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Political Clout
Sen. Wilder is, indeed, one of the leaders of the Democratic party, and he undeniably has considerable political clout. Because of this, he is frequently consulted by the governor and by other state officials who value his advice, not only on matters of concern to the black community, but also on public policy generally.
Sen. Wilder is, after all, chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation, chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, and a member of a number of other important panels.
But in all this, he is only one of several dozen other leaders, both black and white, who have similar influence and similar access to the governor and other members of the Commonwealth’s officialdom. Like theirs, his counsel may or may not be persuasive. Also like theirs, it is not controlling.
But the rumor that it is controlling will likely flourish during the upcoming political season. It's unusually good whisper campaign material.
The fact is. however, that Sen. Wilder’s awesome power in the party and in the administration exists only in the minds of those who, to paraphrase a similar sentiment from a bygone day, believe that one drop of black influence equals black domination.
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