Ridicule and Shame the Bad Actors of the Black Caucus

by BAR
executive editor Glen Ford

"The CBC
Monitor will indict the four worst members of the Caucus."

The rot in the Congressional Black Caucus has led the body,
as a whole, to vote in opposition to their own constituents and progressive
values in sometimes greater numbers than the Democratic Caucus. What was once
the most progressive political grouping on Capitol Hill - reflecting the values
of the most leftist demographic in the U.S. - has devolved into a club of
corporate money-takers and hired votes.

The descent of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has been
swift, and striking. Every instinct of the African American polity is to defend
the CBC - but that is no longer possible. There still remains a progressive
majority in the Black Caucus, but they cannot act effectively within the
organization's structures, which are hitched to corporate funding. The most
dramatic examples are the Caucus's acceptance of funding from Wal-Mart, and the
ill-fated deal they made with arch-racist FOX
News to televise presidential debates.

"Progressive CBC members have been forced to work their
legislative initiatives outside of the Black Caucus."

Therefore, progressive CBC members have been forced to work
their legislative initiatives outside of the Black Caucus, which has become a
hostile environment. Representatives Maxine
Waters and Barbara Lee, both of California, created the Out of Iraq
Coalition when the CBC failed to respond to near-universal Black demands that
the U.S. disengage from the Iraq war. A rightwing faction of the CBC, led by Artur Davis
(AL) and affiliated with the Democratic Leadership
Council, exercises effective veto power over Caucus deliberations. This
faction is heavily-funded by corporations that are determined to hijack Black
politics to their own benefit. Since 2005, the corporate offensive has neutered
the CBC as a force for change in the United States.

The rightwing faction's influence has grown from ten votes
for the Bankruptcy
bill, promulgated by predatory lenders in 2005, to the two-thirds of the
42-member Black Caucus in the House that voted in 2006 for the measure to roll
back decade's
old gains in the fight for equal access to digital technology and cable
services. It became clear that the Congressional Black Caucus had collapsed,
and was no longer anywhere near the "conscience of the Congress" that it has
claimed to be.

"African Americans must recognize that treachery is
rampant, and expel the bad actors and sell-outs from out midst."

The CBC debacle poses a crisis for Black political activism.
No longer can we cheer on the "home team," who are beholden in large measure to
other forces. Instead, African Americans must recognize that treachery is
rampant, and expel the bad actors and sell-outs from our midst. Fortunately, we
have tools at our disposal to identify the malefactors: the Congressional Black
Caucus Monitor, which tracks the votes of CBC members twice a year. The CBC
Monitor will indict the four worst members of the Caucus - and give lots of
commentary on the rest, including plaudits to the best - at the first annual Lawn
Jockey Awards, in Washington, DC, on the evening of September 26, the first
day of the CBC's gala promenade and celebratory Legislative Week. Duke City
restaurant, at 1208 "U" Street NW, is the venue. Go to PayPal at our site to
book your $30 seat and food.

Shame and ridicule are the order of the day. It works. We
have seen that Black lawmakers who have collaborated with corporations have
reversed gears when their transgressions have been documented. The CBC Monitor
Lawn Jockey Awards will heap ridicule on those who deserve it, and shame those
who act shamelessly.

BAR executive editor Glen
Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

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