Although Tancredo, chairman of the 66-member Immigration Reform Caucus, has no support for such a measure
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Posted on 09/30/2003 10:34:50 PM PDT by ForOurFuture
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) plans to introduce a rule to abolish all race-based congressional caucuses. The rule would banish all caucuses created on the basis of ethnicity, such as the Black, Hispanic and Asian Pacific caucuses.
His suggestion, which the congressman said he knows will spark outrage, immediately drew accusations of insensitivity from members of the caucuses he proposes to destroy.
Tancredo told The Hill: “You should not have any organization, a caucus especially, based solely on race. I mean on issues? You bet. But on race? Why should we be separating ourselves up into these racial divisions?
“It would be anathema to me if someone wanted to create a white caucus. A race is something over which we have no control. Everything we are told is we should ignore it, that we should try to eliminate that as a distinction in our society,” he added.
Although Tancredo, chairman of the 66-member Immigration Reform Caucus, has no support for such a measure, he said he will go before the House Rules Committee within a year and suggest a new rule at a hearing for proposed rule changes. The rules package is voted upon on the opening day of each new Congress.
No current House rule states that caucuses can arrange themselves by race. But a line in the Members Congressional Handbook states: “Members of Congress may form a congressional member organization in order to pursue common legislative goals.”
Tancredo would be allowed under present rules to write a letter to the House Administration Committee, which oversees the Members Congressional Handbook, and suggest a change. The change would require the committee’s approval; that might or might not involve a full committee vote. But Tancredo is not considering that option yet.
Not surprisingly, members of the Congressional Black and Hispanic caucuses denounced Tancredo.
“First of all, it’s hard to believe that a member of the United States House of Representatives can be that insensitive to diversity by even entertaining the notion of such a resolution, but given the source of the filing, I am not surprised,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), a Black Caucus member.
Thompson said he is confident the Republican leadership will cut off Tancredo’s proposal before it gains any traction. “They can’t afford this going into a presidential year,” he said.
Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas), chairman of the Hispanic Caucus, was equally appalled.
“Tancredo’s proposal to silence the collective voice of minority members in the United States House of Representatives is shocking and offensive,” he said. “All House caucuses, including the minority caucuses, provide members with meaningful opportunities to share ideas and develop a positive legislative agenda.”
Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Administration Committee, which tracks and governs caucuses, has already cast an unfavorable eye on Tancredo’s proposal. “Congressman Ney would not be supportive of such a concept,” said Brian Walsh, Ney’s spokesman. “He believes that those members of Congress who share similar interests … should be able to form a caucus.”
In 1995, the House abandoned the policy of funding caucuses with taxpayer money. Aides working on congressional caucuses now are paid from the lawmakers’ congressional accounts.
Tancredo’s controversial measure stems from his views on immigration reform. He says he wants a “cohesive society” and suggests “securing our borders” and instituting a moratorium on immigration.
He says immigrants should be integrated into society quickly; that means abandoning their native tongues and learning English. But, he adds, a “perfect storm” is working against him.
“The Democratic Party sees massive immigration as a source of votes, and the Republican Party sees immigration as a source of cheap labor, and the president sees it as a wedge issue,” he said.
Tancredo, whose ethnic background is Italian (his name means “of thoughtful counsel”), said he learned a good deal from his grandparents, Italian immigrants who ventured to the United States in the late 19th century.
In a 2001 floor speech, he spoke of them fondly: “They came essentially to escape an old world, came to seek the benefits of the new world, to enter into what they believe was a place of streets of gold. They wanted to become upwardly mobile and they did that. One of the ways they did it was by abandoning their native language.”
Tancredo said he wishes they had taught him Italian but understands why they chose not to.
“One reason was because they understood the need to learn English if they wanted to be upwardly mobile in this country,” he said.
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), a member of the Black Caucus and the Rules Committee, is not taking Tancredo’s proposal seriously.
Hastings spokesman Fred Turner said his boss felt that “if black people want to come together on Wednesday to have lunch, they should be able to do that. If [Tancredo] doesn’t like the Black Caucus, I guess that’s his concern. Is it skin color?”
Grandstander Deluxe.
Bills, resolutions, and Cons. amendments that have no support and no chance in hell of passing are routinely introduced. There's nothing unusual about it, and I see nothing wrong with it.
I've heard these words before. One day, I went to hear Gloria Steinem give a talk to female workers at the large International corporation I worked for. She wanted to organize the women against their bosses. I stood up and asked, "What right have you to tell the owners of a business how they should run it?" She gasped and didn't know what to say. So she let a black girl in the audience say to me, "I can't believe anyone in the 20th Century could say that!" As though that could intimidate me! The left has NO arguments, I realized after that.
Although Tancredo, chairman of the 66-member Immigration Reform Caucus, has no support for such a measure
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It is obviously skin color when you have a Black Caucus, a Hispanic Caucus, and an Asia/ Pacific Caucus but the idea of a White Caucus is Racist. Racism only goes one way in America...
Tom Tancredo stands nearly alone as an American Patriot in today's Congress. Most of the Rest are Sellouts bent on the destruction of America’s sovereignty and prosperity. This particulary pertains to the current administration...whether they know it or not.
Is Thompson implying that the Congressional Black Caucus is diverse? Sounds to me like Thompson is a typical racist, and when called on that fact, he flies into a rage and starts throwing out false accusations.
Or maybe those politicians have more important things to do.
Tancredo is running for President and will be the next McClintock.
Her choice.
Tom needs to be drafted. The really surprising thing to me is that no one so far in the Republican Party is challenging the One World Socialist Incumbent. You'd think with the economy STILL in the tank, as more and more jobs go overseas and Bush spends the Fed Blind that someone in the RP has enough Fire in the Belly to take on Ol' Jorge. That this has not happened reinforces by hunch that Bush/Rove have been efficient at clearing out any potential conservative opposition within the greater GOP ranks.
The Republican Party under Bush is now the party of Touchy Feely Corporate Statism that is right at home with the idea of Big Government.
Interesting to note that this congressman believes that diversity consists of being allowed to caucus with your own kind. I though diversity meant something else, but then I only learn about it every year because my company is responding to EEOC mandates.
Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas), chairman of the Hispanic Caucus, was equally appalled.
“Tancredo’s proposal to silence the collective voice of minority members in the United States House of Representatives is shocking and offensive,” he said. “All House caucuses, including the minority caucuses, provide members with meaningful opportunities to share ideas and develop a positive legislative agenda.”
This is a really great quote that should be saved for prosperity. You never know when all of the white folks may want to meet to develop a positve piece of legislation.
Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Administration Committee, which tracks and governs caucuses, has already cast an unfavorable eye on Tancredo’s proposal. “Congressman Ney would not be supportive of such a concept,” said Brian Walsh, Ney’s spokesman. “He believes that those members of Congress who share similar interests … should be able to form a caucus.”
So does Mr. Ney believe that members of congress who are opposed to illegal immigration should be able to form a caucus? Or would that be too specific of a similar interest?
Baby steps. From the Senate to the Oval Office is a lot shorter jump than from the House. I think Tom could win a Colorado Senate seat, should he run, though he'd have to wait until one of the GOP incumbents retire. From the Senate, his views carry more weight, within both his party and the nation, and a Presidential run goes from being very far-fetched to conceivable.
Simply put, you're not. The smart money says that Tancredo's future in politics is coming to a close.
Yeah, Well, I hear ya but given the rate of our Republic's decline those Baby Steps better move damn fast.
Maybe it just has to do with unappeasables that like guys named Tom.
McTom 2004
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