bobbyw24
10-15-2009, 06:00 PM
All eyes are on Rep. Charlie Rangel again this week as finger-pointing Republicans continue to pursue punishing him for ethics violations. Rangel's own financial shortcomings landed him in this situation. His very own, and well-deserved Ways and Means Committee chairmanship, is at stake. But in a world where perception reins supreme, Rangel's financial woes may likely have far-reaching and negative implications not only for him, but the people he first came to Congress to represent.
Congressman William Clay, Sr. once claimed, "Black people have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests." As a fellow founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), this statement characterized not only Congressman Rangel's political beliefs, but defined his fundamental mission: to represent the underrepresented political interests of black Americans.
But things have changed. Rangel co-founded the CBC with thirteen members in 1971; today, they boast a membership of forty-two. The number of black elected officials at every level of office has increased six-fold during this time and more than ten-fold in some states, according to the last count by the Joint Center of Political and Economic Studies. Once an anomaly, black faces are now relatively commonplace throughout the country's legislative corridors. Normal. Ordinary. Typical. This is supposed to be a good thing, right? A measure of racial progress to be sure?
The problem, though - as some see it - is that when they were few, folks like Rangel were black politicians - politicians whose mission was shaped by their fidelity to the racial group to which they belonged. Now that they are many, some say they have become nothing more than politicians who just so happen to be black, placing their own, personal and primarily financial interests above those to be served. Some would say that the black interests of 1971 have taken a backseat to the personal interests of individual black congressmen and women of this millennium.
For instance, almost one-third of CBC members were considered "underachievers" or "derelict" in a 2006 report by the Black Congressional Monitor, a progressive interest group which tracks the legislative initiatives of black congressmen and women. From stash-of-cash-in-my-fridge William Jefferson, to former Congressman Al Wynn, Bobby Rush and others once criticized for selling their votes to the powerful telecommunications lobby, the group castigated many on the CBC's roster for putting their own interests first. The best interests of their black constituents or civil rights causes came second, they claimed.
The accuracy of such a report is only one thing to consider. More importantly, we must consider the fact that there is a growing perception that today's black politicians aren't the democratic defenders of the race many once saw them as.
This is one of the primary reasons that Congressman Rangel's recent financial mishaps may end up costing more than just one man's position or reputation. Rangel's taxing forgetfulness, alongside media reports framing
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/10/all-eyes-are-on-rep.php
Congressman William Clay, Sr. once claimed, "Black people have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests." As a fellow founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), this statement characterized not only Congressman Rangel's political beliefs, but defined his fundamental mission: to represent the underrepresented political interests of black Americans.
But things have changed. Rangel co-founded the CBC with thirteen members in 1971; today, they boast a membership of forty-two. The number of black elected officials at every level of office has increased six-fold during this time and more than ten-fold in some states, according to the last count by the Joint Center of Political and Economic Studies. Once an anomaly, black faces are now relatively commonplace throughout the country's legislative corridors. Normal. Ordinary. Typical. This is supposed to be a good thing, right? A measure of racial progress to be sure?
The problem, though - as some see it - is that when they were few, folks like Rangel were black politicians - politicians whose mission was shaped by their fidelity to the racial group to which they belonged. Now that they are many, some say they have become nothing more than politicians who just so happen to be black, placing their own, personal and primarily financial interests above those to be served. Some would say that the black interests of 1971 have taken a backseat to the personal interests of individual black congressmen and women of this millennium.
For instance, almost one-third of CBC members were considered "underachievers" or "derelict" in a 2006 report by the Black Congressional Monitor, a progressive interest group which tracks the legislative initiatives of black congressmen and women. From stash-of-cash-in-my-fridge William Jefferson, to former Congressman Al Wynn, Bobby Rush and others once criticized for selling their votes to the powerful telecommunications lobby, the group castigated many on the CBC's roster for putting their own interests first. The best interests of their black constituents or civil rights causes came second, they claimed.
The accuracy of such a report is only one thing to consider. More importantly, we must consider the fact that there is a growing perception that today's black politicians aren't the democratic defenders of the race many once saw them as.
This is one of the primary reasons that Congressman Rangel's recent financial mishaps may end up costing more than just one man's position or reputation. Rangel's taxing forgetfulness, alongside media reports framing
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/10/all-eyes-are-on-rep.php