Why Rep. Cohen Can't Join the CBC?
New Memphis Rep. cordially uninvited to join Congressional Black Caucus. This despite the fact that the 9th district is 60% African-American. The more-or-less open reason given is that the CBC has a colour line and Cohen may not cross it.
I submit that the Democratic Party's professed commitment to equality either of opportunity or of outcomes is in fact merely a posture calculated for political advantage, not one which they would ever seriously inconvenience themselves to realise.
Rep. Ellison of Koran-oath-swearing-fame offers this unselfconsciously hilarious coda in his preening Washington Post editorial breathtakingly entitled " Choose Generosity, Not Exclusion":
"Will the preacher tell our young couple, “God loves you – but only you and people like you?” Or will the preacher say “God loves you and you must love your neighbors of all colors, cultures, or faiths as yourselves”? One message will lead to be a stinginess of spirit, an exclusion of the “undeserving”, and the other will lead to a generosity of spirit and inclusion of all."
Powerful words; more powerful if there were any evidence he meant for them to be applied to anyone but people like himself.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Can Anyone Explain With a Straight Face...
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2 comments:
I tend to agree, Philo. But in all fairness to the CBC, they might not be refusing Cohen admission because he is white per se, but because they don't want to give a political boost to a rival of the Ford family.
That is, it might not be explicitly racial, but simply political. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus for example, did everything they could to exclude Democrat Henry Cuellar, because he had defeated incumbent Ciro Rodriguez in the primary.
Just a possibility.
The Editor
Stonewalling him in the caucus is a different matter than not letting him in the caucus at all. I am unpersuaded, although you did a fine job of keeping a straight face.
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