Democrats, Obama Campaign Fight Voter Supression

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By: Frederick Cosby

Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign are stepping up efforts to stymie new election laws in more than a dozen states that could prevent as many as five million Americans – most of them minorities – from voting in 2012.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and House Democratic leadership Thursday unveiled letter to be sent to election officials in all 50 states imploring them to oppose the new laws. The letter was signed by 196 Democratic members of the House of Representatives.

“Election legislation and administration appear to be increasingly the product of partisan plays,” the letter states. “Election officials are seen as partisan combatants, rather than stewards of our democracy ... Voting hours, voting sites, identification requirements, voter registration regulation and access to mail ballots should not be used as weapons to achieve a preferred electoral outcome.” CONTINUE....

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• Democrats to state officials: oppose voter ID laws (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Another CBC Member Gave Scholarships to Family

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By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has pushed back its deadline to begin considering applications for its scholarship program after a second member of the caucus admitted giving scholarships to family members.

Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) has admitted he awarded three scholarships from the program to his stepdaughter, his wife’s niece and an aide's future wife between 2003 and 2005.

MORE....

Eyes Off the Prize

Yes, we should mourn Michael Jackson. But the Congressional Black Caucus needs to focus on more important issues.

By: Sherrilyn A. Ifill

Like millions of others, I’m still deeply moved by the wonderfully rich memorial service for Michael Jackson. But I can’t help but wonder whether Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, is doing Michael Jackson, her constituents or black folks a favor when she promises to bring to the floor what will be a controversial resolution deeming Jackson a “national legend … music icon” and “international humanitarian.”

Eyes Off the Prize....

Black Caucus Presses President on Priorities

By: Ben Evans

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama reassured members of the Congressional Black Caucus that he's on their side and will do what he can to support the group's left-leaning agenda, lawmakers said Thursday after an hour-long session at the White House.

Nearly all the group's 42 members attended. Noticeably absent was Illinois Sen. Roland Burris, Obama's replacement who is fending off calls to resign.

The lawmakers - all Democrats - said the reception was a welcome change from the tenure of former President George W. Bush, who held several cordial meetings with black lawmakers but rarely agreed with them on substance.

"There is no comparison," said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. "(Obama) basically assured us that having been a member of the Congressional Black Caucus ... that he gets the issues and will do everything he can to work with us."

Lawmakers said they presented Obama with a wish-list covering a broad range of topics, many of them economic issues affecting their districts.

They pressed Obama to focus on hiring more minorities to federal jobs and helping small and minority-owned businesses get government contracts. They also discussed creating a health-care safety net and addressing medical disparities among minorities.

Lawmakers expressed continued concerns about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and proposed forming a national task force for improving education in low-income communities.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas said the caucus made its priorities clear but is "not unrealistic about what a president can do."

Black Caucus Presses President on Priorities....

Black Superdelegates in Congress Who Support Clinton Resisting Calls to Switch to Obama

By: Sherrel Wheeler Stewart, BlackAmericaweb.com

The 14 Congressional Black Caucus members who support Sen. Hillary Clinton are standing firm on their commitment as Sen. Barack Obama approaches the number of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination and national discussion continues over her statements on race.

In an interview last week Clinton said, “working, hardworking Americans, white Americans” would support her instead of Sen. Barack Obama, suggesting a racial split among Democratic voters that favored her. She said she was referring to information previously published and the comments were not intended to be divisive.

Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, a longtime Clinton supporter, had sharp criticism over the weekend for Clinton’s remarks, calling the comment “the dumbest thing she could have ever said,” according to an article published in Newsday. Also in that article, he acknowledged that there are certain groups of voters that politicians realize they will not attract.

But still while speaking at a New York fundraiser for the senator, he encouraged support for her, according to an article published in Newsday.

“We have worked with Hillary Clinton, and we need Hillary Clinton now more than ever,” Rangel said.

STORY....