Black political power and influence appears strafed and demolished in less than two weeks time. Even President Barack Obama is not immune as he fends off assaults from both left and right, including a Washington Post column by two prominent Democratic strategists recommending he pass on re-election in 2012.
A combination of scandal, Republican electoral tsunamis and lack of a coordinated response to the new political climate have left Black politicos trapped in a smoky wilderness of uncertainty.
It could not have come at a worse time for African Americans, near paralyzed by unemployment double the national average, record foreclosure rates and a recession which vaporized a quarter of the Black middle class.
Two of the most senior Black Members of Congress — Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., — are faced with full-blown ethics “trials” this lame duck session of Congress, with two additional Members — Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., and Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., — in the House Ethics Committee pipeline for further consideration.
Rangel’s inquiry ended with the Harlem congressman being found guilty on 11 counts and the House Ethics Committee voting for censure. Rangel’s demise quickly devolved into the heartbreaking embarrassment of a celebrated, longtime founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus — who once wielded the gavel to the most powerful committee in Congress — unable to afford a lawyer.
Yet, observers are left wondering why it went that far, especially after Ethics Committee lead counsel Blake Chisam reluctantly admitted at one point on the record that he saw “… no evidence of corruption” in the Rangel case. Read the full story at New America Media
