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This morning, the Detroit Free Press published an online commentary from the Reverend Jim Holly. The subject was Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick’s primary defeat. A full six weeks later. Next week, the Freep can devote op/ed bandwidth to a careful deconstruction of Bob Dole’s failed 1996 presidential campaign. Remember when newspapers published news that was, you know, new?

If Holly’s column was simply an isolated incident, it wouldn’t merit mention. However, in the 41 days since Hansen Clarke defeated Kilpatrick, it’s become fashionable to knock 13th District voters for turning out the long-time Congresswoman.

WDET listeners, on August 11, listened to Michael Eric Dyson and his guest, Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley, all but call voters ignorant slobs for going against Kilpatrick. From his soft seat in Georgetown, Dyson said the will of the people was “undeniably tragic.”

Riley chimed in with the assertion that Kwame Kilpatrick’s troubles were the sole reason for his mother’s loss to Hansen Clarke, whom Riley pejoratively called “the young man.” Clarke is 53, with a resume that includes eight years in the state senate and a stint as John Conyers’ chief of staff.

On August 23, Detroit News Washington reporter Nathan Hurst published a story suggesting speciously in the sub-headline “Rep. Kilpatrick defeat leaves [Clarke] trying to appeal to her backers.” His copy offered little evidence of such a struggle.

Two main assertions emerge from this coverage. 1. Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick’s defeat hurt Michigan because she sat on the Appropriations Committee and brought home the bacon. 2. Kwame’s record, instead of Carolyn’s record, shouldn't be an issue for 13th District voters.

Both points were valid before the election, though both can be answered with equally valid refutations. After the election, it’s just sour grapes. Worse, this meme bolsters the long-held misnomer that Detroit voters are too stupid to govern themselves.

Having lived in Detroit during the bulk of Kwame Kilpatrick’s tenure, I endured several unfortunate conversations with suburban relatives and acquaintances about Mayor Kilpatrick and “those people” who voted for him. The predominately black Detroit electorate, the argument goes, is unable to elect quality officials. Unlike, say, the predominately white Macomb County electorate that voted for the likes of David Jaye (removed for the state senate for domestic violence charges) or William Hackel (convicted for sexual assault).

Detroiters get all the blame for Kwame Kilpatrick, Monica Conyers, or Otis Mathias but no credit for supporting honest, dedicated politicians. One can disagree with their policy positions, but few would question the integrity or commitment of a Gary Brown or a Joann Watson. Like most electorates, Detroit's record is mixed.
It’s interesting that (in response to Kilpatrick’s defeat) titular figures in the African-American chattering class, like Dyson and Holly, are so willing to echo misguided notions usually held by white suburbanites because an election didn’t turn out their way. Even more interesting are mainstream media outlets willing to devote their limited space to a subject so far passed its expiration date.

As for the Kilpatrick-Clarke race, no one gnashed teeth in 2008 when Gary Peters defeated Joe Knollenberg bwcause the incumbent on the Appropriations Committee. Why the double-standard for Cheeks-Kilpatrick?
Six weeks ago, voters voted. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to accept it. And move on. It’s called democracy.