Members of the Congressional Black Caucus Have a Grand Opportunity

They have nothing to fear but their own timidity. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) who now enjoy unprecedented positions of power in the democratically-controlled Congress will suffer no losses regardless of the presidential candidate they choose to support.

Worries about revenge and reprisals should be locked in a dungeon. Opportunity for new political clout must be the new priority concern of the CBC. This most dynamic of all Democratic primaries has revealed some rich pockets of potential power for Black progressives. It has been discovered that the nearly invisible Blacks in Delaware constitute more than half of the Democrats. Look closely and you will discover an immediate opportunity for Blacks to gain one of Delaware's three seats which a few white males have dominated with a game of musical chairs for decades. Running for re-election in this year is a very old fashioned anti-public education Republican who could be defeated if the two Democratic Senators, Joe Biden and Tom Carper, would break out of the old boys network and support a progressive Black candidate. Delaware could be an easy East Coast conquest.

But the greatest revealed opportunities are way down South. Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina have sent obvious messages: The Black electorate is alive and strong! Our smug leaders can no longer take our votes for granted!

Add Mississippi to this group and you have four states that could be returned to the Democratic ranks in the November General Election if the enlightened and long overdue effort is made to forge a union of local progressive Whites with the critical Black masses in each of these states. George Wallace left an obvious model which White minds contaminated with confederate poison could not comprehend.

This "grand opportunity" to forge pivotal power in four Southern states plus Delaware must not be overlooked by the CBC. One powerful member who clearly understands that the stakes are high is Congressman Bennie Thompson, the founder of the CBC Political Education and Legislative Institute that co-sponsored two of the CNN presidential debates. Thompson is presently Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. As a veteran of the Mississippi political wars, he understands the nuances of politics at home in the South as well as the maneuvers for power within the House Democratic Caucus. Thompson is constantly pressing the CBC to maximize its influence.

He knows that the measure of a Black Critical Mass involves more than mere numbers. The degree of solidarity within the group; the level of fervor or anger; momentum or the capacity to surge in support of a cause; these are all components of the Black Critical Mass. They did not organize the Barack Obama for President Movement; and certainly they are not the principle financiers. Obama's campaign is not a "Black Thing"; nevertheless, without the Black fireball at its core this phenomenon would not have escalated into a credible threat to the entrenched establishment.

Members of the Democratic Leadership Council who were treating low fundraising Black congresspersons with contempt in the summer of 2006 are now part of the Clinton team desperately calling each Black superdelegate. Let us all celebrate the wonderful arithmetic of American democracy. Cash poor minorities can spark transforming campaigns and drive the smug establishment into covert hysteria. Bullying the majority of the 700 super delegates -- congresspersons, governors, party officials, etc. -- into submission will now become the critical determinant of the convention hall tally of Democratic Party delegates in August.

Chairman Thompson is one of the 30 percent of the CBC members endorsing Barack Obama; however, he is certain that regardless of the outcome of the race, Blacks will win greater respect from the incoming Democratic administration next January. Meanwhile, Thompson wants to hear the candidates speak more about eradicating poverty, especially the continuing suffering in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans as a result of Katrina. As Chairman of Homeland Security Bennie has been trying to bust heads and get better results for the Katrina evacuees. With change on every candidate's lips he now expects to get greater help from his Democratic Party.

Comments

[cthomp7280]

While inspiration does not win games, it is often entrenched in character of those who do win. Presentation, demeanor, aptitude, and attitude are the vehicles for relaying a successful message. To coin the old phrase "you attract more flies with sugar than with sh*t", serves notice to any and everyone that, regardless of how good your stance is, your persona can turn people against you. Humility need not be mistaken for weakness...and false bravado need not be confused with courage and strength. Strength is caring about how your actions will affect the next person, knowing when to shut up and when to speak, recognizing that you serve at the discretion of the people, and not the other way around.

[Konelli]

Mr Obama could find it hard to obtain the entire countries vote Very interesting article

[Mort]

Is it just me or does this article sound just a bit racist? I mean no disrespect, sir. But here's a simple test. Replace every mention of the word "Black" with the word "White" and see if reading this article again doesn't make your blood boil.

[independentrepublicrat]

It is just you.

[ngcummings]

No, I t is not just you. It's the height of hypocrisy. Replace the word "black" with "women" and there would be a huge outrage. Evidently misogyny is still acceptable.

Someone please tell me. Exactly how Obama is supposed to be a uniter when his campaign and his supporters are dividing the country along racial lines, gender lines and generational lines?

A unifier would say, I will stand behind whoever is nominated. But Obama says, "I don't know if we can support Hillary if she is the nominee." What kind of unity is that? We are now becoming more divided than ever.

Telling the CBC members to support Obama because he is black is just as bad as women supporting Hillary because she is a woman.

How about just once we hire a president who is qualified?

[ngcummings]

No, It is not just you. It's the height of hypocrisy. Replace the word "black" with "women" and there would be a huge outrage. Evidently misogyny is still acceptable.

Someone please tell me. Exactly how Obama is supposed to be a uniter when his campaign and his supporters are dividing the country along racial lines, gender lines and generational lines?

A unifier would say, I will stand behind whoever is nominated. But Obama says, "I don't know if we can support Hillary if she is the nominee." What kind of unity is that? We are now becoming more divided than ever.

Telling the CBC members to support Obama because he is black is just as bad as women supporting Hillary because she is a woman.

How about just once we hire a president who is qualified?

[lynnn]

I love your post continue to tell it like it is.

[kbuggy12]

I know members of the CBC must be shaking in their boots right now, at least the ones who endorsed Hillary, I guess the question I'll have for them in in January 2009 is what side of history were you on when Barack Obama became President.

[Spookcatcher]

It sure sounds like you are more interested in Barack for being Black than anything else! It might be a responsible activity to research and call for some legitimate investigative research on this candidate. We didn't expose all the criminal and shadow government connections on the Bush family, even though its been laying there just for the asking. Barack Obama Sr. and the Ford Foundation?, Lolo Soetoro, hids step-father an Indonesian muslim Officer in the massacre of the PKI and connections to the CIA, and then his "employment" as a Western Oil "manager"? We need a clear and transparent picture of everybody's family ties to American Fascists and Elitists Supremists, espaecially in the wake of Our governmen's activities and the dictatorship of the Bush Cheney Administration. No more shadow government Leaders, let's start scrutinizing Now, witin this election, even though in reality it is propbably much too late to save Our Democracy.!

[KRANKY]

Rep. Owens, I have great respect for you; both for you positions and for having been a supporter of Howard Dean in 2004.
We now have to look forward, and Barack Obama is generational...a warp from the usual. We must embrace this change, and welcome the opportunities that it implies!

[Alessan]

I don't think anyone was taking the black vote
for granted, previous white candidates have
pandered like Obama has with Oprah to the black voters in the South. The crazy voters that are voting for BO, don't even know what he intends to offer, all they say is, he is
inspirational, sorry that's just not enough, he
cannot help people of color in this country and I doubt he will, old problems still exist, and Obama has not addressed this, and this no reason to think he will once he is elected.

[lynnn]

Note to idiot most Black people aren't in love w/Oprah, most don't even like her. But you know so much! Yes Blacks are idiots continue to post crap like this (you are basically saying Blacks can not reason their support for Obama, they cannot reason their profound disapointment at the Clintons) and McCain w/get the most African American votes a republican has gotten in 80 years. African Americans know that Obama does not support the artifical distinction in mandatory drug sentencing laws, they know he worked hard in IL to make sure people rights weren't abused in interrogations. And while Bill made sure to be at the execution of a mentally handicapped African American Male (so he could be tough on crime and play the southern strategy) Obama has worked to make sure innocent people aren't put to death.

African Americans are seeing that the people in the Democratic party take them for granted and treat them like fools. Basically many Democrats on this board are speaking like freepers.

[BUSHsurvivor]

When the media has interpreted the word of Bill Clinton for you and you follow those words as gospel, then yes, you reasoning for BO support goes right out the window. Kind of like the article that appeared in The State newspaper prior to South Carolina...it left out Clinton's complete answer on the "fairy tale" response. Instead of truthfully saying that Clinton was referring to BO's position on Iraq, the paper left it as Clinton referring to BO's candidacy. Same went with the governor of Virginia the other day. He, as well, referred back to "Clinton calling BO's candidacy a fairy tale" when in truth it should have been stated that it was for BO's Iraq position.

Go figure...

[tpagy]

Well thats what you call unity and change?

[bluesjones63]

CBC members ARE NOT representative of the wishes/desires of average African-American voters.

Like their white Democratic Party Congress people, like the Governor of Pennsylvania, like much of the DC-based media, like Julian Bond, SOME CBC members have been intoxicated by the "DC air" TOO LONG.

[LeonBNJ]

There are still too many districts in some states rigged to limit the black and Democratic vote. But on the other hand, don't forget the significant number of white voters in many states supporting Sen. Obama too. You may find more districts that while they may be slightly majority white, they will support a sound Black canidate for office. Many whites have issues like many of their fellow Black residents suffering from the transfers of industry to China and out of where they live, declining school systems with declining tax funding, suffering from enviromental mismanagement, and being ignored by government.

[lostonechampion]

Two points.

1) The CBC attached their wagon to the wrong train and now they look way foolish. ...perhaps even irrelevant.

2) The CBC should learn from Obama. As long as you are the "black" candidate, you will only appeal to black constituents. Address issues with a non-racial approach and you might find that you have broader appeal.

[Savanarola]

The CBCI's deal with Murdoch on the debates tell you where the CBC is...forty years behind the African American Community...Without instant reform, the CBC will be irrelevant in six months.

[marcusdean]

I really hope Obama gets the nomination, and his coat-tails trickle down in the southern states and elsewhere such that maybe a few African American candidates for the house or state reps could get a nice bump.