Is KCOH’s
Michael Harris playing politics?
|
I’ve been so preoccupied fulfilling my
obligation as a concerned citizen who just happens to be chairman of the Acres Home
Citizens Chamber of Commerce, I found it difficult to analyze the news sufficiently--
while focusing most of my energy on keeping Aldine ISD from summarily undoing a
37-year-old desegregation plan that we fought like hell to put in place in 1965.
Nevertheless, that didn’t keep outraged African-Americans from burning up African
American News&Issues’ telephone lines with verbal protestations and e-mail
concerning the cozy relationship between KCOH’s Michael Harris and the Republican
Party.
One call in particular that got my attention, was from a Democratic attorney who has
become a pariah on “Person-to-Person” for doggedly defending former President
Bill Clinton, while he continuously bashed President George W. Bush. “Man, how lame
does he (Harris) think we are? The man is straight up using his talk show to play partisan
politics,” the well-known Houston attorney told me during our telephone conversation.
“He says he’s an Independent, but he’s a Republican to the bone and he is
paying his party dues when they need him the most.”
What the irate caller was alluding to was a chain of circumstances that began during an
interview with Tom Riesner, the Republican candidate contesting Chris Bell for the 25th
Congressional District. It just so happened that Harris was discussing the lack of
computers at Atherton Elementary School, where his wife teaches, when TSU’s Dr. Bobby
Mills, an original member of Houston’s Black Republicans, seized the opportunity to
pledge a computer and Riesner quickly recognized a golden opportunity to show that
Republicans care about our kids too.
Being in the right place at the right time aside, Atherton eventually became the recipient
of 19 computers (at last count), including six from State Rep. Sylvester Turner, who could
well become the next mayor for all of Houston. There was no way Turner was going to let
the Republicans go unchallenged. Dr. Albert Lemons, Atherton’s dynamic principal
hurriedly came to KCOH to personally thank Harris, and slyly challenge Congresswoman
Sheila Jackson Lee, which is a fact that aroused realtor Gerald Womack, who lost a well
fought battle for City Councilmember District D to Ada Edwards.
At this point one certainly should have been applauding Harris and KCOH’s
effectiveness. Nevertheless, legal minds are naturally suspicious, therefore the wary
attorney says he began to connect the dots and ruled out coincidence when Riesner, who
definitely has promised to spend campaign dollars with KCOH, showed up at the station
again with Dr. Mills and Rev. C.L. Jackson, who earlier had stirred controversy when he
publicly endorsed Gov. Rick Perry. Still connecting the dots, the attorney says he
wasn’t a bit surprised when Harris made history when Gov. Rick Perry became the first
sitting Texas Governor to make a guest appearance on his talk show.
Not only did Perry come into the ‘hood and talk on a Black radio station, but he
comfortably answered caller’s questions. Harris warned to be polite and remember they
were talking to the state’s chief executive but, if the Republicans were, indeed,
conspiring to win a few friends and influence African- Americans voters to consider Perry,
there’s a better than good chance they accomplished their mission. Surprisingly, the
mainstream media was missing in action. Meanwhile, Tony Sanchez and the Democratic Party
seems to be oblivious to the fact that they are in a no holds barred battle for the Black
vote.
If so, they should be forewarned that on Nov. 5, 2002, the Black vote will definitely
determine who will run the state of Texas for the next four years. Although I had
breakfast with Sanchez at the Malonson Company complex several months ago and
African-American News&Issues has made it perfectly clear that we would love to see a
Black-Brown coalition campaigning for Texas’s first minority governor and the
state’s first Black U.S. Senator, we haven’t gotten much response from his camp.
Taking the Black vote for granted, or depending on Ron Kirk to bring a massive number of
African-Americans to the polls could prove to be disastrous for the Democratic Party.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who made history when she came into the ‘hood to deliver
the keynote speech at the 12th Annual Acres Home Citizens Chamber of Commerce’s
Awards Banquet, has surely made the Republican Party fully aware that over 300,000 free
copies of the state’s widest circulated Black newspaper also has tremendous political
clout. Perhaps we should offer a disclaimer at this point, since we see absolutely nothing
wrong with Harris supporting any candidate or party that he wants to, although his
die-hard Democratic audiences once criticized him for cutting paid advertising spots for
Republican candidates.
On the other hand, as Texas’ widest circulated newspaper with a Black perspective and
voice of African-Americans, we are obligated to ask questions our readers want asked,
therefore we’re asking: Is KCOH’s Michael Harris playing politics? |
