David D. Kirkpatrick offers an interesting roadmap for the next two years, “Power in Congress brings blacks new pressures:”
Here are some raw numbers:
WASHINGTON: The impending Democratic takeover of Congress in early January will elevate more blacks to positions of power in the Capitol than ever: four major House committee chairmen, as many as 16 subcommittee chairmen, the third-ranking House Democratic leader and a senator considered a credible candidate for his party’s presidential nomination.
What must be remembered is that black congressmen come from majority black districts created by the Voting Rights Act and the Supreme Court. These districts are not competitive and the consitutients are not moderate. That is to say black congressional districts tend to be represented by moonbats, for moonbats.
While celebrating their rise to prominence, black lawmakers face conflicting pressures from their traditional supporters on one side and the Democratic leaders on the other. Many African-American lawmakers represent poor, predominantly black districts created to ensure black representation under voting rights laws. Their safely Democratic seats have helped them rise in seniority ahead of colleagues from more politically heterogeneous districts. Many lean well to the left of the Democratic caucus as a whole.
While a congressman is expected to represent the interests of his district, a committee, or subcommittee, chairman is obligated to represent the collective interests of his party. Can far left wing black congressmen represent the democrats who gained power by running as moderates? It will interesting to watch.
