Posted on 12/19/2008 6:54:09 AM PST by Melpomene
WASHINGTON -- Anh "Joseph" Cao beat long odds when he defeated Rep. William Jefferson to win a seat in Congress.
His bid to join the Congressional Black Caucus might be even more difficult.
-snip-
Since its founding in 1971 by 13 black members of Congress, the caucus has never had a member who was not African-American. And the caucus has had only one Republican member -- Gary Franks, a former representative from Connecticut -- and that ended in acrimony. Another former black Republican in Congress, J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, chose not to join the caucus.
-snip-
"If the purpose of the caucus is to advance the interests of a group that is seen as disenfranchised or plagued with more serious problems than other Americans, then the membership should not be based on the racial characteristics of the member, but on the makeup of the district," said Carol Swain, a professor of law and political scientist at Vanderbilt University.
-snip-
Since his election, Cao has been touted by Republican leaders in Washington as the "new face" of the GOP, and that, Bositis said, is the last thing caucus members want in their midst.
-snip-
Michael Fauntroy, a political scientist at George Mason University whose uncle, Walter, formerly belonged to the Congressional Black Caucus as the longtime delegate to Congress from the District of Columbia, said he felt Cao's bid for caucus membership was "a very smart move on his part."
"It sends a message to black voters in his district that, even though he's a Republican, he is doing more than just paying lip service to the history of the district," said Fauntroy. "I don't expect it to work out, but if it doesn't, to me the caucus will look bad on this."
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
ping
No, it won't, and no, it won't......
But they are not racists.....no....
LOL. Gotta love all these political scientists opining on what should happen, and speculating on whether he will be allowed in as if there is a question. This whole article is a load of BS.
The article should read simply: “Chao won’t be admitted because he doesn’t have black skin.” Period.
When the Black Caucus denies Cao 'admission', it will reveal that it is just as racist as the people it purports to fight. This group, not unlike the ACLU, has long since outlived it purpose. It is out to get whitey as the ACLU is out to get Christians.
Well then, maybe...maybe he should try to join the congressional white caucus.
Oops, silly me, there is no congressional white caucus.
That would be rascist...
aint happenin....
CBC bin dere done dat..
Stephen Cohen, D-Tenn., was refused admission to the Congressional Black Caucus because he is white.
The black caucus, naacp,rev. wright, rev sharpton, rev jackson. These are turning me into a racist , just like they are!
Pelican State ping
There shouldn’t even be a race-based caucus to begin with.
Of course he won’t be admitted, and he knows it. I just love the way Cao is acting all innocent about it.
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