Are African Americans Leading The Political Reform Movement Today? In The Streets, Yes. In Congress-- Don't Make Me Laugh

NBC News host Trymaine Lee looked at "a new generation of black candidates," as people look to sustain the movement for racial justice by turning to the ballot box. "Hundreds of Black candidates are running in local races, state races, and congressional races all across the country in 2020. After weeks of protest, will we see a wave of Black candidates elected as an answer to those calls for change? On the report above, "speaks with two women who are trying to bring racial justice to the electoral system. Political strategist Jessica Byrd felt called into the movement while watching the Ferguson uprisings, and Sybrina Fulton’s journey through activism to politics began when her son Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by police in 2012." Inspiring.

Less inspiring was the CBC pressure on Pelosi to make the most egregious crook amongst them, Greg Meeks-- everyone knows he takes bribes-- the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee now that Engels is departing for the retirement home. Personally, I'd rather see them replace him with Jamaal. I wonder if he'll even want to join the poxy group (the CBC, I mean, not the Foreign Affairs Committee, which I know is not among his big priorities. Of the senior members of the committee, Karen Bass, David Cicilline and Ted Lieu would be the best chairs. Meeks would be the worst. (2 Notes: Ilhan Omar is also on the committee, but Pelosi would be more likely to remove her than make her chair. And because of his on-the-ground experience overseas, if it were me picking a chair it would be Andy Levin. I don't get a vote, though.)

The Congressional Black Caucus was once thought of as the moral compass of the House. I don't know if that was ever true but today, following the CBC will lead you right into a sewer. Being a patsy for the status quo patsy establishment-- in return for the establishment allowing corruption-without-consequence-- is the name of the game. As a political force... well, they endorsed Eliot Engel over Jamaal Bowman, which should tell you everything you need to know. Although you might also understand the relevance of their endorsement of New Jersey Blue Dog Josh Gottheimer as well. And remember when they got behind mediocre white congressman Chris Van Hollen for an open Senate seat that Donna Edwards was running for in 2016, which would have made her only the second-ever Black woman elected to the Senate?

The CBC PAC, chaired by Congress' most corrupt Democrat, the aforementioned Gregory Meeks, is a cesspool of corruption, run by lobbyists for industries that target minorities and poor communities. How is that possible? Let me start by listing all 51 House members of the CBC, listed by seniority, along with their ProgressivePunch score:

• John Lewis (D-GA)- A
• Maxine Waters (D-CA)- A
• Sanford Bishop (Blue Dog-GA)- F
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC)- D
• Alcee Hastings (D-FL)- B
• Eddie Bernie Johnson (D-TX)- C
• Bobby Rush (D-IL)- B
• Bobby Scott (D-VA)- C
• Bennie Thompson (D-MS)- D
• Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)- C
• Danny Davis (D-IL)- A
• Gregory Meeks (New Dem-NY)- D
• Barbara Lee (D-CA)- A
• Lacy Clay (D-MO)- B
• David Scott (Blue Dog-GA)- F
• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC)- F
• Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)- C
• Al Green (D-TX)- F
• Gwen Moore (D-WI)- A
• Yvette Clarke (D-NY)- A
• Hank Johnson (D-GA)- C
• André Carson (New Dem-IN)- C
• Marcia Fudge (D-OH)- B
• Karen Bass (D-CA)- A
• Cedric Richmond (New Dem-LA)- F
• Terri Sewell (New Dem-AL)- F
• Frederica Wilson (D-FL)- B
• Donald Payne (D-NJ)- A
• Joyce Beatty (D-OH)- C
• Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)- A
• Marc Veasey (New Dem-TX)- F
• Robin Kelly (D-IL)- B
• Alma Adams (D-NC)- B
• Brenda Lawrence (New Dem-MI)- B
• Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)- A
• Dwight Evans (D-PA)- B
• Lisa Blunt Rochester (New Dem-DE)- F
• Anthony Brown (New Dem-MD)- D
• Val Demings (New Dem-FL)- F
• Al Lawson (New Dem-FL)- F
• Donald McEachin (New Dem-VA)- F
• Steven Horsford (New Dem-NV)- F
• Colin Allred (New Dem-TX)- F
• Antonio Delgado (D-NY)- F
• Jahana Hayes (D-CT)- B
• Lucy McBath (New Dem-GA)- F
• Joe Neguse (D-CO)- A
• Ilhan Omar (D-MN)- A
• Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)- A
• Lauren Underwood (D-IL)- F
• Kweisi Mfume (D-MD)- B

The Black member of Congress with the most progressive voting record in Congress, Adriano Espaillat-- and who represents Harlem--was judged not black enough and refused membership in the CBC (although they did admit Senator Kamala Harris-- if only for show-- who is a lot less black than Espaillat by any metric you care to use.

A great description of the CBC PAC by Color of Change began by explaining it "is really a mouthpiece for corporate power."

The lobbyists sitting on the CBC PAC’s board represent the worst of the worst-- companies that are notorious in the mistreatment and exploitation of Black people. The depth of corporate influence over the CBC PAC is so troubling because its endorsements carry the name of the Congressional Black Caucus, trading off a name that is wrapped in the moral authority of the civil rights movement... [T]he CBC PAC's corporate board members and donors represent private prisons, big tobacco and the anti-worker National Restaurant Association. Founded in 1971 by Black elected officials like Shirley Chisholm and Ron Dellums, the Congressional Black Caucus has built its reputation as 'the Conscience of the Congress,' often voting as a powerful bloc and joining together as a singular voice for Black people. The CBC PAC, on the other hand, was founded in 1994 and is an entirely separate entity that trades on the name of the CBC and is made up of Washington lobbyists and 8 (out of 46) Black Caucus members.

How bad could the board of the CBC PAC be? In 2016 The Intercept reported that "Members of the CBC PAC board include Daron Watts, a lobbyist for Purdue Pharma, the maker of the highly addictive opioid OxyContin; Mike Mckay and Chaka Burgess, both lobbyists for Navient, the student loan giant that was spun off of Sallie Mae; former Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD), a lobbyist who represents a range of clients, including work last year on behalf of Lorillard Tobacco, the maker of Newport cigarettes; and William A. Kirk, who lobbies for a cigar industry trade group on a range of tobacco regulations."

The CBC is frequently in opposition to reform. Also back in 2016, Gaius Publius wrote about their campaign to maintain anti-democratic super-delgates as a controlling force at the Democratic presidential conventions.

Back in April, after Morgan Harper was defeated in Columbus, Ohio, with the connivance of the CBC PAC, DWT asked the question Will African-American Voters Help Reform The Democratic Party?. Among those seeking to block Harper, one of the brightest stars among Africa-American congressional candidates this cycle were Cedric Richmond, "a bullshit artist and New Dem, the conservative Democrat tasked early on with roping in anti-progressive Democratic House members for Biden. He's tight with K street and tells lobbyists who's for sale and who's not. Other conservative Democrats backing Beatty included Oralndo's Val Demings (who some are touting, besides the fact that she is a severe sufferer from brainlessness, as a VP contender for Biden), the Queens political machine boss Gregory Meeks, and Brooklyn's Hakeem Jeffries, a contender for the post-Pelosi speakership." Meeks' attitude towards progressives who challenge entrenched incumbents is one of entitlement. To him Harper, a 36 year old former Obama administration official at the CFPB, with no ties to the incompetent and fully corrupt Ohio Democratic Party was, as he stated in an interview, someone who seemed "to come out of nowhere, who ha[s] done nothing, ha[s]e nothing to show for." To a crook like Meeks, Harper was just challenging Joyce Beatty-- the payday loan industry's rep in the House-- challenging an incumbent just for the sake of challenging her. He doesn't get it. He never will. But maybe he'll get the House Foreign Affairs chair-- and be able to buy an even bigger house, financed by Haim Saban.

Yesterday, HuffPo asked if The Black Caucus is ready to ride the progressive wave? That seems liked an absurd question to ask-- and the writers-- Daniel Marans, Philip Lewis, and Matt Fuller-- knew it. "It should be the Congressional Black Caucus’s biggest moment," they began. "Multiple CBC members being vetted as a potential vice presidential pick. A national uprising over systemic racism in policing that could finally address core issues in Black communities. And a host of Black progressives winning Democratic nominations that will almost certainly sweep them into office. But with the CBC either not endorsing some of those liberal Black candidates who won Tuesday night-- or outright opposing them-- many activists are wondering if the CBC is progressive enough to lead this movement. 'If it wasn’t clear before tonight, I hope it is now. The CBC is disconnected from middle and lower black America,' progressive Black activist Danny D. Glover tweeted Tuesday night after the election results. 'Do not listen to them,' he added."

Regardless, in a number of Democratic primaries Tuesday-- the first major elections since Black Lives Matter protests swept the country in late May-- Black insurgents cleaned up.

...In all of those cases, electing a new generation of liberal leaders went hand in hand with a new generation of Black candidates. And with other new, stalwart progressives in the CBC-- like Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN)-- combined with more experienced liberal lawmakers like Barbara Lee (D-CA) and CBC Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA), the caucus could be a progressive force in the House in years to come.

In fact, the CBC is already flexing its muscle. On Thursday, the House passed a sweeping police reform bill that was largely composed by members of the CBC.

But activists and progressive aides worry that some of the old trappings of the caucus-- taking corporate money, being friendly with Wall Street and lobbyists, and defending institutionalist norms, like seniority and incumbency-- could threaten its ability to be a progressive force. And the decision to endorse Engel over Bowman typifies that concern.

“Endorsing Engel over Bowman is absurd,” the senior progressive House aide told HuffPost. “They should have been aware of the dynamics of that race. More sophisticated actors would have stayed out.”

Part of the issue is that, despite a desire for change from a number of members in the CBC, many are party loyalists. The CBC has had success in supporting a tenure system in Congress, which rewards the members who can stick around the longest with powerful committee chair positions. Many CBC members sit in safe Democratic districts, and don’t like the idea of primary challenges. In fact, the CBC has a policy of supporting incumbents.

In 2018, the CBC endorsed then-Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA), who went on to be unseated by Pressley, the first Black woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress. And barring a massive upset, Bowman will enter Congress and the CBC next year after the organization opposed his candidacy.

But it’s not just the CBC supporting incumbents over Black candidates. The CBC has endorsed-- or chosen not to endorse anyone-- in a number of curious races.

  For instance, the CBC hasn’t endorsed Will Cunningham, a former aide to CBC lion Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who died last year.

Cunningham is running to unseat Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Democrat turned Republican in South New Jersey. And while Cunningham-- who, like Jones and Torres, is also gay-- has not generated nearly the money or enthusiasm of other Black insurgents, a campaign adviser argued that a CBC endorsement could change that.

“This is the kind of race that the CBC should be pushing,” Cunningham adviser Kaushal Thakkar told HuffPost.

The CBC’s non-endorsements are especially glaring alongside the list of candidates they have chosen to back. In addition to standing by Engel, the caucus endorsed the reelection of Josh Gottheimer, a white, centrist super-conservative Wall Street whore Democrat facing a progressive challenge July 7 in a suburban New Jersey swing seat. Gottheimer leads a bloc of moderate Democrats and Republicans that prevented the Democratic-controlled House from placing tougher humanitarian conditions on a border funding bill in July. Gottheimer’s challenger, Arati Kreibich, is a neuroscientist who immigrated to the U.S. from India as a child.

...Glover called Bowman’s win a “reckoning” for the CBC. He predicted that if CBC members didn’t embrace the more ambitious calls for reform issued by the younger Black protesters taking the streets over the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, individual CBC members would be run out of office with primary challenges.

“This inflection point we have does not deal with only white people. This inflection point also speaks directly to the establishment of both Blacks and whites,” he said. “Gone are the days of them just giving us lip service.”

Sad how the CBC and Trump are on the same page