Loyal, But Angry
Wieck, Paul
Loyal, But Angry By Paul Wieck Members of the Democratic Black Caucus gathered in a cramped hotel conference room January 31 to endorse a candidate for the Democratic National Committee...
...They called Burris an "Uncle Tom ." Rep...
...Above all, President Reagan's unabashed indifference toward the plight of poor blacks and his inept handling of civil rights issues kept blacks hitched to the Democratic ticket in 1984...
...By cooperating in a general effort to diminish the special-interest issue, blacks would strengthen the ability of the party to defeat the Republicans—who seem a much greater threat to their agenda than does Paul Kirk...
...Paul Kirk, the newly elected chairman, refused to push Burris out by ratifying the caucus endorsement...
...Southern party leaders argue that their concerns have been overshadowed by those of "special interests" such as blacks, and as a result moderate and conservative Democrats have failed to support the party's nominees...
...To some extent, however, the caucuses themselves are the problem...
...Bob Slagle Jr., chairman of the Texas Democratic state committee, has, for example, repeatedly blamed special-interest caucuses for Democratic failures, singling out Jesse Jackson and the Black Caucus as prime examples...
...To black leaders, the special-interest tag has undercurrents of a racist code...
...Sharon Pratt Dixon, newly elected DNC treasurer, warns that many middle-class blacks voted for Mondale "reluctantly...
...Mickey Leland, chairman of the caucus, termed the affair "despicable?' Jesse Jackson summoned a reporter to accuse the entire DNC of "racism...
...First, blacks don't vote Democratic because the DNC formally recognizes a black caucus...
...Incumbent Vice-Chairman Richard Hatcher, mayor of Gary, Indiana and a Jackson supporter, got the nod with 32...
...But just because there are bad reasons for ending the caucus system does not mean there aren't good reasons, too...
...Voters will not flock to a party that presents itself as an agglomeration of competing interest groups...
...Within the Democratic party, informal black caucuses sprang up in the late 1960s to meet the demand for an independent black voice...
...She further argues that the black group will achieve the respect it's due only by arranging coalitions with other caucuses...
...Slagle counters that he rejects the image of a party driven by factional interests, not the aspirations of caucus members...
...The full DNC elected Burris 198 to 148...
...Rattley defends the caucus system in spite of evidence that it has fragmented the party (see the accompanying article by Paul M. Barrett...
...Caucus," says Jessie Rattley, enunciating the word with a bristling contempt, has become "nothing but another buzz word like 'quotas' or 'welfare...
...In making their case for the caucus system, blacks frequently recall their frustration over having to seek political equality in organizations run by whites during the civil rights movement...
...Asked to describe the Democrats' electoral base, Roland Burris responds: "We have a very solid base of blacks—who are our most loyal supporters—a loyal Jewish base, a relatively strong labor base . . . . And so on...
...Jackson vowed he would never deal with the traitor Burris...
...Loyal, But Angry By Paul Wieck Members of the Democratic Black Caucus gathered in a cramped hotel conference room January 31 to endorse a candidate for the Democratic National Committee vice-chairmanship traditionally reserved for a black...
...Paul Wieck is the Washington correspondent for the Albuquerque Journal...
...Illinois State Comptroller Roland Burris, a Mondale man in 1984, received 27 votes...
...The emotional brushfire ignited by what might have been simply a bit of internal DNC housekeeping reflects the intense symbolic importance to some black Democrats of having an officially sanctioned caucus...
...Outraged members of the Black Caucus attacked Kirk for threatening the "sanctity" of their group...
...But this is of small comfort to blacks who equate the dismantling of the caucus system with an attack on substantive black achievements—all to appease those white voters in the South...
...Criticism of the caucuses has come from a variety of sources, none more vehement than southern state Democratic organizations...
...Party leaders should confront the racial issue rather than pretend it does not exist...
...The DNC extended official recognition to caucuses in 1982...
...People in power concede nothing" The vision of a party made up of distinctly defined sub-groups is common among supporters of the Black Caucus...
...The whole special-interest argument wasn't being debated publicly until this happened...
...Jesse's public demands carried a heavy toll," says Slagle...
...Jessie Rattley, for example, sees current criticism of caucuses as another example of the party "dilut[ing] what blacks tried to gain by getting together with other groups . . If we don't have the opportunity to come together and reach a consensus, we will give up some of our gains . . . .We've had to fight for everything...
...The larger problem is the lack of unifying themes to compete with those of the GOP...
...To these activists, the caucus confirms their role in the party and guarantees them a podium from which to express their views...
...Since the DNC caucuses enjoy only minor procedural privileges, it's hard to see how blacks—or other groups—would lose much of a tangible nature by relenting on this point...
...We never had representation in the top echelons . . .until we organized the Black Caucus," says Jessie Rattley, a founder and current member...
...But Burris, who enjoys a reputation for honesty and competence, stayed in the race, campaigning hard, according to some DNC members...
...Dixon, who is black, argues for preserving the caucus system, saying, "You don't discipline forces which support you ." But she adds that "the caucuses are not the problem . .We are preoccupied with the process because we have no message...
...Many black DNC members see the Black Caucus in this larger context of a continuing struggle to assert themselves within their own party...
Vol. 17 • April 1985 • No. 3
