The Gantt Report
By Lucius Gantt
I knew politics was a crazy business the first time my NPR News Director, Rich Adams, assigned me to cover a press conference at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
I immediately knew homosexuals had power and influence in politics, I knew politicians elected in Southern states had “juice” in government and I imagined correctly that Conservatives in politics, from both Northern and Southern states, loved to “control” the employees they hired.
More importantly, I quickly learned that Democratic and Republican politicians that held a semblance of power could propose any kind of legislation that they wanted to.
Recently, a Florida State Senator’s proposed bill that would require bloggers that commented or opined about Florida’s Governor or State Legislators, should register with the Florida State Government, pay a registration fee, and reveal who is paying the blogger.
I don’t consider myself a blogger but a bill that punishes anyone that expresses their feelings about the performance of any elected official sure seems crazy to me.
It seems that Republican elected officials can talk about each other, talk about elected Democrats and deny every other Floridian, or American, their Constitutional right to free speech!
I’d love to be a “test case” for opponents of this crazy legislative proposal.
I don’t know anyone that has been more outspoken about Florida politics and politicians than I have over the years.
I not only share my opinions about elected officials, but I am also fair. I’ll comment about Republicans, Democrats or Independents and I’ll also help candidates of all political persuasions win elections or help defeat candidates of different parties depending on who pays for my professional political services.
You see, a sight-impaired person, like Stevie Wonder, can see there is not much difference between the people that voters can vote for.
No matter which Party members Black voters put first, African Americans’ political priorities will always be addressed last, if at all!
Black voters, Hispanic voters, and other so-called minority voters’, political priorities are not subdued or suppressed because Black people are Black, we are politically limited in states like Florida because we are not white.
Think about it.
Politicians can propose any kind of crazy proposals that they desire to propose;a if they are white. Bills of interest to Blacks, immigrants, Native Americans, and others described as minorities such as voter rights, minority participation in government purchasing transactions, fair lending for minorities, increased funding for Black students and Black schools, truly affordable housing and health care, judicial and police reform are just a few issues that politicians talk about but never pass.
So, tell the Republican political leaders to holler at me. They can never say that I’m a political puppet or a political opportunist because they are already aware I write the truth and I don’t care if the GOP or the Democrats like what I write or not!
Let me end this column by saying, Republicans love words, like “woke” or “Antifa”.
Disney World is one of Florida’s largest tourist attractions but Republicans in Florida are attacking the company and its beloved cartoon characters.
They don’t attack Mickey and Minnie Mouse because they are “woke”, they attack Mickey and Minnie because they are Black!
