The Gantt Report
By Lucius Gantt
I usually ease into The Gantt Report storylines, but not today.
One of my very best friends contacted me recently and told me I was being “too hard” on Democratic Presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Well, if you read reader responses to TGR, Lucius Gantt is “hard” on everybody who disparages, disrespects, demeans or belittles Black people in America and around the world.
I love my friends and there is nothing that I wouldn’t do for them. However, in a long, long media career that began at 17 years of age at WSB-TV in Atlanta and at the Georgia State University newspaper, The Signal, no one has ever accused me of lying. I’ve never been sued for libel or slander.
I try to tell the truth even when the truth hurts.
I intend to vote for Kamala Harris, not because she’s a woman and not because she’s Black. I plan to personally vote for Kamala because I believe she is the best Presidential candidate in the 2024 election coming up in November.
Personal feelings and intentions aside, TGR will never endorse any candidate who declines to recognize that the color of a man’s or woman’s skin tone has no more significance than the color of their eyes.
Anyway, Atlanta is my hometown. After being away for over 30 years, attending schools, and doing media in some of the biggest media markets in the world, I returned to Atlanta for extensive health care reasons but don’t worry, I’m good.
When I got to the ATL, I picked up a copy of The Atlanta Voice newspaper and I was so excited to see a front-page story about Atlanta’s top Black political consultants.
I was at a SCLC meeting on Auburn Avenue and a Black political consultant’s office was on Auburn so I dropped by to see if I could help the young politicos.
When I knocked on the office door, no one answered so I asked other occupants in the building, when the consultants would be in the office and I was told, “Never”, they have jobs in City Hall.
- I understand the limitations of when you start a business.
So, I went back to the news article, and their experience “highlight” was volunteering for Barack Obama. No problem there either.
The difference between my company, All World Consultants, and theirs is I have always been a paid political professional.
In most states, political professionals can contribute but they cannot volunteer or do in-kind work on campaigns because true political expertise has value. I also believe ALL political professionals should get paid in politics regardless of their race, gender, age, and other attributes and qualifications.
Anyway, Democratic and Republican politicians gave me opportunities, probably because of my world-class media work and the fact that most political dollars are spent on media, also, after working for The Associated Press in New York and Atlanta, politicians knew I was fast and accurate. Compare fast to the turtle slowness that politicians take to respond to campaign situations and events.
Hmmm? All World has provided professional campaign services for Congresspersons, Governors, House Speakers, Senate Presidents, judges, and local elected officials in swing states and important districts here and in foreign countries. I was the media consultant for The Florida Conference of Black State Legislators for 20 years.
I’m not mad at Kamala for selecting the campaign staff she has. She had to hire the staff that was “referred to her”. When she ran for President before, her sister was the head of her campaign, and we know how that went.
I’ve worked with some of the consultants getting paid to talk on network news. My problem is, “I won’t lie!” Politicians love my work but say, “Lucius can’t be controlled!”
Kamala needs to win. We all should vote for her.
But The Gantt Report will never bamboozle my readers and supporters about political shenanigans or accept any notion that Black professionals of all kinds are inferior to other professionals in any political race on earth!
My friends know who I am, and they know TGR can be trusted!