Obama’s Senate Seat Is For Blacks Only
by Big Dog on Dec 18, 2008 at 05:21 Political
A long time ago in this country there were truly disgusting practices that involved our society having whites only lunch counters, drinking fountains and seating on buses. The signs that read “Whites Only” reflect a particularly bad time in this country when people were judged on the color of their skin and nothing else.
It seems that this is taking place in reverse in Illinois. The seat that Barack Obama was elected to (he never really occupied it) has a sign on it that reads “Blacks Only.”
At least that is what Laura Washington of the Chicago Sun Times believes. To her, the mess with Governor Blago has created a situation where they might lose the black seat. You see, if there is an election then the people of Illinois might decide to elect a white person thereby taking the black seat away. You know how those racist whites are in Illinois are. They can’t be trusted to vote for blacks, except of course for Obama who they helped send to the White House.
The black community in Illinois is up in arms over this:
That possibility has provoked outrage among black community leaders and politicians. Not so fast, they are saying.
Last month, the Concerned Clergy of Illinois demanded that the governor appoint a “qualified” African American “who can fill this vacancy and who has the capacity to be re-elected when [Obama’s] term ends in 2010.” The problem, as I wrote then, is that black leaders were at odds on who should get the nod.
Yes, it is a shame that this seat might not go to a black person even when the clergy demanded that a black fill it. I wonder how the same clergy would feel, hell how would all the liberals feel, if the Christian Conservatives went to DC and demanded that the seat in the Oval Office go to a white guy?
This issue would not be getting much attention if we kept the Constitution intact. Originally, Senators were selected by the legislatures of each state. They were not supposed to be voted into office but the Constitution was changed and now we have a mess. If the legislature still had the job there would be no scandal involving this seat and there would be no dog and pony show in New York.
Regardless of how the seat is filled, and I think an election (lacking the original method provided for in the Constitution) provides the fairest way for the people to have a say, the fact is the seat does not belong to a person based solely on color. To say this seat is a black seat is racist and it is contrary to the color blind society the liberals, and especially Obama, say they want. We already have an affirmative action president, do we need affirmative action to fill his vacated seat?
It is beyond me how people can get away with this kind of talk. The seat is a black seat and needs to be filled with a black guy.
Hmmm, using that logic, we do call it the White House…
Does Laura Washington really want to go there?
Big Dog Salute to Warner Todd Huston at STACLU
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Tags: black seat, Obama, racism, white house
Are you serious? It never ceases to amaze me how short sighted you are about race issues.
Of the 535 or so members of Congress only around 42 are African Americans. Obama was the only serving African American in the Senate. The only one.
Yet it is racist for African American leaders to want to re-fill Obama’s seat with another African American so there isn’t zero representation of their race in the United States Senate?
You’ve outdone yourself on this argument.
And I love how you continue to spread whatever misinformation you can about Obama such as the “he never really occupied it” garbage about his Senate seat. So how does one actually occupy the seat if Obama didn’t manage to?
No, it is you who are shortsighted. All the people of Illinois have a say in the seat and not just the black ones. The seat is not a black seat.
And here is where you fail to follow. It is one thing to say we would prefer to have that seat occupied by another black person. It is another to say it is a black seat thus indicating that a white cannot be considered.
The seats have no color. There is no race issue with regard to the seat and all the people of Illinois should have a say. This is not a congressional district where the seat is only for a certain part of the state, it is a Senate seat and that person will represent the ENTIRE state.
As for Obama occupying it, that is a reference tot he fact that he spent about 140 days working from it and spent more time running for office than actually working.
People like you are the reasons blacks have problems. You feel that they need some special treatment or they can’t make it. You feel we need to give them concessions because of slavery or they will not succeed.
No one alive today ever owned a slave or ever was a slave (in this country).
And Adam, blacks make up 12% of the population. Their representation in the Congress is 9%. That is pretty close to a reflection of the population at large.
What kind of affirmative action plan do you want? Do you want them to have 10 or 30%. If the people vote that way fine but you act as if they have no representation and they have nearly what they make up in the population.
Your ignorance of race issues always comes out when you start to twist my words into arguments about slavery concessions or affirmative action. Who said anything about that and when have I ever supported reparations?
You are absolutely wrong though. It’s not up to the people to vote until Obama’s term is up. Until then a person will be appointed and African American leaders have every right to want and try to force another qualified African American to fill the seat and that doesn’t make them racist at all.
The fact that Obama worked about 140 days? Yet another bogus slander. Maybe you can forward me the chain e-mail you read that in so I can see it for myself…
Adam, it is well documented that Obama was only in the Senate working for about 140 days. That is amazing in and of itself because they all only work about 100 days per year.
140 days is how long Obama spent. The rest of the time he was campaigning.
No chain mail my friend, just the facts.
Once again, you miss the point. There is nothing wrong with them wanting a black to fill the seat. There is everything wrong with them saying it is a black seat as if only a black can fill it.
You also miss where I said if we had stayed with the Constitution then the legislature would do this.
Yes, it is the governor’s choice but he has proven incapable of doing it. The only way to ensure that it is done fairly, at this point, is to allow the people to decide. Government has proven incapable and there is lack of trust in its ability. Democrats though, oppose an election because they might lose the seat because of their culture of corruption.
Let me make it clear for you. I think it is OK for the black community to say they want a black in the seat. I think it is unacceptable to say that it IS a black seat and therefore must be filled with a black. You seem to miss the point on this issue.
I do, however, think you would get your panties in a wad if the people in New York said that Hillary’s seat had to be filled with a white person as would the NAACP and all the other race baiters.
I have this idea that the most qualified should be in the seat regardless of color. Call it what you want but saying it is a black seat is a racist view.
Oh, and I am not ignorant of race issues. I just refuse to allow race to be used as an excuse for failure or opposition. I refuse to allow the black community to engage in the same practices they have screamed were racist for a long time.
I am quite informed on race issues but refuse to bow to political correctness and allow people to use race as a crutch.
Hey Adam, why don’t we convince the governor to nominate an Asian person or a Muslim person, or even an Indian person. I am sure they have 0% representation in the Senate as well.
I don’t like the term “force” in there when it comes to my country. No one should be forced to fill a seat as you and the rest of the democratic party see fit. You are not the entire country (or in this case the entire state). A proper candidate should be CHOSEN by the people since the governor is as corrupt as the rest of Chicago. (OOPS that’s going to get me in trouble)
It’s simple really. When white people are on the verge of not being represented in the United States senate in even a single seat then we can talk about what is and isn’t racist when it comes to filling positions. Your faulty comparison of this subject to black segregation and feigning outrage over so called reverse racism reveals your ignorance in full form. Having a video of a black friend on the right of your site doesn’t qualify you to talk about race the way you do and you prove that every time you open your mouth.
Seems to me that the people of those states selected the folks they wanted to be in the Senate. If they selected all black guys that would be OK because the people chose it and I would not say they were occupying “white seats.”
You want affirmative action and I want the people to choose. Once again, if they had expressed a desire for it to be filled with a black that is fine. To assume that it is a seat that is owed to a black is not and frankly is racist.
It is quite simple Adam, black people or white people are not represented in the Senate, Americans are represented. Are you saying that the whites in Illinois were not represented by Obama? That is ridiculous.
Also, the blacks had a chance to put a black man in the Senate. His name is Michael Steele and he was beaten by a white Democrat in a hugely black electorate. They did not mind picking party over color so why should I care?
Adam said:
“doesn’t qualify you to talk about race the way you do ”
So, by your own words only blacks can talk about race?
I think that shows all of us that read here, just where you are coming from now!
Go Big Dog, love your site and you are RIGHT ON!