The help that’s needed — and political help
by Jordan Cooper
Helping out a person in a time of peace is meaningful. Helping out a person in a time of need is remembered. However, it is different doing things for people in the political world than it is socially.
Changing legislation takes months, years, or even decades. Changing policy and philosophy takes just as long — or longer. There’s that old quote that you give a man a fish he will eat for a day, and teach a man to fish he will be fed for a lifetime. If you’re helping someone do something, you’re not far away. To teach you have to be in the classroom. In politics that is setting a great example in the places where laws are composed. To coach you have to be on the court or field. In politics, that is forming a strong camaraderie for all constituents and especially those who are usually marginalized. To be a leader in a community you have to be engaged with that community. That means being there habitually.
There is a bad habit and philosophy that is going around in politics promoting the storyline that he minority communities’ votes can be taken by someone who looks similar in complexion to a large minority group in America like South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Senator Tim Scott grew up in a community that had a sizable portion of black people. Yet, I can’t point to a handful of things he has done routinely for the black community in this state besides looking like an African-American racially. Haley was powerfully pressured by the black community to bring down the Confederate Battle Flag, which is her political hallmark for what she has done for the black community.
However, Gov. Haley and U.S. Senator Tim Scott are only sending get well and hallmark cards to the minority communities they are a part of. What we really need is an American greeting from them that unites all of us through their outreach to every ethnic and cultural fold on a normal basis. Senator Tim Scott has fantastic ideas but, just as with former Gov. Mark Sanford, if they cannot get through the law-making process there is no reward for the voter. Gov. Haley speaks to the minority communities in their schools and churches, both public places, but very seldom in their homes and businesses. Then, to make it worse a person like me that tries to help is treated like Wilson Wilson Jr. from Home Improvement (laughs).
This time we need to invest our times and talents in our world to make it a better place. Not just certain parts for personal political benefit or social gratification that seems to be apocryphal.
Jordan Cooper is a USC graduate who played football under Coach Steve Spurrier. He was the youngest African American to serve on a gubernatorial campaign staff at the age of 13 under then Congressman Bobby Jindal as his Co-Chair for Blacks for Jindal. He was the first African American to serve in the Gov. and Lt. Gov’s offices in S.C. as a Constituent Correspondent and Special Assistant respectively (Haley/Bauer). He was also the youngest to serve in on a GOP presidential campaign staff in America and youngest black Co-Chair of a Congressional campaign (Bauer for Congress 2012). More recently, he has been working with Jeb Bush’s youth outreach campaign and at their request has submitted several policy and speech ideas for Jeb Buish on various subjects. He recently served as an occasional campaign speechwriter for Jeb Bush and some of his material on tax policy was used.