Wednesday, November 3, 2010

African-American Consevatives Scott-West Headed To Capital Hill

While Democrats managed to hang on to the majority of the Senate there will be no African-American members among them. Roland Burris, the only current African-American senator, is retiring. None of the three African-American candidates — Democrats Kendrick Meek, Alvin Greene and Mike Thurmond — won on Tuesday, according to CNN.

Only six black senators have ever served in the U.S. Senate: three Republicans and three Democrats — including President Barack Obama.

On the House front however, CEDRIC RICHMOND, a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2000, defeated the one-term Republican incumbent Anh “Joseph” Cao in the heavily Democratic New Orleans district, 58 percent to 39 percent.

Richmond, a 37-year-old African-American, had been expected to beat Cao, whose 2008 victory—for the seat long held by Democrat William Jefferson—was considered an anomaly, after Jefferson was accused of corruption. Cao, who immigrated from Vietnamese in 19TK, was the first Vietnamese American to serve in Congress and the first Republican elected from his district since 1891. Richmond, a New Orleans native, was the youngest person ever elected to the Louisiana legislature at age of 26 (Courtesy of New America Media).

HANSEN CLARKE, a Democratic state senator, MICHIGAN/U.S. CONGRESS (13th DISTRICT) won the seat formerly held by Rep. Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick (mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick), whom he defeated in a primary challenge. His opponent in the November 2 election, John Hauler, business development director for an electronics firm and a tea party activist, had pitched a plan making Detroit a tax-free zone for 10 years.

Clarke, 53, is the son of a Bangladeshi immigrant father and African-American mother who worked as a school-crossing guard to support the family after his father died. Before running for elected office, Clarke served as chief of staff to U.S. Representative John Conyers (Courtesy of New America Media).

Black Republicans also celebrated wins on Tuesday. Retired Lt. Colonel Allen West win in Florida’s 22nd District and South Carolina State Rep. Tim Scott’s victory in that state’s 1st Congressional District is also the first time two black GOP members will serve in Congress since 1996 reports CNN.

Scott defeated Democrat Ben Frasier in an open contest to replace retiring Republican Rep. Henry Brown to the first black GOP in Congress since former Oklahoma Congressman J.C.

Now let’s check out the slant on these two victories from Fox News. We love how they go out of their way to emphasize how race is not an issue and never has been in the conservative political realm. Oh hell. let’s go ahead ‘n’ call it the Tea Party. Read the following:

West defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Ron Klein shortly after Scott’s victory Tuesday. It was West’s second contest against Klein, losing to the incumbent in 2008.

Watts, elected to office in 1994′s sweeping GOP congressional gains, became the lone black Republican Member when former Congressman Gary Franks of Connecticut lost reelection in 1996, and Watts held the helm for three more terms before deciding not to seek reelection in 2002.

Watts notably did not join the Congressional Black Caucus given its overly Democratic leanings, and he balked at the suggestion among racial peers that he sold out his race. In 1997 the congressman famously denounced black leaders with archaic agendas, dismissing them as “race-hustling poverty pimps” on Fox News’s “Hannity and Colmes.”

An Atlanta native, West served in the Army for 22 years, including tours of duty in both Iraq wars and in Afghanistan. His campaign platform, “Restoring American Exceptionalism,” echoed this election cycle’s popular conservative sentiments of limited government, creating a business-friendly tax environment, and extending the Bush era tax cuts.

Scott hails from South Carolina and served the state in local office for 15 years. Scott’s agenda reflects many of the same views, including strengthening the borders against illegal immigration and focusing our military efforts to defeat violent Jihad.

Both men won tonight despite historically low black participation in the GOP and constant efforts by the left to discredit conservative movements like the Tea Party as racist. But the Republican Party had 14 viable candidates in House races this cycle, and the party intensified its outreach efforts to the black community this cycle.

WHATEVES. It should also be noted that a record number of African-American Republicans were on the ballot for congressional seats on Tuesday, more than have run since reconstruction, according to the Republican National Committee.

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