Why is the Mayor of the City of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick so successful?

Question

I am NOT from Chicago. I reside in Garden City.

Answer 1

He's not. The people who vote for him are ignorant. Time magazine ranked him the second worst mayor in the country. If Marian Barry of DC can get re-elected after getting caught red-handed doing crack with a hooker . . . I guess anyone can right ???

Answer 2

Kwame Kilpatrick appeals to the tough, gangster, don't mess with me side of the impoverished, crime-ridden crap hole that has become Detroit. He's a Detroiter's Detroiter. He is flashy, unapologetic, and larger than life. It's hard for someone who wasn't born and raised here to understand, but that kind of persona inspires confidence in the voters. The city of Detroit kept their former mayor, Coleman Young, in office for over 30 years, and Kwame is very much like Coleman in personality, and unfortunately shares many of Coleman's character flaws.

However, in the last year or two Kwame has made an effort to do some good for the city, at least publicly, but only time will tell if he will have a real impact. In the meantime, the voters are getting what they asked for, and no one feels sorry for them.

Answer 3

He is successful politically because he has figured out that he must appeal to only those citizens who vote. He doesn't pay attention to those critics that either don't or can't vote.

Here in Detroit the folks that vote are mainly female, over age 50 and have lived difficult lives. They see in Kwame as a handsome, strong, successful black man. They see in Kwame everything that their sons could have been. As long he can use the "credible" defense that the suburbanites are out to get him, that the police are thugs who conspire against a black man, then he will still hold appeal. Remember his base all have sons that have been abused by the police, and kept under the some sort of suburban thumb.

Now, you may or may not like Kwame, but his continued success hinges on apealing to his core female supporters. All he needs to do is to fend off any Democratic upstart and the job is his for life.

It is the exact same political formula that kept john Conyers, Coleman, John Engler, and G.W. Bush in office: Appeal to your base and give a big middle finger to everyone else.

Politics 101.

Answer 4

Successful at what?, I would ask.

Jennifer's assessment is pretty accurate, and I say that as a Detroiter.

As to his political success, he also is the child of the largely unethical political clique that has controlled and run this city and its' schools into the ground over the last 20-30 years, drunk with power, greed, and lacking any vision for Detroit. Kilpatrick also had one of the last Democratic "political machine" bosses behind him to get him in initially.

The only thing I would differ with that has been posted so far is that Young really did genuinely and passionately care about the citizens and their personal well-being.

Answer 5

Kwame Kilpatrick is NOT Successful in any given way. He NEVER keeps his promises, he spends Taxpayer dollars for his own expenses, and he is just like Coleman Young, Corrupt and Incompetent.

Besides, why do you believe Kwame Kilpatrck is Successful?

Answer 6

UH.. yeah - he's so successful that he is in the middle of a very incrimminating whistleblower suit right now that exposes him for what a complete incompetent, arrogant, adultering, slimy mayor that he really is. Just wonderful.

Answer 7

and what kind of crack are you smoking? kilpatrick is a coleman young clone, and he is singlehandly continuing to destroy Detroit exactly where young left off.

If you like him so much, lets trade. you can have kilpatrick nad we can have Daily!

Answer 8

He is successful because he steals from detroit.

Answer 9

i already heard this joke before

Answer 10

follows my orders