the race if they vote against their party.
Anyway, those are just my thoughts. Can’t I disagree without being told to go find another Blog. We’re starting to act like the other guys.
December 12th, 2005 at 3:44 pm
Even Mfume’s former employer the NAACP was started with money that did not come from Black hands. So I really find the jabs about the race of financial backers to be a bit lame. The NAACP was not started with money from Black people and today it does not sustain it’s self off money mostly from Blacks. So Mfume has very little room to talk.
Given these facts about funding we know that Mfume’s comments were not so much about who finances an operation, but actually how he feels about Blacks that hold views he disagrees with. From Mfume’s “ventriloquist’s dummies” comment to his more recent “Yes Man” comment it all is directed towards people like Michael Steele primarily. Given the backlash regarding his previous attacks he has toned it down a bit, to make it appear he’s speaking in generic terms, but his history of comments shows who he is directing his criticism towards.
Yes I told you that you might want to find another blog if you take issue with the topics of discussion here. If you feel that makes me like the “other guys”, I maintain that you can tell your story walking.
December 12th, 2005 at 9:15 pm
[quote]Let him and Steele fight it out based on ideas and postitions.[/quote]
I agree with “ideas and positions”.
Instead Steele has been getting verbal attacks and oreo cookies.
January 3rd, 2006 at 3:33 pm
Maryland Black Democrats Complain About Support For Cardin
But…but, they told me Republicans were the “racist” party …..
Well so much for that theory of racism being the exclusive property a political party .
Reading this article I could not help but laugh. Because all I could t…