Popular assumptions regarding the upcoming ethics trials of Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) primarily focus on the topics of race and the midterm elections. Many Congressional Black Caucus Members, defending their colleagues, are whispering race as a motivating factor in the Office of Congressional Ethics triggering numerous investigations against a disproportionate number of African American Members of Congress. Rangel cited the misdeeds of other Congressional colleagues who were never investigated or targeted for trial (translated: what about the White members?), arguing that a double-standard is at play. Waters, never holding back, asserts that charges against her are over-hyped and out of context. CBC Chair Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) won’t say race openly, but she’s convinced the media are blowing the whole affair out of proportion, as Jordan Fabian reports in The Hill:Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said in a statement that people should not prejudge Waters (D-Calif.), a member of the CBC, until the ethics process plays out. “Although the alleged charges remain unclear, some in the media have sought to indict Congresswoman Waters in clear disregard of her right to a fair and due process.”
However, there is a deeper and much more symbolic theme in the fates of our Black elected officials. And it goes beyond the exaggerated claim that these ethics trials will add to Democrats’ mid-term woes. It is commentary on the state of a solid Black political machine which has evolved since the Civil Rights Movement as we’ve watched, over the course of just a few years, high profile African American lawmakers dogged by intense media scrutiny. A pronounced paradigm shift is occurring in the Black political world in ways that are unexpected and undesirable. But, they may also be a natural consequence of the political universe.
The Associated Press’ Ben Evans, clearly entranced by media-driven sensationalism of Black politicians, reports that the CBC is experiencing a series of recent “setbacks:”
These were supposed to be heady days for African-Americans in Congress, with President Barack Obama occupying the White House and a half dozen blacks holding powerful committee chairmanships and leadership jobs. Yet the past two weeks have been more of a nightmare.
Is it really? Or, are we just witnessing the rather eventful evolution of Black politics in the 21st century? It may not be the type of generational baton-passing Black politicos had hoped for, but these turbulent moments may have forced fate to make way for emerging leaders who have waited their turn. A new door is opening. It’s now a matter of who will step through it – and whether the old guard will help them in the process.