Congressional Black Caucus Blasts Trump’s “Silence” on White Nationalism, Ignores Its Own Complicity in Rise of Anti-Semitism
When it comes to condemning the rise of hateful ideologies in America, Bass should look at her own caucus members instead of Trump
In the aftermath of the national outrage over the charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett being dropped, President Trump on Thursday called for a federal investigation into the case.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) took issue with Trump’s call, and Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-CA) blasted him in a statement:
“Yesterday, President Trump bizarrely called for a federal investigation into actor Jussie Smollett’s case instead of focusing on his Administration’s attempt to strip Americans of their health care,” said Chairwoman Bass. “The President’s silence on the rise of white nationalism across the country only signals his complicity. Where was the President’s call for an investigation when white nationalists marched across the campus of the University of Virginia resulting in an anti-racist demonstrator losing her life? Instead of focusing on Jussie’s case, the President should be demanding that his Attorney General release the full Mueller report to the American people. But in true Trump fashion, the President is attempting to distract and divide instead of demonstrating transparent and ethical leadership.”
Let’s address the most explosive and patently false parts of this statement, shall we?
First, the myth that Trump has not condemned white nationalism is just that, a myth. He did not call neo-Nazis “fine people” and in fact explicitly condemned them during the presser he gave in which the question came up after the Charlottesville riots. Democrats like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (NJ) have both also recently made similar claims about Trump’s supposed lack of speaking out on this issue, and it’s just not true.
It’d be nice to be able to call on the mainstream media to fact check these bogus claims, but they, too, are busy spreading the lie.
Secondly, why would Trump have called for an “investigation” into the tragic death of Heather Heyer, the young woman who was run over by a car during the Charlottesville riots? The police arrested James Alex Fields, Jr., the perpetrator of the attack that killed her. He was charged, tried, and convicted of Heyer’s murder as well as for the injuries he caused to others who were at the protest.
And just this week Fields pled guilty to 29 hate crimes charges related to the case. He will spend the rest of his life in prison.
In other words, no investigation is needed here because the justice system worked . . . unlike in the case of Jussie Smollett, where it appears political favors were called in to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office to get him off the hook for allegedly staging a hate crime hoax.
Thirdly, who is Bass to condemn anyone else’s supposed silence on the rise of hate-filled ideologies? The Congressional Black Caucus has had an up-close and personal relationship with the Nation of Islam’s anti-Semitic leader Louis Farrakhan for decades and refuses to cut ties with him. Select members have condemned him in the past, but until the group severs ties with him altogether, it’s just lip service.
In fact, in an interview last year, a spokesman for the NOI told the LA Sentinel that while some members of the CBC sometimes disappointed Farrakhan, he was always open to receiving calls from Bass and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA):
However, Min. Tony did speak highly of two Black congressional representatives, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (California) and Congresswoman Karen Bass (California).
“I have to say, I thank God for {Congresswoman} Maxine Waters and Congresswoman Karen Bass,” said Tony. “I think our Black politicians should stand down. Minister Farrakhan will take a call from a Maxine Waters or Karen Bass. He will stop what he’s doing… come and correct him, he’s told them. But don’t let anyone tell you I’ve done something wrong without checking.
Also, Bass said in a statement on behalf of the CBC that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) should be able to keep her position on the sensitive House Foreign Affairs Committee in spite of her repeated use of anti-Semitic tropes. In the same statement, Bass condemned anti-Semitism but—again—it’s lip service. Her actions in defending Omar betray any declarations she, as the leader of the CBC, makes against anti-Semitism.
When it comes to condemning the rise of hateful ideologies in America, Bass should look at her own caucus members instead of Trump. He’s not the one rubbing elbows with Louis Farrakhan and turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism. Just ask Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who earlier this week said “Israel has never had a better friend than” Trump.
–Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter.–
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An organization that restricts its membership to a particular race has no business complaining about racism.
That’s just he half of it. Several black congresscritters, who happened to be Repubs, have been denied inclusion due to political ideology.
A white Democrat representing a majority black district wanted to join but was rejected. Absurd and self-defeating.
Trying to bring reason to a group like the black caucus is like trying to bring ethics to journalism. They constantly point out the speck in your eye but never notice the log in theirs. Anyone associated with Farrakhan is carrying a log in their eye!
The Black Carcass strikes again. The national pity party continues.
It ain’t ‘pity.’ It’s corruption.
From what I have seen, blacks are the most bald faced racist group in America. There is irony in this, they expect endless handouts based on slave ancestry, while they systematically violate other people’s civil rights, break the law and commit torts. They seem too oblivious to how their actions are alienating the public, and the fact that without broad support they will lose many, perhaps all the perks which they currently enjoy.
Obama set them up for this by running interference to prevent them from being prosecuted for their conduct with Zimmerman, his family, and anyone else associated with him. Since that time, there have been many other similar cases.
The Congressional Black Caucus is lecturing us about racism? Shocking.
What did The Congressional White Caucus have to say about the issue?
If anyone doubts that the Black Caucus has only one argument for everything, just watch them on CSPAN. They never EVER present well-reasoned or well-articulated questions or arguments. It’s always just “RACISM!!!!”
I particularly draw everyone’s attention to any appearance of Greenspan, Bernanke, or Yellen (I haven’t seen Powell’s appearances yet). It is entertaining watching them attempt to answer the endless dumb questions about what the Fed is doing to help poor black people as if raising or lowering interest rates can be targeted. Stupid and vapid does not adequately describe how insipidly ignorant these people are. But we’re not allowed to say that. But see it for ourselves every time any one of them speaks.
Media have repeatedly championed Antifa/Black Bloc militia. The same supposed anti war and anti violence pacifists within the Media establisment applauded and knowingly promoted the “punch a Nazi in the face” violence knowing the verbiage is a stand in for punching republicans in the face.
And here we are. Again. Yet another 1967 cultural revolution styled Struggle Meeting. CBC and Media demand self-criticism alongside public denunciations of ones allies. Just confess they say. Even if it’s a false confession. Things will go easier for you.
see also:
Capitalist-roader.
The Four Olds.
Big Character Poster.
Red Scarf Girl.
Wild Swans.
Life and Death in Shanghai.
Color national diversity is bad. Color global (i.e. without borders) diversity is worse. Don’t indulge diversitists and others prone to color judgments (e.g. racism, sexism).
The simple fact we have here is measurement bias. “Everybody I don’t like is a _______”
“Nazi” was the favorite word to fill in the blank for a time, then “Bigot” and “Sexist” Now they’re using “White nationalist” It’s a simple as that. Proud of your country? White nationalist. Oppose any of their policies? White nationalist. They’ll even smear minorities with the same tag, as long as it helps them push their agenda.
Hey, Karen? Any news on your former IT guys, the Awan Bros? I thought not
By 2008, the KKK had all but disappeared. The Aryan Nation was largely confined to white prison populations. Most of the rest of the organizations classified as White Supremacists were scattered motorcycle gangs, the largest being the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas [not even a regional organization], splinters of older organizations such as the KKK and obscure internet sites a couple of Neo-Nazi organizations and the National Socialist Movement. The entire White Supremacist movement membership amounted to maybe 100,000 in the entire country, in 2008. During the Obama Administrations, this number increased. Those invested in racial animus attributed this rise in membership to the election of a black man as President. What they ignored was the support for radical Black organizations publicly expressed by the Obama Administration, up to and including the POTUS. These organizations all espoused Black Supremacist goals. The Administration also championed radical minority organizations involving Hispanics, Muslims, and the LBGT community. The rise in membership in white supremacist organizations is more than likely a result of perceived attacks upon the white, straight, European majority in this country.
The movement of white supremacist organizations into the public spotlight, during the early Trump Administration was a backlash against the public demonstrations, most of which were violent, by AntiFa and other anarchist groups. Reporting on Charlottesville, which is held up as THE example of White Supremacist violence, ignores the fact that the Supremacists had a permit to gather and parade. Not only did the Charlottesville authorities cancel the gathering, which was legal under state, local and federal law, but they failed to protect the supremacists, as they peacefully marched from their gathering site. There was no violence until the counter-protestors started it. As to James Fields, he committed a vicious crime. But, then so did a number of members of the counter-demonstration.
The resurgence of the White Supremacist movement, in the US, is the direct result of the Obama Administration support of radical Black and other minority groups. It was created by Barack Obama, not Donald Trump.
Is it really a vicious crime when a group of people, some of whom are armed with weapons surround your car and break the windows?
I’m sure they weren’t just dying to say howdy.
Antifa set up a kill zone, hoping to amplify statistically insignificant white diversity, and in the process aborted one of their own. Diversity, or color judgments, breed adversity.
Whatever else might be claimed about Field’s reasons for his actions, fleeing in terror does not hold water. Video of the incident show Fields speeding down a relatively open roadway for two blocks, by-passing an open cross street and driving into the rear of the white car without attempting to stop. The damage to the rear window of his car occurred AFTER he struck the stopped car [more video evidence of this exists as well]. Then, of course, it did not help his case that he had tweeted pictures of demonstrators being run over by cars, twice, prior to the crash. Nope, Fields was not running from a threat. Even if he thought he was, he had ample opportunity to safely drive away without crashing into the stopped car and demonstrators [remember the open cross street that he passed?].
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/12/04/charlottesville-report-tells-us-what-happens-when-police-fail-do-their-job-glenn-reynolds-column/917521001/
“Now an independent report has come out, suggesting that much of the blame for the clashes, injuries and death lies with poor police work by the Charlottesville Police Department, the Virginia State Police and the University of Virginia Police.”
“Areas where conflict could be expected to occur didn’t have police officers assigned to them; areas where police officers were stationed were out of the way.
When violence first broke out, according to two witnesses Chief Thomas reportedly said “let them fight, it will make it easier to declare an unlawful assembly.”
When the police finally decided to shut the rally down, they did it in a way that forced the protesters and counterprotesters into each other, instead of separating them, making violence far more likely. Meanwhile police who could have deescalated the violence stood aside.”
Maybe people like Bass are as stupid as they sound. But more likely, corrupt.
Their lies and corruption need to be publicly crushed.
Didn’t Sessions immediately call for an investigation for Charlottesville regardless…? Ah. Right here.
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/13/sessions-charlottesville-fbi-241582
This is why he was charged with (federal) hate crimes relating to the case. But because Trump did not spend time calling for an investigation that had already begun, he is being condemned.
Then: RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA!
Now: RACISM RACISM RACISM!
CBC’s faux concern about white nationalism as they hang out with the leader of the Nation of Islam.