House Minority Leader places 'brown bag' over Black Caucus

The House Democrats, lead by Nancy Pelosi, has marginalized almost the entire Congressional Black Caucus in recent months. Leading me to ask the Dems, yet again, what is it about the Democrat Party that is so alluring? Why do you remain so loyal to a party and a philosophy that has failed to improve the condition of black America for four decades?

During the Reconstruction Period and through-out the Jim Crow Era, blacks who had once found acceptance in certain parts of American society based on the shade of their skin, now found themselves all lumped in the category of 'Colored' or 'Negro'.

What lighter skinned minorities (Creoles) did to address this and to maintain their self-imposed hierarchy was to do the 'grocery bag test' to determine who was and who wasn't allowed into their little sub-groups. How the brown bag test worked was if you approached a house with a brown grocery bag on the mailbox and your skin tone was darker than the bag then you were too dark to enter.

Well Nancy Pelosi has started her own version of the (political) brown bag test for the House of Representatives. If you're black and there's controversy surrounding you on any 'unapproved' issue then you are too dark to be on Nancy's team of congressional leaders and she will do what she can to reduce the attention you are receiving; up to and including removing you from key leadership positions.

Take William Jefferson for example. He is an eight term Democrat representing District 2 in Louisiana. He was the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee until Minority leader Nancy Pelosi called for him to step down due to controversies surrounding his conduct in office. When Jefferson refused the Democrats, lead by Pelosi, voted to take away his committee seat. Jefferson has yet to be charged by any law enforcement agency for criminal wrong doing.

Is there incriminating evidence? There's tons of it. Throw in his two associates who named him as a beneficiary of their illegal shenanigans and you have quite the political stew. But none-the-less, he has not been charged with any crime.

Jefferson, like McKinney, and Waters have become political liabilities and Pelosi could give a rip about due process if there's a chance to gain power in the House. Presumption of innocence? Not if you're darker than Pelosi's brown bag hanging on the Democrat post in Congress.

In defense of Pelosi's actions, there have been many who have cited the Republican's rule that requires members to step down from leadership positions if they have been charged with a crime. That would be fine if Jefferson was actually charged with a crime.

Republican Majority Leader, Tom Delay was under scrutiny for a number of issues during his political career. He maintained his position as House Leader throughout. It was not until he was formally charged in his home state of Texas did he "temporarily" step down from the Majority Leader position. Pelosi, on the other hand, can't afford to keep Jefferson in the lime light while conducting her campaign against the "culture of corruption" she accuses the Republicans of fostering. It obviously does not matter if Jefferson has been charged...just being accused is enough for Pelosi...

Oddly enough, the other members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) remained relatively quiet. Some expressed concerns but when given the opportunity to disclose who voted for Jefferson and who voted against...the CBC remained silent allowing the vote to remain private. It's being reported that the CBC issued a statement saying that Jefferson was entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence...but that's as far as they took it.

A statement?

Wow.

Good thing we weren't dependent on the CBC for civil rights in the 1960's...they would have just issued a "statement" and then remained silent.

According to an ABC/AP Story,

James E. Clyburn from the 6th district in South Carolina told reporters that most members of the Congressional Black Caucus did not want a vote, despite their accusation that Pelosi was subjecting Jefferson to a sanction without a rule or precedent to justify it.

So they knew it was wrong...they just didn't have the resolve to ensure that Jefferson received the same treatment as any other member of Congress.

But wait a sec'...

While Pelosi was leading the charge to remove Jefferson from the Ways and Means committee, she was also telegraphing her intentions to remove the current ranking Democratic leader of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Jane Harman of California, and replacing her with Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida.

This is where Pelosi's brown bag test comes to light. Pelosi leads the charge to remove Jefferson from his committee seat, saying repeatedly that Democrats will be held to the highest possible ethical standards. Then she earmarks one of the most sensitive positions in the House of Representatives, for a representative who has not only been accused, but who has been impeached for conduct that even exceeds the accusations made against Jefferson.

According to a Washington Times Op/Ed piece;

Hastings had 17 counts in his impeachment as a US District Court Judge. These counts included; perjury, fabricating evidence, and leaking information to obstruct an investigation. Hastings was ultimately removed from the bench only to be voted into Congress by Florida's electorate.

Now, Pelosi wants to make Hastings the leading Dem on the House Intelligence Committee and she's made no mention of the "culture of corruption" when speaking of Hastings' past exploits.

Why the double standard? What gives? Why is the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) silent? Pelosi has made it clear to the CBC that to oppose her is to find your way to the shortest route to marginalization. She has set the hierarchy and no one is to challenge it...the brown bag is on the mailbox and if you're too black then you can't come in.

For some reason the CBC continues to believe that the Democrat Party has their best interest at heart. 40 years have passed since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Democrats controlled the Congress for 30 of those 40 years.

So 40 years later: Blacks have the second highest high school drop out rate, the second highest percentage of teen pregnancies, a shamefully disproportionate number of blacks in the prison system (see pages 10-11), the highest unemployment, and the highest percentage of sub-groups testing positive for HIV; and that's just the top five issues black communities face today. For 30 out of the 40 years of this 'black experience' the Democrats held the majority in Congress...and look at what's become of us.

Pelosi holds certain black members of Congress to a higher standard than others and the CBC does nothing. The Black Democrats are in a party that doesn't appreciate them being there and they're too afraid to join (or start) a party that would allow them to grow, express and lead as they are qualified to do so.

Even after 40 years, even after becoming a Congressman/woman they still wait for a handout instead of standing on their own and plowing a new direction for their constituents and for the Country.

This is exactly the reason why I cannot be a part of the Democrat Party. I know nothing of William Jefferson's politics. All I know is that he deserves the presumption of innocence despite the political atmosphere Pelosi finds herself in. The Congressional Black Caucus is nothing but a club for the disregarded. The brown grocery bag is posted and none of them will dare challenge it.

What they need to do is take the grocery bag down, ball it up, place it in their pocket and proceed inside. True leaders forge new paths. Waiting for others to build the road for you will always leave you on the bus. Rosa Parks got us to the front of the bus. Why can't the Congressional Black Caucus lead in getting us off the bus completely?

Michael DiBartolo
TWP