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This is not the place to make your stand

Submitted by Prometheus 6 on June 8, 2006 - 9:16am.
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Quote of note:

“It’s not a question of guilt or innocence, it’s a question of precedent,” said the CBC member. “Never has an unindicted member been removed.”

CBC-Pelosi rift simmers
By Josephine Hearn

Tensions remained raw between the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as the House minority leader continues her effort to oust Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) from the Ways and Means Committee while he is the focus of a government bribery investigation.

The CBC voted for the second time in three weeks to approve an internal resolution opposing the involuntary removal of Jefferson from the committee. Occurring during the group’s regularly scheduled Wednesday luncheon, the vote was overwhelmingly in Jefferson’s favor, said a CBC source, although Reps. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) and John Lewis (D-Ga.) argued that the political ramifications of not removing Jefferson might outweigh concerns about his individual well-being.

The CBC vote took place only hours before Jefferson met with members of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, a group stocked with Pelosi-loyalists that will determine his fate. The panel determines committee assignments within the Democratic caucus.


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“It’s not a question of
Submitted by Ourstorian on June 8, 2006 - 9:21am.

“It’s not a question of guilt or innocence, it’s a question of precedent,” said the CBC member. “Never has an unindicted member been removed.”

No, it's really a matter of cronyism and the incompetent CBC covering their own corrupt asses. Jefferson is a pile of shit. His defenders, whatever their rationale, are even worse.

Amen to all that,
Submitted by ptcruiser on June 8, 2006 - 11:19am.

Amen to all that, Ourstorian. Why does the CBC believe that Jefferson needs to be indicted before stepping down from his post? It is obvious that he won't do the Right Thing. On the other hand, Pelosi is engaging in classic white liberal behavior. She and everybody else in the Democratic Caucus knew that Jefferson was a sleazeball who has been operating on the most remote borderline of legality for years but they still appointed him to a position of prominence in their caucus instead of cutting him off at the knees.

Pelosi and her kind will, behind closed doors, attribute their lack of action to a fear of not wanting to offend the CBC and the vaguely amorphous "black community" that whites - liberals and conservatives - love to invoke to justify their own lack of principles. The CBC and Sr. Pelosi are all being jive asses here.  

"Pelosi is engaging in
Submitted by Ourstorian on June 8, 2006 - 12:17pm.

"Pelosi is engaging in classic white liberal behavior."

Another reason why the prospect of a "Democratic" majority in the house leaves me cold. With (mis)leadership like this we need to throw all the bastards out.

Crooks
Submitted by PoliticalCritic (not verified) on June 9, 2006 - 3:55pm.
You're right, this is not the time or place for the CBC to take a stand.  They are defending a man who is guilty as sin.  An election is coming up and they don't need to wait for an indictment to get rid of him.  If he had any dignity whatsoever, he would resign from Congress entirely.