R
----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug Henwood" <dhenwood at panix.com> To: "lbo-talk" <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org> Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 2:39 PM Subject: [lbo-talk] Nader vs. CBC
: The Hill - July 14, 2004
:
: Nader angers CBC with demand for apology
: By Hans Nichols and Peter Savodnik
:
: Tensions between Ralph Nader and the Congressional Black Caucus
: flared again yesterday, after a let ter from the independent
: presidential candidate to the caucus chairman, Elijah Cummings
: (D-Md.), demanded an apology for an "obscene racial epitaph" at a
: tense meeting last month.
:
: Black lawmakers reacted to Nader's letter with a combination of anger
: and disdain, questioning his mental health and accusing him of acute
: and advanced egomania.
:
: "He ain't playing with a full deck," said Rep. James Clyburn
: (D-S.C.), a member of the caucus and vice chairman of the Democratic
: caucus.
:
: "I don't think he gets it," said Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Md.).
:
: "The meeting was about strategy and the pragmatic planning to defeat
: [President] Bush," said Wynn.
:
: "We told him how at strategic level, his candidacy defeats a common a
: goal," said Wynn, who criticized Nader for adopting a sanctimonious
: tone at the beginning of the meeting.
:
: "We were particularly offended by Nader's exhibitionism, his
: selfishness and egotism," Wynn added.
:
: Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said, "If he didn't understand what the
: meeting was about, not only is he an egotistical maniac, he's dumber
: than I thought he was."
:
: Nader's two-and-a-half-page letter, released to the media before many
: members of the caucus had a chance to see it, demanded an apology
: from Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.). Nader took umbrage at Watt's choice
: of words. Watt, Nader alleged, called him "just another arrogant
: white man, telling us what we can do. It's all about your ego,
: another [expletive] arrogant white man."
:
: "Exclamations at the meeting descended into vituperative (e.g.,
: Congresswoman [Carolyn] Kilpatrick's [D-Mich.] tawdry, anatomical
: comment yelled loud enough so the press could hear it outside) and
: ending with the obscene racist epithet repeated twice by Yale Law
: School alumnus Congressman Melvin Watt of North Carolina," Nader
: wrote Cummings.
:
: As reported by The Hill, Kilpatrick told Nader to "get your ass out"
: at the June 22 meeting.
:
: Caucus spokeswoman Candice Tolliver ruled out an apology. "It was a
: spirited exchange with the caucus," Tolliver said. "We just share two
: different strategies, and that's it."
:
: Black House members at the meeting had urged Nader to pull out of the
: presidential race so that votes wouldn't be channeled away from Sen.
: John Kerry (D-Mass.), his party's presumptive presidential nominee.
:
: Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) dismissed the letter. "I'll give as
: much consideration to that letter as constituents in my district will
: give him their vote," he said.
:
: Meanwhile, a left-leaning organization has accused a pro-business
: group headed by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) of
: drumming up support for Nader's candidacy.
:
: John Stauber, executive director of the Center for Media and
: Democracy, said, "The Republican machine is mobilizing for Nader.
: Major Republican funders are sending checks to Nader, and a far-right
: industry-funded front group, Citizens for a Sound Economy [CSE], is
: organizing to get Ralph on the November ballot in a number of swing
: states."
:
: CSE spokesman Chris Kinnan said the group's local chapters have
: gotten involved to get Nader on state ballots. He said Nader's
: candidacy "helps illuminate that Sen. [John] Kerry (D-Mass.) is
: running from his position. Kinnan added that CSE opposes Nader's
: positions, but his run for the White House "furthers our issue
: agenda."
: ___________________________________
: http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
: