Let Black Democrats Be Black!
by
BAR Executive Editor Glen Ford
“More Black
faces in high places does not necessarily translate to
advancing the historically progressive African American political consensus.”
Democrats are jubilant at the prospects of capturing the
U.S. House, next week, and possibly the Senate. There is no doubt that African
Americans are the most enthusiastic of any group to take the wind out of
Republican sails in at least one chamber of Congress – especially since a
Democratic majority in the House will mean the ascension of Blacks to chairs of
key committees. Many pundits predict a sea change in the lower chamber that
might rival the Republican sweep of 1994, when Newt Gingrich’s rightwing
onslaught put the Democrats in a defensive – even servile – posture that has in
the ensuing years stripped the party of anything that could reasonably be
called a left wing.
We at Black Agenda Report also dearly hope for a Republican
defeat – but we have no illusions that GOP losses will result in anything more
than a slowing down of the rightwing juggernaut. Progressive politics have been gutted in the
Democratic Party, most dramatically and disastrously in the Congressional Black
Caucus (CBC). Republicans out does not mean progressives, in.
More Black faces in high places does not necessarily
translate to advancing the historically progressive African American political
consensus. Therefore, while evicting the GOP from leadership in at least one chamber
of Congress – the House, where Blacks have accumulated seniority – will surely
prompt Ebony and Black Enterprise magazines to publish
celebratory spreads hailing the re-emergence of Black political power on The
Hill, the actual impact cannot possibly measure up to expectations.
“Republicans out does not mean progressives, in.”
Black electoral politics has been institutionally infected
by corporate money, and is in dire need of an overhaul – in an increasing
number of cases, an outright purge is in order. Never before have Black congresspersons been less representative of African American
interests, as documented in the shameful records of 2005 and 2006 CBC voting
patterns. The rot is unmistakable, and clearly marks an undeniable demarcation
– a disconnect – from the previous general behavior of
African American politicians.
On election night, we all will look forward to a bluer map
on the television screens. But bluer does not mean Blacker, in a meaningful
sense, if Black politicians continue on their path of subservience to corporate
dollars and obeisance to the dictates of Democratic leadership. The best (or
worst) example is Nancy Pelosi, and the Democratic Leader’s treatment of John
Conyers, the senior Black member of the U.S. House.
Conyers, a committed progressive of long standing, has been
straining at the bits to start impeachment proceedings against the criminal,
George Bush. But Nancy Pelosi and the rest of white Democratic leadership – and
their subservient Black acolytes – have said that “impeachment is off the
table.” Conyers has been laying the groundwork for impeachment proceedings for
years, gathering documentation of executive branch criminality on a monumental
scale. However, it will be all for naught, if Nancy Pelosi and her friends in
the Democratic Leadership Council solidify their control over the lower
chamber, next week. Conyers gave up the ghost recently, when he cleared the
table of impeachment at Pelosi’s command.
“Conyers has
been silenced, and his work put aside: ‘off the table.’”
Let us understand what the impeachment process is. Just as
in a trial of someone charged with a crime, the jurors – in this case,
congresspersons – are asked to assess the facts and motivations of the accused.
There is no question that the Bush regime has laid layer upon layer of lies
upon further layers of crimes – murders, in the many thousands – into the
collective American catch-bin of human rights criminality. But this has become
a taboo subject under present Democratic leadership, who expect to coast to
power without mentioning the crimes. And so, Conyers has been silenced, and his
work put aside: “off the table.”
Therefore, the greatest crimes against the American and
global populations in the history of the world are “off the table.” And the
Congressional Black Caucus is in agreement? How have we come to that, and what
does a Democratic victory mean to us?
If John Conyers, our great champion since his election in
1964, cannot stand up to corporate-financed Democrats, then who will?
We are also supposed to be very excited about the prospect
of Charlie Rangel, of
Mr. Rangel may well be a good chairman of the
The political environment has been infected by a
corporate-media generated virus that says: You must move to the right.
Therefore, the conversation, dominated by the corporate media, has moved
rightward. Black people are also involved in this conversation.
Our discussion has been intruded upon, by corporate money, that has subverted our elected representatives – to
the point that they are sometimes unrecognizable as progressives. The
Congressional Black Caucus Monitor has documented this rightward,
corporate-bought shift, and its dramatic impact on the behavior of Black
Democrats. They ain’t acting Black anymore. They are
acting like money-catchers.
Yes, let us celebrate the
prospect of Republican defeat in the 2006 elections. They need to go down. But
who comes up? With a subservient Congressional Black Caucus that does not stand
for anything – because the Democratic National Committee doesn’t stand for
anything – we find that we have misplaced our trust.
“The
political-business class of African Americans has been hopelessly corrupted.”
We must clean up our house. The Black electorate is
progressive, and has always been. But the political-business class of African
Americans has been hopelessly
corrupted. We cannot begin to talk about forming a Black
political party, if we cannot even form effective Black caucuses. None of the
Black caucuses – local, state, or federal – function as mechanisms of Black
self-determination. Not one.
And so, we engage in a vicarious theater of rich white
folks’ parades. The parade is important, because power ensues. However, the
hitching of our sails to corporate ships will never lead to our peoples’
empowerment – but only to the enrichment of the white corporate helmsmen.
Glen Ford can be reached at glen.ford
(at) blackagendareport. When emailing be sure to
replace the (at) with the character @.