As of as a couple of weeks ago, my mind was fully made up to cast my vote for Mike Brown as the next St. Louis County Executive. The reason for this vote was quite simple: a vote for Steve Stenger is a vote for Bob McCulloch, Rick Stream is a Republican and I’ve never voted for a Republican. But within the last week or so the family of Mike Brown has requested that his name not be written in, and I respect that request and honor the family.
A third candidate entered the race in Zaki Baruti, a community activist, a man I have a lot of respect for and someone who has ran on the Green Party ticket for various offices before. While I respect Baruti and those voting for him, as a matter of personal policy I don’t vote for fringe or third-party candidacies with no chance of winning.
Politics to me is not about perfection, sainthood or ideology. Politics is about power, coalition-building and leveraging. One cannot deliver if they have no chance of winning.
This brings me back to the Democratic candidate, Steve Stenger. I registered to vote on my 18th birthday in 1992 and have never voted for a Republican. In the past when I’ve been upset with the Democratic candidate, I either left the line empty or put in a write-in candidate.
Stenger wants North County to vote for him just because he’s a Democrat. With this attitude Stenger becomes the poster child for the attitude of the Democratic Party that the black vote can be taken for granted. “Hey, I’m not going to do anything for you, but at least I’m not a Republican.”
Keep in mind, Stenger ran on a campaign of insurgency against Charlie Dooley, the first African-American County Executive. The Stenger campaign was backed by many of the white reactionary elements you see supporting Darren Wilson today. I am as pro-labor as anyone, but the unions backing Stenger have refused to fully integrate. Stenger has also had ample opportunity to distance himself from Bob McCulloch, and he has refused to do so. In his actions, Stenger has become more deserving of the title “Dixiecrat” than “Democrat.”
Rick Stream is nobody to write home about. He has a history of Islamophobia, palling around with right-wing nuts and being in bed with the “birther” movement. Thankfully, as St. Louis County Executive he really won’t have influence on these issues.
With the endorsement of state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal and the Fannie Lou Hammer Democratic Coalition, I trust their judgment that Rick Stream is a man the community can work with. I have been told he wants to reach out to North County and invest in the betterment of the community. I am willing to take their word for that with their being no good option.
I will cast my ballot for Rick Stream as a protest vote. If he fails to deliver for North County as promised, we can come at him four years from now with an inclusive Democratic candidate.
