By Mansfield Frazier
Since entering Cleveland City Hall as then-mayor Mike White’s liaison to City Council, subsequently rising from that position to represent Ward 1 on that body, and to her current elective office as State Senator, one thing is abundantly clear about Nina Turner: No one — and I do mean no one — is ever going to outwork her. She has been a tireless champion of her constituents, the economically disadvantaged, women’s and voter rights, and progressive causes in general. And her reputation is growing both locally and nationally.
Her keen grasp on issues of import … and her willingness to fearlessly speak truth to power on them made Turner a favorite on the nationally broadcast Ed Schultz Show on MSNBC during the station’s coverage of the last presidential cycle. Her eloquence has resonated with viewing audiences while her reasoned combativeness has made Turner a favorite of progressives who have grown tired of political compromisers at both state and national levels that sometimes seem to forget why people voted for them in the first place.
But one gets the sense that a vote for Nina Turner is a vote the ballot-caster will never regret … she won’t change or abandon her principles upon winning a higher office. No one has to worry about “voters’ remorse.”
For the above stated reasons (and others) Turner should make for a strong candidate in her recently announced race against Republican incumbent Jon Husted for Ohio secretary of state in November of next year. True, a black Democratic has never won statewide office and Turner is to be commended for not letting that fact deter her — someone has to be the first.
Ohio demographics certainly have played a role in the inability of a black to win statewide (we’re actually a southern state — in terms of sensibilities and racial outlook — that just happens to be located in the north) but the lackadaisical support from Democrats in rural counties has certainly played a substantial role also. When Yvette McGee Brown recently ran for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court … rumor has it that at some Democratic functions she was not even mentioned as being on the ballot.
Big city progressives simply love to characterize rural Ohio Republicans as trailer trash and rednecks … without taking a hard look at how many Democrats from around Ohio could be characterized in the same manner. For Turner to have a shot at winning, Democrats from all over Ohio have to do a better job of stepping up to the plate for a black candidate … much better than they have done in the past. It’s rough enough for any candidate from the northern part of the state to win, no matter their race, and the party should pull out all of the stops for her … she deserves at least that much.
But even with full support from Democrats all over the state, Turner still has to run an almost perfect race, and she’s off to a somewhat rocky start. I don’t want her slogan or “Run Nina Run” to turn into “See Nina Run!”
The day after her announcement a photo of her appeared in the Plain Dealer, showing her surrounded by nothing but black folks. True, two of the three people were family members (and the other was a close long-time friend and supporter) but if she wants to appeal to voters from all over Ohio she’s going to have to show inclusiveness … in every instance, at every photo op. I can easily imagine Republicans showing that photo around trailer parks all over the southern part of the state while making snide and smarmy remarks.
The morning the photo appeared, a number of political wonks and operatives I chat with on a regular basis called me to take note of the lack of racial diversity in the photo, and I asked each one of them (all of whom know Turner fairly well) if they were going to call and give her some constructive criticism, and to a person they all quickly (and resoundingly) said “No!”
And their negative responses wasn’t because they don’t want Turner to win, they all do; it has more to do with her thin skin … she tends to take even constructive criticism as a personal attack. I know this to be true since she quit speaking to me over a year ago when I wrote something she didn’t agree with in regards to her tendency to speak in the cadence of a black preacher. While this delivery is very effective and works well in her largely black state senator district, one has to hope that she has enough of a politician’s ear to adjust her delivery style when she’s addressing some of the virtually all-white political gatherings she’s going to have to speak to — and convince to vote for her — in the future … that is if she’s to have any chance of winning the race. She doesn’t have to come off sounding like she’s straight from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry (that would be offensive) but she has to master the delivery of a stump speech in a cadence that people outside of her northern Ohio base is comfortable with.
Nonetheless, the one thing Turner knows is that she cannot lose by running for Ohio secretary of state, no matter the ballot count on Election Day. One of the main planks in her platform is the right of all voters to have unfettered access to the polls, and that’s an issue that only going to grow by leaps and bounds as Republicans (who are gleefully springing into action based off the recent Supreme Court ruling essentially eviscerating the Voting Rights Act of 1965) attempt every tactic possible to limit the franchise … especially among minority and economically disadvantaged voters. Simply by taking on Husted, Nina Turner is proving to the national Democratic political establishment that she is a true fighter for the rights of all Americans … and the payoff for her taking such a courageous stance should be huge.
If Turner does come up short, she should be named to head a massive, national, progressive effort to insure that every voter who wants or needs one has a photo ID — since the Supreme Court has just backhandedly made that the law of the land. But first things first, and right now Nina Turner is taking on the fight of her political life, and we all need to wish her Godspeed.
“You ‘go girl!”
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.
One Response to “MANSFIELD: Run Nina Run!”
Anastasia Pantsios
A few comments.
It’s inaccurate to say that candidates from northern Ohio have a hard time winning. In the last decade (and anything older than that is a different political landscape), it’s been win some/lose some — just like Democratic candidates from other parts of the state. In 2004, Eric Fingerhut lost. In 2006, Sherrod Brown won, Marc Dann won, and Barbara Sykes lost. In 2010, when everybody lost, the slate was mostly from Columbus plus David Pepper from Cincinnati, except Lee Fisher, who did not campaign so he lost. In 2012, Sherrod Brown won again. So did Bill O’Neill if you want to include Supreme Court races.
Sorry to be so nitpicky about this, but I am hearing this used as a slam against Ed FitzGerald’s candidacy, and it’s no more true than that candidates from Columbus always lose, although all did in 2010.
Also, when you talk about Yvette McGee Brown, perhaps you are talking about the Southern part of the state? Because I was about ready to punch the next person who said “We have to get out and support President Obama, Senator Sherrod Brown, Justice Yvette McGee Brown … andtherestoftheticket.” Over and over and over until i wanted to scream. It was Bill O’Neill the party was refusing to acknowledge not YMB. (Mike Skindell entered to Supreme Court race way too late to be a factor).
Finally, I am sitting here looking at a photo of the stage when Nina announced. Right to left, I see Chris Redfern (white), Mayor Jackson (black), Marcia Fudge (black), Stu Garson (white), a black man with his head turned I can’t see clearly, Janet Carson (white), another black man talking to her with his head turned that I can’t see clearly, Cindy Demsey (white), and Nickie Antonio (white). There is another black man I don’t know on the other side of Nickie and a white woman I don’t know. That’s the onstage lineup. At stage left, there is a line of old white union guys holding “Run Nina Run” signs. At stage right, there is Harriet Applegate (white), a black woman I don’t recognize, Phyllis Cleveland (black), and Mike Foley (white). At some point, Kevin Kelley (!) (white) joins them. Must not have been anything going on in Parma.
I’m not sure what Nina is supposed to do about the fact that her husband, son and best friend are also black. Hire a rent-a-family?
I think she is an extremely strong candidate who makes it clear that she will support everyone’s right to vote without obstacles. I think that message could resonate powerfully.