Posted on 01/23/2007 5:42:55 AM PST by slowhand520
Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed
By: Josephine Hearn January 22, 2007 08:33 PM EST
Freshman Rep. Stephen I. Cohen, D-Tenn., is not joining the Congressional Black Caucus after several current and former members made it clear that a white lawmaker was not welcome.
"I think they're real happy I'm not going to join," said Cohen, who succeeded Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., in a majority-black Memphis district. "It's their caucus and they do things their way. You don't force your way in. You need to be invited."
Cohen said he became convinced that joining the caucus would be "a social faux pas" after seeing news reports that former Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, had circulated a memo telling members it was "critical" that the group remain "exclusively African- American."
Other members, including the new chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., and Clay's son, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., agreed.
"Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer. ... It's time to move on," the younger Clay said. "It's an unwritten rule. It's understood. It's clear."
The bylaws of the caucus do not make race a prerequisite for membership, a House aide said, but no non-black member has ever joined.
Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., who is white, tried in 1975 when he was a sophomore representative and the group was only 6 years old.
"Half my Democratic constituents were African-American. I felt we had interests in common as far as helping people in poverty," Stark said. "They had a vote, and I lost. They said the issue was that I was white, and they felt it was important that the group be limited to African-Americans."
Cohen remains hopeful, though, that he can forge relationships with black members in other ways.
"When I saw the reticence, I didn't want anyone to misunderstand my motives. Politically, it was the right thing to do," he said. "There are other ways to gain fellowship with people I respect."
Cohen won his seat in the 60 percent black district as the only white candidate in a crowded primary field. If he faces a primary challenge next year from a black candidate, as expected, some Black Caucus members may work to defeat him.
A similar situation arose in 2004 after redistricting added more black voters to the Houston district of former Rep. Chris Bell, D-Texas.
Although House tradition discourages members of the same party from working against each other, about a dozen black lawmakers contributed to Bell's opponent, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, the eventual victor. Even Bell's Houston neighbor, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, campaigned against him.
One black member who criticized his colleagues for sandbagging Bell was Cohen's predecessor, Harold Ford.
"You have an incumbent, and you don't support an incumbent? It was inappropriate," Ford told Congressional Quarterly in 2004.
Cohen has won high marks for hiring African-Americans. His staff is now majority African- American, he said, including his chief of staff.
Racism, bigotry, discrimination... the cornerstones of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Do they have separate water fountains too?
Dr. King is spinning.
Cohen is a one termer. He knows it and is trying to ingratiate himself with the black community. It won't work. Next time, the primary field will not be crowded and there will be an annointed black challenger.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Yep, Jim, that's certainly something to Crow about...
Politico Inauguration Day.
Mike Allen was just talking about this on C-SPAN, WJ.
If this is the rules, why would a majority white district EVER elect a black person? Why would a majority-white state ever elect a black senator? Why would a majority-white country ever elect a black president?
And so his Cohen's family and his insurance agent(s).
(Though 'relieved' is probably a better word.)
We all know what a S-storm would happen if any Black was excluded from anything on that basis, yet we let this gang get away with it.
I wonder...I wonder...
I think he'd be appalled.
And as usual most whites will remain silent about this and black racism will continue to live on in this country.
I Barack Obama only half a member?...........Or is he black enough?......
...nothing to see here, move along...put your head in the sand.
You left out HATE..........
they dont need to if they dont even let whitey in!
I'd like to think MLK Jr. would be against the idea of caucuses based on anything other than politics.
Imagine if the White Caucus tried this.
They used to make J.C. Watts leave the meeting after lunch was served.
Burn in hell, you racist f-tards.
Why is anyone even faintly surprised by this....
Is there a White Caucus? How about a White College Fund. White History Month? Am I missing something here?
Respect for "minority" rights, "civil" rights, "affirmative" action, "integration", etc, etc, etc........works in one direction only...
Do NOT expect the civility to ever work in the other direction...
It won't..
Semper Fi
Newt tried to do away with the CBC when he became Speaker. It was one of the first things he backed down over.
They are real Black Jim Crows!
Incorrect grammer. "If this be's the rules, ..." sounds better.
In many respects blacks have become at least if not more racist than whites ever were and we can in large measure thank the three stooges, Jackson, Sharpton and Farrakhan, for it.
Imagine if there were a white caucus.
Guarandamnteed if anyone formed the "White Caucus" it would take 10 nanoseconds for the rioting to begin.
Of course, their "special" group does serve as an example, even though it's a bad one.
Go ahead - flame away.
A Miss White USA? Miss White America? Whites only graduation? NAAWP? White Entertainment Television? White Studies at college? Whites only fraternities? Whites only dormitories?
I am not a fan of puns but that is a good one.
:-)
Two black coaches in the Super Bowl and we can't get a white guy in the CBC. DANG!
There are 43 Jewish members in the 110th Congress [13 in the Senate and 30 in the House]. That works out to 8% of Congress. Since they make up about 2% of the population, the Jews are not doing too bad.
There are 44 blacks in Congress [43 in the House and one in the Senate]. If Blacks are 13% of the US population, then they are not doing as well. The Dems see everything through the prism of race, gender, and ethnicity. I wonder why blacks, their most loyal constituency, have not raised this issue more forcefully within the party.
Steve is a liberal of the worse kind. I have had several run ins with him personally.
Of the 43 Jewish members of Congress, only three are Reps and only one is a real conservative, i.e., Eric Cantor. The rest are among the most liberal in Congress. Steve is no exception.
Let me get this straight. He was elected by a 99% black district and they are apparently not anti-semites but the black caucus is filled with anti-semites. Interesting conclusion.
If you see anti-semitism everywhere, you're going to find anti-semitism everywhere.
Well, if you search for White Caucus on wikipedia, the first thing you get is the Canadian Senate seating plan, and White History Month gives you Black history month, so I can only assume that white people are either Canadian or black.
When I was little, I thought that Africa was just one big country based on all of this stuff, because white people always said they had Italian or Irish or something in them, maybe they were Dutch or German, but black people just said they were African-American and that Africa was such a close ally, they got their own representation in this country.
Wait, I said that wrong, I THOUGHT that Africa was such a close ally, people didn't tell me that.
*******"When I saw the reticence, I didn't want anyone to misunderstand my motives. Politically, it was the right thing to do," he said. "There are other ways to gain fellowship with people I respect*******
Sorry Hoss: But I dont understand.
Why would you respect people who hold your race against you?
Why would you respect people who flaunt their racism.
Why would you respect people who cry racism at every turn and then use racism to keep you out of their sacrosanct organisation.
Why would you want fellowship with these racist ,bigot members of a racist, bigot organisation?
The Congressional Black Caucus is nothing more nor less than the KKK of the black race sanctioned and financed by government funds and taking their meetings in the Capitol of our nation. Its an abomination.
I think his family has disgraced themselves, not him.
Fine, Steve, go and start the Congressional WHITE Caucuss. Sit back and watch how fast the race mongers cry racism and threaten marches, lawsuits, and the usual acts of intimidation to abort that move faster than an abortionist kills the unborn.
"...I Barack Obama only half a member?...........Or is he black enough?......"
Does the "one drop rule" come into play? Or does he get a pass so as to get the number of blacks on the Hill up?
It is racist. They are discriminating based on skin color...but it's acceptable racism in our politically correct age.
I guess you can also add the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
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