Perez’s campaign consultant defends Lieberman waffling on Imus

[Update (5:15pm • Thursday)]: Feel free to read the following but I wanted to bring in an update. Campaign manager Ken Curran assured me that while Dan Gerstein was a consultant earlier in the year. He currently is not a paid staff or consultant of the campaign and any future hirings will be further examined due to any comments Mr. Gerstein made regarding the Don Imus show]

The Hartford Courant ran a story based on comments made by that Frizzy Afro’d Whiteboy…I mean Don Imus. Here is the whole article. The Article has the following passage:

Controversy over his Imus appearances is nothing new to Lieberman, who has been a guest on the program for years – at the same time he has been one of Washington’s leading voices urging more morality in public life and in the media.

He was under fire when he ran for vice president in 2000 and president three years later. Even as Imus continued to make controversial, racially tinged remarks, Lieberman continued to appear on the show. Former spokesman Dan Gerstein noted that Imus refrained from making such remarks when the senator was a guest.

“Appearing on a show doesn’t mean you sanction everything he does,” Gerstein said.

Normally not a biggie. Just another LIEberman staffer looking out for his paycheck. WE all know that Don Imus has had a history of making a buck at the expense of us of-color folks. LIEberman is a regular guest regardless of this fact. In the social service field I think they call that an enabler. Mr. Gerstein’s defense that Imus did not bash people while LIEberman was on should make us all feel better.

The following passage in another article is what made us at ionhartford take note:

Meanwhile, the Perez camp strengthened its political muscle by hiring two staffers from Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman’s recent re-election campaign.

Kenneth Curran, now Perez’s campaign manager, worked with Lieberman during both the Democratic primary and his independent push for office; and Dan Gerstein, a paid consultant with the Perez campaign, was Lieberman’s communications director when the senator beat endorsed Democrat Ned Lamont in the election.

The same guy who defends LIEberman’s attendance on Imus’ show is a paid consultant with Eddie Perez’s re-election campaign. Say it ain’t so! Isn’t Eddie trying to court the black vote?!

For the record, I feel what Don Imus said on air is unforgivable. I don’t like it when he says it and I don’t like it when black rappers disparage our sisters…hence, I don’t buy rap cd’s. We live in a racist society, and if you take advantage of that fact to make a buck…you should be canned. The fact that it’s taken us this long to get on Imus’ ass should say alot about us as a society. If you were a guest on the show…then that says alot about you. I’m not the biggest LIEberman fan and he can be friends and appear on anyone’s show. But I cannot sit back and allow Eddie Perez to have Dan Gerstein on payroll knowing now what I know. Mr. Gerstein’s talent will not be the lynchpin in getting Eddie re-elected.

Mister Mayor, I ask you to revisit the hiring of Mr. Gerstein and hire people who are respectful of the population of Hartford.