Campaign Promises and the Media

A certain black community leader was demonized on the front page of a black newspaper last year for appearing in an ad for then Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue. Before the primary.

Such front page space could have been used to educate rather than berate. Quoted "sources" were never identified. Why? Were they fear-laden Moore supporters? Or were these words of fiction?

Didn’t the brother have a point when he said others have run for office while serving in his position and were not asked to step down? So it's acceptable to star in one’s own commercial but not someone else’s?

As difficult as it is to identify young leaders in many of our communities, it’s not new that the black media would be used to chastise him. Those of us burned and educated by the poisons of politics, however, would prefer an examination of promises.

For instance: When Candidate Perdue said she would improve community colleges, what did she mean? Is something broken? The 21 member board of the NC Community College System oversees around 60+ individual campuses, each replete with their own local Board of Trustees. The Governor only names 10. So what does “improve community colleges” mean?

Then Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Moore said he “wants” high school graduates to have a free community college education. Again, what does that mean? Won’t the successful attendant still be required to meet certain educational criteria set by the system? Aren’t years of advanced preparation, such as science and math required for the higher paying career choices?

Must successful student have a minimum of a 3.0 average? Will they be guaranteed a slot in the career choice they desire most, such as Radiology, Dental Assisting or Nursing? Aren’t dual enrolled students already attending for free?

Do parents and students know that acceptance into Automotive Systems Technology doesn’t mean learning to repair vehicles in a local garage? That it too requires significant comprehension of science and math? With the computers in cars now, it’s already difficult for a repair to be made outside of the dealership. It’s alleged that in the near future, oil changes and other preventive maintenance techniques will be allowed only by the dealership or a select ‘few’ number of companies.

News flash: At that time (just a year ago) both Perdue and Moore sat on the State Board of Community Colleges and didn't seem to have offered any such extraordinary ‘plans’ during their tenure!

So we had then, as we do now, candidates offering plans and promises, with neither funding nor identified criteria. Sound familiar?

As always, the devil is in the undisclosed details. And details, like facts, aren’t always sexy. They just have to pass the sound bite test.