>From: "R" <rhisiart at charter.net>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
>Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Nader vs. CBC
>Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 20:57:48 -0700
>
>as cornel west said recently, when asked his opinion of current black
>leadership, "when i talk about mediocrity in terms of leadership, i'm
>making
>a multiracial statement."
>
>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."
>: ___________________________________
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>:
>
>
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