Did Obama "Snub" Congressional Black Caucus? No Way, Wynn Says
So did Barack Obama "snub" the Congressional Black Caucus, as The Hill reported today? Not according to Dem Rep. Al Wynn, one of the people who was quoted in the Hill piece originally seeming to say just that.
Wynn just fired off a letter to The Hill slamming the story's premise, and we've got a copy:
Dear Editor,I want to take strong exception to the article that ran in yesterday's paper entitled, "Obama Snubs Black Caucus." The views depicted in the article are a deliberate distortion of my remarks to the reporter. I explained to the reporter in great detail that there was no risk or snub involved, but merely a matter of logisitics. This appears to be a calculated attempt to portray divisiveness between Barack Obama and the CBC that do not in fact exist. Senator Obama has always expressed his willingness to host a fundraiser for the CBC PAC. We are working together to secure a date and avoid a scheduling conflict. The Senator has been very supportive of the CBC PAC's efforts, and I am confident that he will continue to do so in the future.
Sincerely,
Albert R. Wynn
Member of Congress
So there you have it.
Also note that according to the original article, "Wynn is informally supporting former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) in the primary." He's not an Obama supporter coming to his defense.
Obama is also listed on the website as a member of the CBC, which would make it seem as if he was snubbing himself in addition to the other members.
http://www.congressionalblackcaucus.net/
The other thing worth noting is that since many of the members of the CBC come from Congressional districts with large Democratic majorities, very few of them have any real danger of losing a race to a Republican (even when, say, the FBI finds $90k cash in their freezer).
To be perfectly Frank, Obama's limited time is probably better spent helping folks who need the help more. The article notes that 10 of the 40 or so members come from Districts that are not majority black, but I bet that even many of those members come from Districts that have a majority of Democrats.
Also, Obama obviously was incredibly supportive of CBC member Harold Ford during Ford's Senate race in Tennessee in 2006.
Maybe one of Hillary's supporters in the CBC shopped this silly little hatchet piece around.
May 1, 2007 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am so tired of this 'is he black enough' meme in all of it's myriad distortions. Particularly as the real question for Barack in terms of american votes is 'is he wihite enough'
May 1, 2007 9:58 PM | Reply | Permalink