At least one black Democrat on the sidelines of this meltdown wondered if the Urban Progressive Caucus was the brainchild of brand-new state Sen. Jeff Smith. If so, everyone is dissembling really effectively. Smith reacted to news of the new caucus with surprise, and he was far from St. Louis Tuesday night as members of the new caucus wrote a draft of its bylaws. Indeed, the legislators who formed the caucus aren’t even sure they would want Smith as a member, since they like his policy stands but his politics are still a major question mark.
White progressives seem to assume the best about Smith, but black progressives often suspect the worst. This may be residual fallout from the fight for the 4th Senatorial District, which was perceived by just about everybody except Smith himself as a white/black thing. Mike Jones in the county executive’s office describes Smith as “a throwback,” intending this as a major compliment, but Smith will definitely need to earn his way with his black peers in the Legislature.
Also, rumors continue to dog him. The latest is that he and Brian Wahby intended to undermine Maida Coleman’s leadership position in the state Senate. That could just be a lame duck complaining, though. Also, it could be political suicide, when Smith knows the eyes of black folks are upon him, and whatever his politics, he is not stupid.