Fire Kwame!

I'm gonna take a break from my regularly scheduled programming about a black politician who inspires me (Obama) in favor of a black politician who continues to embarass me.

I just read that Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has rejected the city's call for resignation after being caught up in a host of scandals (H/T to my sister for the link). Ever since his appointment as mayor he has been engulfed in a variety of controveries; most recently the scandal where he and Christine Beatty; a high ranking city aide were complicit in a steamy, illicit series of communication via text messaging on a city cell phone. When questioned under oath, both Kilpatrick and Beatty perjured themselves. This story has been parodied by a few folks, but here's the funniest clip I've seen to date:



This, coupled with giving his boy millions of dollars in undeserved contracts, relying on the race card to get himself out of trouble, allegedly hosting a party with strippers (on the taxpayer's dollar), the now infamous Whistleblower lawsuit, leasing an SUV for his family during a budget crunch, and secretly receiving over $8600 to stay in a five start hotel in La Costa. As far as scandalous public officials go, Kwame's at the top of the list.

What's particularly unnerving is that all of this is happening as the city -- and, indeed the entire state of Michigan -- is on the decline.

As much as I’m trying not to come across as being another crab in the barrel, the city of Detroit needs to aggressively push for current mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to resign if it stands any chance of emerging from its current state of decline. The city has been left in a state of paralysis by Kilpatrick’s corruption. All throughout the time of his administration, he has repeatedly demonstrated that he has absolutely no regard for the city and the people to whom he is beholden.

Only the most crooked, sleazy, underhanded city officials could sit back and watch as his city's schools shuts down, thousands of its jobs get elimated, hundreds of its communities decay, and precious city revenues get soaked up for personal amusement. The city's deterioration under his negligent watch not only cripples Detroit, but it leaves a black eye for the entire state. The largest city in the state is losing more and more of its ability to gain the political posturing and economic influence necessary to convince businesses to invest in the state (in fairness to him though, our illustrious Governor also shares much of that responsibility). Why would anybody come to this state when we have an incompetent Governor and a thug mayoring its largest city?

Perhaps what's even more annoying is the love he's still getting from many black supporters just because he's black. If a white politician pulled some of the same stunts in a predominately black city, he'd be gone in a nanosecond. Oh...scratch that. Maybe it doesn't have as much to do with him being black as it does with him being a Democrat. I mean, we all know how black folks love them some Democrats, even if they don't love us. Maybe it's just that some of Detroit's citizens are masochists. Perhaps they get a certain kind of pleasure from being abused. Who knows?

All I know at this point is that the city is in desperate need for someone who will tirelessly fight for quality in public education, job development, neighborhood improvement (and not just when the Super Bowl comes to town), and for the citizens. Frankly, that's not happening now. For that reason -- in addition to the obviously scandalous behavior of said mayor -- Kwame needs to be fired IMMEDIATELY!

I won't even lie: I initially predicted some pretty big things for Kwame; largely because we share many common interests. He's a young, African-American professional with an interest in politics, a perfect marriage of "book and street smarts", and had a bright outlook for a diminishing city. But it didn't take too long into his adminstration for me to realize that maybe I put my hope in the wrong person. Instead of using those skills and attributes to the city's advantage, he's using them for himself and his crew. Not good for the city.

***UPDATE***

I'm conceding to Joslyn and the Hippie Conservative who think that their Kilpatrick videos are funny than the one I used. Here they are:

Joslyn's video:



...and the Hippie Conservative's video:



I'll let you decide.

But at least we should all be able to agree that this joker needs to get fired. Now.

-ACL