Kerry requests GAO study of minority advertising contracts

[WildEyedLiberal]

For those who say John Kerry does nothing for African-Americans and minorities:

In an effort to ensure minority firms are getting their fair share of federal advertising contracts, Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, requested a study to determine if the federal government is aggressively pursuing a policy to expand minority advertising contracting opportunities.

“For nearly six years we’ve had a policy in place that says the federal government is supposed to be advertising in minority publications and on radio and television stations that reach minority audiences. Are they doing that? Are they aggressively contracting with minority firms?” Kerry asked. “It’s time we know how the government measures up in meeting its responsibility to reach out to all sectors of the American economy and in keeping its commitment to minority entrepreneurs.”

Full article here: http://www.baystatebanner.com/notes.htm

I guess that's a little more substantial than photo-opping in black churches, which is the way some measure "minority outreach" on DU...

[JI7]

1. he sure does

he tries to get real effective change for the better for all people. he knew all the facts concerning minorities and the disparity in income, unemployment etc with others.

he was at his best when he just went out and talked to people about the issues. i hope he keeps it up. i liked the town hall meetings he set up at people's homes and others in the neighborhood would come over.

[WildEyedLiberal]

2. I hate when they say he doesn't have "charisma"

It's such a bullshit lie created by the spinmasters so they could sell their Bush good-ol-boy schtick. It pisses me off even more when other Democrats pick it up and run with it. Kerry is easily the most real, down-to-earth, charismatic people I've ever met.

[JI7]

4. it's like they have one view of what charisma is

and usually it's playing some stupid "good ole boy" thing while speaking in simple ways and dumbing down the language.

the thing about Kerry is that he doesn't do this. he speaks the same to all. but while he can be a serious policy wonk type people who see the real Kerry beyond the media whore characterizations see that he is also someone you can easily get along with and talk about almost anything. he is also very affectionate and loves to hug and kiss. more so than anyone else i have seen especially among politicians.

[blm]

6. Kerry speaking to every person the same way is one of his strong points

with me. I like how he talks WITH people and respects them as citizens who can grasp anything as long as it's presented factually.

[JanusAscending]

3. Don't know if you've ever noticed my Avatar?

But this is why I chose it!! It is definitely a genuine moment! Love it. DC

[politicasista]

5. I noticed

It's really nice DC. :hi:

[JanusAscending]

9. I think so too! Thank you dear.

It just moved me to my core the moment I saw it.:pals:

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. I do love that picture

It's so sweet... really sums up who JK is, doesn't it?

[politicasista]

7. Thanks for posting this WEL

I am definitely keeping this for the record file cause these so-called black leaders and haters will complain that Kerry doesn't (or didn't) do nothing or have an agenda for AA and this (and other stuff) will prove otherwise. (Lot of them still drooling over Clinton).


Wish this could get more notoriety at urban sites like Blackamericaweb.com (he did some editiorials there a couple of times):) , but it's always good to see some good press nonetheless.


:hi:

[WildEyedLiberal]

8. I posted it partly for you

You should bookmark this thread and show that article to the various AA boards and websites you go to. Someone has to get the message out there!

[politicasista]

11. Thank you

One that I used to post at closed (it was garbage anyway), but I posted this at the others. Thanks again WEL. :hi:

[politicasista]

12. Posted this at one of the sites

The replies were ok. A couple of snarks about pandering and "wait in a week, he'll change his mind" crap, but I am guessing they were trolls.

One person applauded Kerry's effort, but wondered about the money situation, and besides HUD, what other department/agencies advertise regularly, but I told him that he'll continue to speak about this issue.

[ProSense]

14. People who are really

impacted by this don't see this as pandering. Black Enterprise (especially as the only business publication), Essence, BET (when it black-owned) and Ebony take all these efforts very seriously. This has been an issue for decades. I have seen Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton in action trying to work this audience at the source: black-owned media. How many bills have Schumer and Clinton introduced to address this issue? The DoD, the student loan folks and SBA also advertise. The problem is not just about ads appearing in minority publications, but also contracting with minority-owned ad agencies to place the ads.

Senator Kerry is striking the right note and he is definitely the person who can advance this issue more than anyone else right now.

[politicasista]

15. Exactly

I don't see this as pandering either. As blm said, this is one of the issues that Kerry has worked on for years.

[WildEyedLiberal]

16. Ask them

"If it's pandering, why didn't he do a big press conference and photo op?"

You don't pander and then not arrange for publicity. The very definition of pandering is doing something just to appeal emotionally to a segment of people. Kerry did this because it was the right thing to do, and he had no fanfare. I would never have found out about it if I hadn't picked up a copy of the Boston Banner, a free weekly that isn't even all that common around Boston.

The people on your messageboards, sad to say, do not sound very intelligent. Sadly, most people on the internet are not. You could merely point out that he has been fighting for minority businesses for DECADES and that it is THEY who are ill-informed and WRONG. He has NEVER sold out minority interests in his public career, never.

[politicasista]

17. I did to no avail

I got this response:

The point is that what Kerry is calling for will not dramatically affect the bottom line of GlobalHue or Byron Lewis' old agency. And certainly will have NO impact on the Black community. If Mr, Kerry is not pandering, then he needs to find a staffer who understands the Black agency role in the as industry.

Please tell me in detailed concrete steps how Black folk en masse will benefit if you don't believe my obseervations are correct. then would you please tell me what major Black ad agencies generate the bulk of their billables from political work...thanx

http://blackcommunity.blackvoices.aol.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&tsn=1&tid=19441&webtag=ti-bvcaucus

I guess I need to get off the internet for a while. :shrug:

[ProSense]

18. That answer doesn't make sense

Of course federal contracting would have had little impact on Byron Lewis' agency, Uniworld Group Inc. He was focused on the entertainment community.

Next is the question about what major agencies are making money on political work? Again this is federal contracting. As far as I know, Congress isn't legislating quotas for private enterprise. Also, there are hundreds of black candidates across the political spectrum, are they using black-owned agencies? Are these agencies interested in political campaigns and pursuing them? Is that their expertise? To wrap overall revenues, from whatever source, into a bill aimed at federal contracting opportunity is missing the point of this bill. There are many other unfair business practices that this does not address, but to expect it to address them is like expecting an SBA funding bill to address every single problem start-ups and small businesses face.

[politicasista]

19. It really doesn't

Which is why I asked him if he was a Democrat or not.

Your post makes sense. Is it ok if I use this as a rebuttal? If not, that's cool.

[ProSense]

21. No problem, but

the person seems intent on criticizing the bill.

[politicasista]

22. I agree

which is why I asked cause when you look at it, it seems like a lost cause.

[ProSense]

13. This is something

I know about first hand. The AA community is pretty angry about it!

http://adage.com/article?article_id=109890

[JohnKleeb]

20. Always liked how he stood up for small business

and minorties. Fighting for the little guy ah the good fight that is.