W.O. Walker, the long-time publisher of the Call & Post back in the day, was a master at playing both sides of the political fence. Although he was a registered Republican, he knew the majority of his readers were Democrats and he could adroitly try to broker deals with the hierarchy of the GOP in an attempt to secure gains for black folk.
George Forbes, a registered Democrat, was another “Republicrat” who was skilled at playing both sides of the political aisle in an attempt to benefit his constituents. But in both cases, the greatest beneficiary of this fence-straddling and backroom dealing was the persons doing the manipulating: Walker and Forbes.
Sometimes gains were made for black folk due to their efforts but these two always came out on top first and foremost. They were masters at being self-serving while making it appear to the world as if they were simply being magnanimous statesmen.
However, the political climate in which they were able to play Democrats and Republicans off of each other for their benefit — and yes, sometimes the benefit of black folk — was totally different than it is today. Back then the political parties weren’t so estranged from each other and compromises (which truly are what politics is all about, the art of the compromise) were much more prevalent since the animosities were not as entrenched as they are today. For the nonce, bipartisanship, for all means and purposes, is dead as a doornail.
It’s good to keep in mind that Forbes, master tactician that he was, in the end, outsmarted himself: He got beat for the one prize he wanted most, the mayor’s office. While Forbes was indeed brilliant, he made the critical mistake of thinking he was THAT much smarter than everyone else in the city. He wasn’t, and at a critical moment the Republican friends he had cultivated over the years let him down.
This brings me to another, current, black political chameleon: Don King. (As a matter of full disclosure, when King bought the Call & Post back in the early ’90s he hired me to be the editor, an arrangement that lasted for about three months; when I steadfastly refused to put his visage on the cover each and every week I was summarily dismissed. So I truly know how enslaved blacks felt when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln.)
King has turned the once-venerated black newspaper into a political rag that most folks wouldn’t even stoop to wrapping dead fish in. But he shamelessly cashes the check he receives from the tRump campaign each month.
All three of these political actors had/have two things in common: wealth and seniority. They were all millionaires and they all had been around for decades when they began playing their political games, facts that gave them a distinct advantage. Their futures were already secure when they began taking risks in the political arena. A misstep wouldn’t have been devastating to them or their careers.
However, getting away with such political gamesmanship is well-nigh impossible to do today due to the aforementioned chasm between the two political parties, and also due to the Internet. In this day and age, social media allows for much faster and more permanent dissemination of information regarding any kind of behavior, positive or negative. There are no secrets.
And playing both sides of the political fence in this climate is an activity that is fraught with such risks that most people seeking elective office are — for good reason — not willing to take. The upside — the payoff for one’s career — simply isn’t there and the downside could prove disastrous.
In other words, the fox just ain’t worth the chase.
One Response to “MANSFIELD: The End of the Republicrat Era”
Deb James
I wouldn’t even insult my parakeet by putting that sorry rag at the bottom of the birdcage. It ain’t even worth crapping on!