Democratic lawmakers say party politics, in an election year, is the reason that the Republican controlled Congress found U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt. On June 28, Attorney General Holder became the first Attorney General and the first sitting cabinet member, in U.S. history, to be found in contempt. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D. CA) says the contempt vote makes a witch hunt look like a day at the beach. If party politics is the primary reason for the Holder contempt vote, then the question remains whether race is a close second. Democrats and President Obama have not wanted to inject race in the Holder debate.
In a New York Times article last year, Attorney General Holder said race was one reason for the Republican fueled fire over Fast and Furious. Mr. Holder said he believed that a few conservatives-- the "more extreme segment" -- is motivated by politics and race. Last year Holder said:
"This is a way to get at the president because of the way I can be identified with him," he said, "both due to the nature of our relationship and, you know, the fact that we're both African-American."
With Republican anger directed towards President Obama and Attorney General Holder, it's often difficult for some to see where party politics ends and racial lines begin. The two are like a garment with a thread running through it. It's difficult to separate the fabric from the thread. For many blacks, race is a thread that runs through everything from routine traffic stops, where African Americans are disproportionately racially profiled in many states to racial disparity in treatment in the criminal justice system from beginning to sentencing.
Race has become an issue in this year's election with the GOP led voter ID laws. Attorney General Holder has aggressively fought several states on the new laws. Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, any changes in voting laws by many southern states with a history of discrimination, must be pre-cleared by the Justice Department before becoming law. The Justice Department blocked new voter ID laws in South Carolina and Texas. Attorney General Holder objected to a photo ID requirement in Texas because it would have had a disproportionate impact on Hispanic voters. Similarly, the South Carolina law was blocked because it would have an adverse effect on non-white voters. Both states have sued the Government.
Republicans have often had a contentious relationship with Attorney General Holder. That goes with the territory of being the first African American U.S. Attorney General. As chief law enforcement officer of the U.S., Attorney General Holder has taken an aggressive stance against the GOP fueled voter ID laws, voter registration changes and purging of voters from voting lists with significant backlash from republicans. Whether it's due to purely political reasons, racial motives or a combination of the two is debatable. Many blacks see the issue of politics and race as too closely tied to dissect them on the Holder contempt. Non-minorities often call it playing the race card. The reality exists that race touches on every aspect of our society--whether we choose to admit it or not. And Eric Holder's contempt vote was the work of a political garment with a racial thread running through it.
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These laws were put in place by the Patriot Act under former President Bush. If Issa sincerely wanted these documents to "help" the families of the dead agents, he would have first worked to change or eliminate the laws of the Patriots Act. The fact that he didn't bother to do so speaks volumes regarding this witchhunt against AG Holder.
Holder is a Democrat so the issue for Democrats is a mixture of politics and race.
The American public generallY wants to know WHAT WENT ON and like President Obama's school records, WHY IS IT LOCKED AWAY SO WE CAN'T SEE?
The third option not mentioned in both the title and the article is "Rule of Law".
How can the President, who by his own admission, knew nothing about F&F and whose office had never handled any documents regarding F&F invoke 'executive privilege'? Executive privilege is to allow the White House to protect what goes on in the Oval Office from becoming public knowledge. And President Obama and AG Holder have both said nothing about F&F ever went thru the Oval Office.
Unless on the off chance that one or both told a fib.
So much for the most transparent administration in the 225+ year of the United States.
And as one veteran to another, "Welcome home brother!" If you're ever in Reno, stop by the VA Hospital and we can grab a cup of coffee. I volunteer there a couple of days a week.
http://www.texasobserver.org/authors/christomlinson/item/18562-family-of-slain-ice-agent-zapata-files-claim-against-us-government
"Zapata’s family and Avila have not been able to obtain answers to many of their questions about the attack in Mexico. Questions such as: Why were the agents driving a suburban from Mexico City to the U.S. when they could have flown? Why were they traveling without an armed escort of Mexican military or police—as is routine—on a stretch of highway known for narco-gang activity? Why were they traveling in a custom-made, $160,000 high-security vehicle that had locks that would disengage when put in park? Why was the grand jury testimony of an FBI special agent in the investigation into the attack “accidentally taped over” and not re-recorded?"
Why won't Holder and Obama permit just that?
Where is the transparency? The honesty?
He clearly was. Everything else really has nothing to do with the investigation into Fast and Furious.
Why is Eric Holder so reluctant to admit that the program was a failure, and hand over the required documents, in toto (i.e., not a sliver, heavily redacted)? And, after sharply criticizing the Bush Administration for doing so (and, until now, having a sterling record in this regard) did President Obama invoke Executive Privilege, and prevent the release of said documents? Something really stinks here, and playing the race, or 'partisan' cards won't cover up the stench.
At any rate, Fast and Furious likely won't be the least of Eric Holder's fatal liabilities for the Obama campaign, in November:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/us-usa-holder-mortgage-idUSTRE80J0PH20120120
So too for AG Holder.
There is a reason a Turkey is invited to thanks giving dinner. It’s not to eat mash potatoes and sweet potato pie.