Barry’s Back, and That’s Bad

Marion Barry, the former mayor of Washington, has risen phoenix-like from the ashes of a crack cocaine pipe. By winning a plurality in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 9 to 1, he is more than likely to regain the office that he left in disgrace after he was videotaped smoking crack, the scourge of most of the major cities of the United States.

Though an ex-convict, Barry cannot be denied legally. He was convicted of misdemeanor drug charges but acquitted of more serious felony charges that would have stripped him of his right to vote but not to hold office. He did his time and is entitled to all citizenship rights.

Barry prevailed because he is a superb politician who out-organized his opponents. Those who bewail his primary victory Tuesday--as we certainly do--need to acknowledge this. He concentrated on poor blacks and courted the many voters who received jobs when he swelled the city government during his three terms as mayor.

But it’s hard to see how his victory does anything for the perennially troubled city of Washington. Barry’s comeback will exacerbate the on-going exodus of middle-class taxpayers of all races. In addition, his return is likely to aggravate members of Congress who control the district’s red-stained budget.

Barry orated on and on about his personal redemption. Fair enough--politicians can err in their personal lives like everyone else. But this election, as one of Barry’s primary opponents put it, is not about the redemption of one man’s soul. It is about a city’s redemption.