I listened to the results of the Maryland General Election on talk radio as the polls closed and the numbers started to come in. In my heart, I wanted to see Michel Steel upset Ben Cardin, however, in my mind I knew it would never happen. I, along with many other blacks I'm sure, wondered why Mr. Steel didn't win and I heard the answer on a local radio station. A caller phoned the station an asked that question of the radio host and his co-host, a young black man who has formally been in politics whose uncle I went to school with, gave this response. He said [ history ] was the reason Michel Steel didn't win the Senate Seat in Maryland. Because Michel Steel is black and a Republican, the majority of the black voters voted Democratic. Maryland is a blue state and strictly Democratic. As much as we blacks complain about being treated unfairly in our neighborhoods with a lack of affordable housing whole neighborhoods just dissipated going to waste with empty boarded up houses, and no tax money being collected. Schools where 56 million dollars has been lost and no one held accountable, money just gone, and no one asking where. The educational system which is a joke in Baltimore City under now Govenor Elect Omally with padded numbers because of the no child left behind act and the horrible drop out rate which is not reported because of the government money that would be lost if it was and law enforcement agencies where there is discontent.
I find it ironic that in 1868 Frederick Douglas a former slave and republican born in Maryland, campained for General Ulysses Grant who became President of these United States. This state has never had a black Republican in congress because of its history of voting Demicratic. They have never delivered on their promises to blacks in my three score plus years, and yet we as blacks believe they will. the reality is we'er needed only when it come to putting them in office when the time comes.
It would have been a change to brerak with tradition for once and place one of our own in the position to make major changes for us in Congress, instead we choose to follow the same slave mentality from former years and many unkept promises and elect a white who's had twenty years to get it right and its still not done so now we give him six more. Not only that there wasn't a single black person for balcks to choose from on the Demicratic ticket, that should have told them something. I continue to pray for their enlightenment, however as the co-host of the radio show said, it will take several major election such as this one to make a change here in this state. Michel Steel wasn't good enough to be elected to represent the state of Maryland as a black, I wonder what would happen is he were elected as President or for that matter Vice-President, what would Blacks in Maryland feel then ? I wonder if I'll live to see it in my lifetime ? Your thought ?