Carnahan’s congressional colleague William Lacy Clay and 40 other members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) recently met with President George W. Bush and newly confirmed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. This is (almost) news, given Bush’s track record of avoiding black leaders other than those he hand-picks for his cabinet appointments. He had met just a day earlier with hand-plucked black conservatives and some African-American clergy who have benefitted from the administration’s faith-based initiatives.
But what is more surprising is the spin coming out of the Clay camp.
“We discussed, among other things, the inequities in educational outcomes, job opportunities, access to healthcare, economic and retirement security and equal justice,” Rep. Clay announced in a press release.
“When it comes to solutions to these problems, I feel that the President and members of the CBC share a commitment to ending these disparities for the benefit of African Americans, and all Americans.”
It’s the business of politicians to forge coalitions and bend the truth a bit to get what is best for their constituents, but does Clay expect anyone to believe that George Bush shares with him and Barack Obama “a commitment” to “ending these disparities” that keep blacks at a disavdantage?
Other CBC members were less cheerful about the meeting. The NNPA reprted that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Illinois) and other delegates said Bush admitted in the meeting that he was ”unfamiliar” with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which guaranteed that African Americans and any other group would not be denied the right to vote and put in place provisions to protect voting rights. (A portion of the act must be approved every 25 years and will come up for consideration next year.)
”I was surprised and astounded,” Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) told the Chicago Defender Regarding Bush’s admission.
Rush said the president was ”as non-responsive today as he was four years ago to the overall agenda.”As for Rice, Rush said the new secretary of state said ”absolutely nothing. She was just there. For what reason, I’m not sure.”