Councilman Barron at Elks Plaza

Councilman Charles Barron and I talked late Sunday evening. He was pleased with the favorable reaction that he, Eva Doyle, the lieutenant gubernatorial candidate on the Freedom Party ticket and Ramon Jimenez, the Freedom Party's candidate for New York State Attorney General, received at a "Puerto Rican Day Parade" in Buffalo.

He was also pleased with the progress of the Freedom Party. On the other hand, United African Movement expressed concerns at the Cotton Club on 9/11 about the Freedom Party's lack of an office, the lack of a creative website, and the lack of a telephone listing. UAM members want an office that is open seven days per week and at least twelve hours per day. Time is of the essence.

Councilman Barron said that the leadership of the Freedom Party has been using the last three weeks to create a flight plan. The Freedom Party went airborne on July 7. The date of landing has to be November 2. There may be a deviation from a flight plan but there is no acceptable stalling pattern for a political campaign.

A flight plan may allow for delays but delays are costly in a political campaign. When an airplane is delayed, in flight, it is usually because of a mechanical malfunction, weather, heavy air traffic, airport overcrowding etc. When a flight plan is changed, the passengers may be headed to a new destination.

I subscribe to the adage that "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." For at least during the petitioning process from July 7 to August 17, there was a political plan which was in use. Once we re-ignite the engines, there must now be a political plan which will up the ante. A revised effective flight plan requires that the aircrew make up for lost time.

History should record that a comprehensive flight plan was developed in 2009 and months before the Freedom Party was to take flight. Speaking for UAM, there is still a burning desire to establish a third party in 2010 "by any means necessary". We will win but we must double the effort. There are no timeouts in a political campaign. "Straight ahead" means straight ahead without delay.

Hundreds of volunteers collected signatures at personal costs. The leadership owes them their best effort. Similarly, the Freedom Party is indebted to those 43,500 persons who recorded their signatures on Freedom Party petitions in perpetuity. Finally, we are eternally indebted to our revered ancestors. The sacrifices that they made are invaluable and beyond compensation. We must show sincere humility and not unabashed arrogance to all of them.

Councilman Charles Barron will address these and other campaign issues on this Wednesday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Elks Plaza, 1068 Harriet Tubman (Fulton Street) nr. Classon Ave. in Brooklyn. Take the "C" train to Franklin. Walk two blocks to Elks Plaza.

There were seven political parties seeking ballot status for November 2. The petition carriers in the Freedom Party were all volunteers. In terms of costs for each signature, the Freedom Party outperformed all of the other six political parties. Only the Green Party actually collected more signatures but at a much greater cost per signature. The Freedom Party had a great plan. It showed what is possible. Our future is in our own hands but no one would be riding at the top of the Freedom Party if the bottom had not done its job.