OT. Interesting and more proof

Divided Loyalty


By Pamela Gentry, BET News Senior Political Producer

Posted Feb. 14, 2007 – Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) quoted President Abraham Lincoln when he announced he his run for the White House, recalling Lincoln’s pronouncement that a “divided house” can’t succeed it must “stand together.”

Now Obama may need to remind his fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) who are divided over whom to support for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The pressure is mounting on the 42 members of the caucus to pick the candidate they plan to support in 2008. Some Black lawmakers committed early to Sen. Hillary Clinton, (D-N.Y.) and former Sen. John Edwards, (D-N.C.), who entered the race early. Both have enjoyed wide support from Black Americans over the years.

On Tuesday, two Black South Carolina lawmakers, who had previously backed John Edwards declared their support for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). The two state senators, Robert Ford and Darrell Jackson, expressed a belief that Clinton is the one Democratic candidate who can win in 2008. Both claimed to have been courted by the Obama campaign, and Ford stated that an Obama victory in the primary would "drag down the rest of the party."

While some of his colleagues on the national level feel they should stand with one of their own, some don’t want to go back on their word to Clinton or Edwards; others remain undecided.

While no one’s talking about this publicly, everyone’s talking. Some debates have ruffled feathers. I learned that during one recent gathering of House Dems, the loyalty-to-the-Clintons issue was brought up. The clear sentiment among some longtime Clinton supporters was that nothing lasts forever in politics.

We’ll see how that holds up when it’s time for everybody to stand up and be counted.

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