“Plantation Politics” Alive and Well in Cleveland County!!! With Commissioner Eddie Holbrook’s 2018 Disgrace and Defeat, Who will be the new “Massa” and who will be the new Uncle Toms??? Commentary by Robert A. Williams

Interesting “rumors” are floating around Cleveland County that “Massa” Eddie Holbrook is switching to Republican and running for Commissioner again in 2020. More recent rumors are going around that “Massa” Eddie is going to run for the Shelby City Council, Ward 2 this year. All the while, these facts are clear; certain “white” political operatives are meeting with certain “blacks” for purposes not owned-up to. To me that means only one thing. “Plantation Politics” are alive and well in Cleveland County. The “whites” are trying out for the role of the new “Massa” and they are interviewing perceived black “leaders” in search of a new group of “Uncle Toms.”

Some would say that statement is untrue and racist. I would say it is just a fact. A fact that dates back 150 years in Cleveland County politics. And counting.

But, let’s be a little more specific.

Just what do I mean by “Plantation Politics” and “Massa” and “Uncle Tom?” In Cleveland County and at this time it refers to the notion that the ”upper-class” white politicians, the “Massa” of the plantation prefer to believe that all African-Americans fit into one political viewpoint, generally characterized as Democrat. If Blacks all think the same, as democrats politically; then the leadership of the white politicians, Republican and Democrat alike, can regard all the Blacks community as a monolithic voting block. That makes things a lot easier to strategize and manipulate than if the Black community is seen as a whole spectrum of political “persuasions.”

Then, there is a search by the Massa’s for any politically-aware, corruptible, Black Community “leader” who the Massa’s believe they can control, manipulate and also can keep Black voters “on the plantation.” An important facet here is that the “plantation” is an accurate description of an actual “plantation” of old because it uses Black voters to serve the interests of the white establishment Massa’s and not the best interests of the Black Community themselves. And when the Massa’s find this Uncle Tom person or persons, they reward him with trinkets. A little pat on the back of sorts. Never anything of consequence. But always a sell-out to his community-black and white in Cleveland County today.

Editor’s Note: The “Uncle Tom” character is from Uncle Tom’s Cabin. an 1852 incendiary novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe-the best-selling novel of the 19th Century that some say brought about the Civil War. If you are not familiar with this book, you have not been properly educated by the Cleveland County Schools, only indoctrinated by revisionist history. Kinda like none of this ever happened. A secret history that nobody is ever told about. That is another story for another article on another day. It is, however, a piece of this puzzle.

For the 2018 Elections, Massa Eddie Holbrook had his “Mo-jo” broken for many reasons:
1. He was exposed as a “Massa.” And his MO in utilizing his Plantation Politics was all too clear and obvious for anyone to deny.
2. There were two black candidates, Chris Gash and Todd McIntosh, opposing Holbrook in the 2018 Democrat Commissioner Primary Elections in a three-man race for two Commissioner offices. With black voters making up 40% of the Democrat voters, Holbrook had to push his Uncle Toms to the point of obviously deserting one black candidate so that Eddie Holbrook could capture one of those two black votes available to win one of the top two Democrat positions to win.
3. Parallel to item 2 above, the lower class “white” voters, who still remain Democrat after the mainstream Democrat ideas and ideals have deserted them long ago, make up a large part of the remaining 60% of the registered Democrat voters. They are not associated with black churches and, with the textile related “Massa’s” that are now long gone, they are still on the plantation too, along with the “darkies”-but need some different manipulations. A different message. Perhaps I should just spit it out-a different “pack” of lies. That pack being filled with one set of cards. Race Cards. Playing the race card on the white democrats and unaffiliated voters who will vote in the Democrat Primary Election. Holbrook’s race card message for the white democrat and unaffiliated voters was simple. Single shot vote for Eddie Holbrook being the battle cry. Leaving blank the vote for the other Democrats-Chris Gash and Todd McIntosh. Using the two strategies of items 2 And 3, Holbrook came in second in that democrat primary so he could advance to the General Election in November. Plantation Politics worked well for Massa Eddie Holbrook in the Democrat Primary. The General Elections would require different strategies.
4. The RINOs. Republicans in name only. Once Massa Eddie clears the Democrat Primary by the skin of his teeth, all mixtures of political parties and persuasions get to vote in the November General Elections. Now Democrat candidates Eddie Holbrook and Chris Gash face off with two Republican candidates-Doug Bridges and Deb Hardin. About this time Republican Willie Green gathers enough signatures to run as a “Write-In Candidate” for Commissioner but soon withdraws due to a potential conflict of interest. Commissioner Holbrook ends his secret deal with black candidate Chris Gash after they had worked together to eliminate black candidate Todd McIntosh in the Democrat primary. One of the many faces of Eddie Holbrook to his Uncle Toms who were “scalded” in the black community for supporting Eddie Holbrook to begin with. Holbrook had effectively “burned his bridges” with the black community, but was too stupid to realize it. Holbrook was now looking to the RINOs to save him. And it partly worked too as the Shelby TEA Party endorsed Eddie Holbrook, only to have themselves scalded too after the election results left them bare for all to see the collusion.

5. Perhaps the “straw that broke the back” for Eddie Holbrook’s re-election strategy was the very large turnout of voters because of State and Federal elections. The Fake News at the National level were relentlessly predicting a Blue Tide of Democrat voters against President Donald Trump that caused a greater than “equal and opposite reaction” by Republican voters here in Cleveland County. A Red Tide of Republican registered voters that normally would have stayed home on election day. Voters that voted only for Republican candidates. Voters that may have only payed little to no attention to the do-nothing local Democrat or Republican establishments here in Cleveland County. Establishments who had grown lazy and incestuous while working the small crowds of single-issue “corn-pone” influenced partisan voters during these past several low-turnout elections. (Note: it was Mark Twain that said, show me where a man gets his “corn-pone” and I will show you where he gets his political opinions.
6. And then there were the 26,000 Cleveland County citizens who live in Cleveland County but work elsewhere to make a decent wage. I would bet that any of those voters that heard Eddie Holbrook’s foolish and false brags about how he had made Cleveland County Great Again for jobs would have voted for Doug Bridges and Deb Hardin. Anybody but Eddie Holbrook. Nothing negative about Doug and Deb here. They are the future of Cleveland County’s turnaround just as soon as they get some help on the Commissioner’s Board. Maybe Johnny Hutchins will open his eyes. The Appointment of Rev. Dante Murphy as the new DSS Director will shed some light on that. We are watching that closely. Too much corruption and cover-up at DSS for way-way too long. The right three commissioners can fix that immediately with the stroke of their pen. They can fix many other things too while they are at it.

Now, we have Cleveland Community College Board of Trustee Chairman Wes Westmoreland dissing Rev. Dante Murphy for the DSS Director position because Rev. Murphy has “associated himself with Robert A. Williams.” That association being Rev. Murphy has made comments on some of my articles as well as being the subject of some of my articles too.

I would say to Wes Westmoreland, that YOU, Wes Westmoreland, have the same opportunity as Rev. Dante Murphy or anyone else to comment on my articles and also to submit materials of your very own. And, why don’t you? You have been on the CCC BoT Board, much as chairman, during all of the recent scandals, sexual and otherwise, at CCC. You also know that I was probably the very first person in Cleveland County to advocate for the hiring of Dr. Jason Hurst as the new President of CCC and here Dr. Hurst is. President at CCC and doing an exceptional job. Still lots of work to be done, like settling with those that were done wrong by CCC during the “dark times” before Dr. Hurst, but that discussion is for another day.

As Dr. Hurst has not made comments regarding my articles, nor any other CCC BoT member, I have to wonder whether your ad hominem attacks against Rev. Murphy and myself are based on your unexplained dislike for me and what I do, or just another example of old time Cleveland County plantation politics against the hiring of Rev. Murphy as the DSS Director. A job Rev. Murphy is well qualified for and in a position where his attributes of transparency, fairness, accountability and well-honed sense of right and wrong are sorely needed at this agency that has been roque for so long. And I mean “rogue” in a very bad way. They falsify records. They have weaponized the powers of secrecy at DSS as well as the authority to access just about every kind of personal record from other government agencies that can be used, misused and abused against a person. Any person. And they do so on a regular basis. Just like Dr. Jason Hurst was the right person at the right time for CCC; Rev. Dante Murphy is the right person at the right time for the Cleveland County Department of Social Services. And Wes Westmoreland knows it.

So, Wes Westmoreland must be “defaulting” to the ways of plantation politics; good-ole-boy, shit slinging, ad hominem attacking Cleveland County style all the way. Who just got caught with his pants down. And has nothing to say-except behind closed doors.

But Williams, Wes Westmoreland has nothing to do with the DSS Board or DSS Director’s job, you might say.

I would answer that by saying that is how the “Massa System” works in Cleveland County. There is not just one BIG MASSA person anymore, just a bunch of little massa wanabes elbowing for position at the Big Massa table. Kinda like the old Executive Round Table who brought the failed school merger to fruition. I call it “failed” because it has dumbed down our students and wasted tons of money. But “wasted” money gets picked up somewhere by somebody. Usually by the Massa. Remember that thought folks. Especially when the scandal breaks about the Commissioners secretly defrauding Millions of dollars from the taxpayers to fund the American Legion World Series Baseball, Inc. Eddie Holbrook’s invention to do bad things.

No, it appears Wes Westmoreland just wants a place at the Massa Table and thinks his busy-body input to others is the way to get there. And his dissing of Rev. Dante Murphy and me is just one of those ways. Just a way to fit in. Looking for full Massa status.

Of course Wes Westmoreland has the right to state his case and we will give him the opportunity. And he will likely get grilled a bit in the process. It is a different time going forward and the old Shelby “Whispering Campaigns” just don’t work anymore. Neither does the Massa system of Plantation style political corruption. I believe the 2020 Elections will prove that.

Wes Westmoreland, let’s hear from you. What is your real reason for dissing Rev. Dante Murphy??? Is it different from what is stated above?? Otherwise perhaps you should resign from the CCC BoT and concentrate on running the Pinnacle Classical Academy-where you certainly appear to be doing a good job. With good help!

PS: Folks, if there are no Uncle Toms, can there be any Massa’s??? Think about that.