Posted on 06/27/2012 3:43:48 PM PDT by Altura Ct.
The Congressional Black Caucus has called a members-only "emergency" meeting on Thursday to plot a "walkout strategy" ahead of the scheduled contempt vote of Attorney General Eric Holder later in the day.
The plans, detailed in an email from the executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus obtained by the Alley, include circulating a letter disapproving of the vote and having lawmakers walk out of the Capitol to hold a press conference during the roll call.
The letter, a draft of which is being circulated for signatures, accuses the GOP leadership of "rushing recklessly to a contempt vote." The letter is being circulated among the Black, Hispanic, Asian and Progressive caucuses, among other.
"We cannot and will not participate in a vote to hold the Attorney General in contempt," says the letter, in which the signers urge that "all members of Congress to stand with us during a press conference on the Capitol Building steps during this appalling series of votes to discuss our nation's most significant priority--creating jobs."
The House is expected to vote on Thursday hold Holder in contempt of Congress for refusing to release certain documents related to the failed "Fast and Furious" gun-running program.
At moments, the fight has taken on racial undertones, most notably when Holder, who is African American, told the New York Times in December 2011 that he served as a stand-in for GOP attacks on President Obama. "This is a way to get at the president because of the way I can be identified with him," Holder said, "both due to the nature of our relationship and, you know, the fact that we're both African-American."
A copy of the full draft letter is below:
Dear Colleague:
We write to urge you to stand with us in the pursuit of justice for the Attorney General of the United States of America, Eric H. Holder. In its history, the United States House of Representatives has never held a United States Attorney General, or any other Cabinet official, in contempt.
Instead of focusing on job creation and other critical issues before this Congress, we have been asked to engage in a political stunt on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. Our constituents elected us to do real work, not to engage in meaningless partisan activity.
Over the past 15 months, Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice have cooperated with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's requests for information on "Fast and Furious", an unfortunate operation that began under the Bush Administration and, in fact, was terminated by Attorney General Holder. The Department has made extraordinary efforts to accommodate Congress by turning over almost 8,000 documents--including all the documents that relate to the tactics in this investigation and the other flawed investigations that occurred in Arizona during the Bush Administration. The Attorney General also participated in a bicameral meeting in a good faith effort to satisfy the Committee's information requests. While the Attorney General has advised House Republicans that he is willing to work with them in attempting to reach an agreement, the Republican Leadership is instead rushing recklessly to a contempt vote.
Contempt power should be used sparingly, carefully and only in the most egregious situations. The Republican Leadership has articulated no legislative purpose for pursuing this course of action. For these reasons we cannot and will not participate in a vote to hold the Attorney General in contempt. We adamantly oppose this partisan attack and refuse to participate in any vote that would tarnish the image of Congress or of an Attorney General who has done nothing but work tirelessly to protect the rights of the American people. We must reflect upon why we are elected to this body and choose now to stand up for justice.
We call upon all members of Congress to stand with us during a press conference on the Capitol Building steps during this appalling series of votes to discuss our nation's most significant priority--creating jobs. At this critically important time in our nation, we must work as colleagues rather than political enemies.
Long walk, short pier.
Lets make this happen, CBC.
oh those racist Congress Black Caucus...FIRE THEM ALL...nothing but trouble makers
A M E N
And not one voice is speaking for the dead Mexicans. Strange.
Prediction: As they "walk out", none of them will be chewing gum.
Some interesting reading...
@ Eric Holder’s contempt vote: He’s hardly the first
@ Appendix. Congressional Contempt Resolutions, 1980-Present
@ Congress’s Contempt Power and the Enforcement of Congressional Subpoenas
Page 63 for Appendix. Congressional Contempt Resolutions, 1980-Present
Since the Dems don't seem to have the votes to block a contempt are they simply going to skip out on such an historic event without even lodging a protest vote?
Remember the day we all supported Juan Williams when NPR gave him the Axe?? and how he then turned on us supporters...Never again support that guy!!!...
Hit their ratings...turn of Fox.
Congressional Black Losers! Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Racist fools!
My advice, these racists should not stop walking.
Sounds like somebody wanted to be prepared in advance so they requested the report be prepared.
“”8 P.M. and OFF with Fox News...Juan Williams sitting in for Bill O’Reilly...so off went my TV.””
Same here - didn’t take me 1/2 minute to exit the living room and get back here. I wrote to The Five last week and told them I would NEVER watch their show again if Juan Williams was on and that went for every other FOX show also. He insists on defending the indefensible no matter how damaging to the country and I simply could not take it anymore. I told them that I love them all - even Bob Beckel - but no more Juan Williams for me.
He ought to be made to sit in a room for 8 hours and look at his facial expressions and eye rolling on a monitor. He behaves like a spoiled brat. He’s fond of quoting what he calls facts when they are simply his opinions.
The Congressional Wasis Cuckus. Pansy arsed wussies hiding behind mommy’s big wasis skirts. Be a man for once ya bunch of tools.
When whites eventually become a minority, due to lowering birth rates over the ensuing years, do we get to form a
Congressional White Caucus without being called racists or bigots or will such a designation be a perpetual thing?
/sarcasm
OOOOOHH! How snottily socially aware... how 9th grade (if any of them made it that far.
**************************************************
Pshaw! There are many who haven’t made it through the 9th grade that can make better decisions.
The only choice left is that they make decisions based not in reality but of their own racism or because they are black and therefore, they are unable to make a better decision.
I believe it is their racism.
I think Nancy set a precedent with her Deem to be passed stuff.
When you have the ability to Gerymander a district using computers you can design a district that will have a certain outcome, not just in that district, but it keeps those voters out of another district. Cool huh?
Ala O.J. Simpson. Same thing. The whole country will make the comparison. Not even the lamestream media can ignore it.
Dear fellow Black Caucus members. Please find the enclosed sand, which I invite you to go pound!
--Sincerely, Allen.
Dear fellow Black Caucus members. Please find the enclosed sand, which I invite you to go pound!
--Sincerely, Allen.
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