Black lawmakers in a dilemma

The 2008 presidential election poses a unique problem for black lawmakers who are supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Namely, can they keep their congressional seats.\ \ \ All but 16 of the 42 House members of the Congressional Black Caucus are from majority black districts, many by as much as 60 percent or more. Not going with Sen. Barack Obama has already proved costly to one member, Rep. Albert R. Wynn, Maryland Democrat.\ \ \ Already in the sights of liberal bloggers in 2006, Mr. Wynn narrowly defeated Donna Edwards based on the argument that he was too conservative for his district, which comprises parts of Prince George's and Montgomery counties.\ \ \ A laughable argument given his voting record, but coupled with his endorsement of Sen. John Edwards over Mr. Obama and the momentum Mrs. Edwards got in 2006, she defeated him in the Feb. 12 primary.\ \ \ And Mr. Wynn, who switched his support to Mr. Obama just before the primary admitted to The Washington Times that it hurt him.\ \ \ Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, was recently booed in her district in Houston, by her own constituents, for her support of Mrs. Clinton over Mr. Obama. Her district went heavily for Mr. Obama, 90 percent.\ \ \ And just a few days ago, Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver, Missouri Democrat, said that he had taken heat from his black constituents in Kansas City for supporting Mrs. Clinton. He went on to say that "white people" would vote for Mr. Obama out of a sense that it would once and for all put race issues in the past in addition to some other troubling comments.\ \ \ Former CBC Foundation Executive Director Dr. Maya Rockeymoore, now a political consultant, warned me on March 4 that this was going to get worse, and now we see that not only is it worse it could mean that Illinois Democrat Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was right all along when he told the CBC that not supporting Obama could be the end of their political futures.\ \
\ — Brian DeBose, national political reporter, The Washington Times