Capuano should focus on record, not race
Rep. Mike Capuano could not have hoped for a better endorsement in his race against Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley than the one he announced late last week.
Capuano, who already had the support of civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis and former Gov. Deval Patrick, spent the weekend touting the support of the Congressional Black Caucus, the preeminent alliance of black lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
Pressley has based her challenge to the entrenched incumbent on the proposition that a district whose residents are mostly minorities should be represented in Congress by a person of color. With very few policy differences separating the candidates, Capuano has relied on high-profile endorsements from prominent African-Americans to push back against Pressley.
On Sunday, Lewis joined Capuano at the historic Twelfth Baptist Church. As campaign symbolism goes, Lewis’ embrace of his white colleague at the historic Roxbury church where Martin Luther King Jr. once delivered sermons was not exactly subtle.
It was the Irish author and poet Oscar Wilde who warned that “when the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.” What seemed like an answered prayer for Capuano has backfired on the former Somerville mayor.
Instead of reassuring black voters that he has their best interests at heart, Capuano has unwittingly cemented his image as part and parcel of a status quo that has always resulted in a raw deal for black communities.
Former state Rep. Marie St. Fleur, who represented Roxbury and Dorchester, took to Facebook to pour cold water on Capuano’s big endorsement.
“How long have members of the Congressional Black Caucus been in office? If over 10 years, when was the last time their actions impacted your life in Massachusetts? Has economic opportunity for Black folks across Massachusetts improved? Education? Housing? Access to capital, incidents of violence in our community? Is it all better? How about better access to transportation? Increased home ownership all that better? How about closing the opportunity gap in income and savings? Are your children drowning in college debt, graduated and can’t get a job? What about our representation on federal boards and commissions? Have you seen us? Is there a transition plan to support the next generation of Black elected officials?”
St. Fleur, the first HaitianAmerican to hold elected office in the commonwealth, also questioned the Black Caucus’ decision to oppose the election of an AfricanAmerican woman. “Do we really want (our children and grandchildren) to inherit our anemic presence and influence across all disciplines?” she asked.
A 30-year-old associate pastor at Twelfth Baptist told the Herald that establishment support for Capuano over Pressley has raised questions about the Democratic Party’s commitment to electing “representatives that truly reflect the next generation of leaders in our community.”
“I think it is critical, at this crossroads for our country, that the Democratic Party starts asking itself some serious questions about who we are and how we will move forward,” the Rev. Willie Bodrick said in a statement.
“There are leaders stepping up like Ayanna Pressley and the Democratic Party will have to reconcile that the future it speaks of is already here.”
Neighborhoods like Roxbury are no strangers to politicians who stop by during campaign season to woo the black vote while declining to engage with the local issues that people there want to talk about. Sunday’s event was not the first time that Dr. King’s former church was reduced to nothing more than a campaign prop. When national black leaders parachute in to try to convince people not to vote for a black candidate, however, people are going to notice.
Capuano is a popular incumbent whose politics match his district well. He should be talking about his record, his accomplishments and his history of solid constituent services.