FAST FACTS:
(Memphis 7/1710) With the start of early voting, the candidates for the 9th Congressional seat are fighting over every word and fighting for every vote.
In an election where every word counts, the political squabbles are in full steam. Former Mayor Willie Herenton and incumbent Congressman Steve Cohen both rallied their supporters Saturday. At his rally, Herenton said he's expanding his campaign slogan "Just One". Now he says it's not just about race, it's about class.
Even so, Herenton ended his rally by choosing a quote from Cohen and playing it up to his supporters.
"Mr. Cohen has the audacity -- and y'all didn't even get mad -- he said African-American children need to look up to a white man. Now if you're a black man, you know what that means? That means that you ain't worthy... That means that you as a black man your children, you ain't worthy enough for them to look up to you, they got to look up to a white man," said Herenton.
Cohen said Herenton took what he said out of context. Here's exactly what Cohen said to reporters last month:
"It's not a black person, white thing. If you take all the offices that are all held by African-Americans, it divides the community, it doesn't give young African-Americans the opportunity to look up to a white elected official who has their interests at heart."
When asked to respond to Herenton's characterization of his quote, Cohen said, "There are a lot of African-American role models in this city there are not many white role models for African-American children to see that they have their same values and have their interests at heart... We come into a world where we have black and white and red and yellow, and its good for people -- children in particular -- to see that color's not the issue."
Herenton made the reference on the same day that he "expanded" his "Just One" slogan to include whites, Hispanics, and anyone working-class. The chairman of the Democratic Party thinks Herenton's campaign slogan needed an update.
"The point is people no matter who you are need to look up to elected officials who are doing the right thing no matter what their race is," said Van Turner who said moving beyond race and into "class" could work well for Herenton. "I think it will bode well because it takes it from a larger class and expands it to a larger class of person who are economically deprived."
Cohen thinks it means Herenton is "grasping" for every vote before the August 5th election.
- Herenton quotes Cohen to crowd of supporters
- Herenton tells crowd Cohen said "African-American children need to look up to a white man"
- Cohen says Herenton took words out of context
(Memphis 7/1710) With the start of early voting, the candidates for the 9th Congressional seat are fighting over every word and fighting for every vote.
In an election where every word counts, the political squabbles are in full steam. Former Mayor Willie Herenton and incumbent Congressman Steve Cohen both rallied their supporters Saturday. At his rally, Herenton said he's expanding his campaign slogan "Just One". Now he says it's not just about race, it's about class.
Even so, Herenton ended his rally by choosing a quote from Cohen and playing it up to his supporters.
"Mr. Cohen has the audacity -- and y'all didn't even get mad -- he said African-American children need to look up to a white man. Now if you're a black man, you know what that means? That means that you ain't worthy... That means that you as a black man your children, you ain't worthy enough for them to look up to you, they got to look up to a white man," said Herenton.
Cohen said Herenton took what he said out of context. Here's exactly what Cohen said to reporters last month:
"It's not a black person, white thing. If you take all the offices that are all held by African-Americans, it divides the community, it doesn't give young African-Americans the opportunity to look up to a white elected official who has their interests at heart."
When asked to respond to Herenton's characterization of his quote, Cohen said, "There are a lot of African-American role models in this city there are not many white role models for African-American children to see that they have their same values and have their interests at heart... We come into a world where we have black and white and red and yellow, and its good for people -- children in particular -- to see that color's not the issue."
Herenton made the reference on the same day that he "expanded" his "Just One" slogan to include whites, Hispanics, and anyone working-class. The chairman of the Democratic Party thinks Herenton's campaign slogan needed an update.
"The point is people no matter who you are need to look up to elected officials who are doing the right thing no matter what their race is," said Van Turner who said moving beyond race and into "class" could work well for Herenton. "I think it will bode well because it takes it from a larger class and expands it to a larger class of person who are economically deprived."
Cohen thinks it means Herenton is "grasping" for every vote before the August 5th election.
