So what is the Congressional Black Caucus?

For so many years I have been one of those Americans who were comfortable in letting the system govern itself. That was until this year. This year the whole political system seemed to beg for my recognition. I have always voted for the President and tried to know their basic philosophies. I just never was interested in how the whole thing works, or as it is now, how it doesn’t work.

It seems that our government has broken itself into diverse groups with special agendas. One such group is the “Congressional Black Caucus”. Until Senator Obama joined the group it had been made up solely of legislators from the House of Representatives. Senator Obama was its first Senate member and the caucus’s first member elected president. Their second Senate member is Obama’s Senate seat replacement Roland Burris.

While they are not a Partisan group they currently consist entirely of Democratic Party politicians. It is not a rule. It just happens that way. Only four black Republicans have been elected to congress to date with J.C. Watts of Oklahoma refusing to join the group. Apparently Mr. Watts became labeled as an Uncle Tom for his refusal:

"...they [Jesse Jackson, et al.] said that I had sold out and Uncle Tom. And I said well, they deserve to have that view. But I have my thoughts. And I think they're race-hustling poverty pimps."

Officially you do not have to be black to be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, but it seems that there has never been a white Black Caucus member even though there have been some interested in applying. However when pressed on the issue of whites joining the caucus, former and current members of the Caucus agreed that the group should remain "exclusively black." Rep. William Lacy Clay, Jr., D-Mo., the son of Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, is quoted as saying, "Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer (referring to Rep. Steven Cohen D-TN). He's white and the Caucus is black. Some in Congress (and anyone else with half a brain) have seen these groups as divisive and called for their disbanding.

Representative Tom Tancredo, R-Co., spoke out against the continued existence of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as the Democratic Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Republican Congressional Hispanic Conference saying, "It is utterly hypocritical for Congress to extol the virtues of a color-blind society while officially sanctioning caucuses that are based solely on race. If we are serious about achieving the goal of a colorblind society, Congress should lead by example and end these divisive, race-based caucuses.”

During his presidential bid, Ralph Nader accused Rep. Melvin Watt of using an “obscene and racist epithet” when Watt supposedly said "You're just another arrogant white man - telling us what we can do - it's all about your ego - another f--king arrogant white man." It seems that the Caucus raised a ruckus when Nader wouldn’t step down as a candidate.

The National Leadership Network of Conservative African-Americans called for an Apology from Rep. Watts and the Congressional Black Caucus. I believe Mr. Nader is still waiting. Is it me or does there seem to be a large number of African Americans groups? Surely this can't be good for unifying this country. To quote 2 things from the late (African American) Booker T. Washington:

“I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.”
Booker T. Washington

“There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs-partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” Booker T. Washington