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 Askia At-Large
Askia Muhammad
Columnist Page
Friday, December 17, 2004; Page 17
Watt New Chairman of Congressional Black Caucus
The Congressional Black Caucus has a new leader. He’s a Phi Beta Kappa scholar who once said he never even got one “C” grade in college and didn’t get his first “B” until his senior year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He’s a Yale Law School graduate who sits on the House Judiciary Committee.
The CBC will need extra smart leadership to cope with the increasingly conservative Republican crew that has taken power in the U.S. House, Senate, the White House and the Courts, so they’ve unanimously chosen six-term Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.).
“My attitude would be to treat this new election as a possibility of a new beginning and to aggressively say to the president, ‘We would like to reinstate our regular meetings with you if you would be willing to do that,’” Watt told reporters Dec. 6, sounding like more like a peacemaker than a contender. The olive branch does not mean forsaking the Black agenda however, he said.
“We’ll have to go back to the Caucus motto,” he said in response to a question from this writer. “No permanent friends. No permanent enemies. Just permanent interests.”
Besides, he said: “Anything that would be good for Black America will be good for America. I'm sure political activism will (continue to) be part of the Congressional Black Caucus’ agenda.”
Next year, the CBC will have 43 members, including 42 House lawmakers and incoming Senate freshman Barack Obama, D-Ill. New House members include Reps. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Emmanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Al Green (D-Texas) and returning member Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.).
Mr. Watt was unanimously elected chairman for a two-year term beginning in January. He succeeds Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. “When you have Bush in the White House claiming that he has a mandate for more conservative policies, you've got to have a force going against that,” said Mr. Cummings at the Dec. 6 press conference. “The most logical people to do that would be the Congressional Black Caucus.”
Formed in 1969, the CBC works to present a united front among Black lawmakers and typically favors stronger civil rights enforcement and social programs that address some of the needs of the neediest Americans.
Entering his seventh term next year, Mr. Watt is unapologetic. He voted against the Iraq war and was one of 66 House members to oppose the Patriot Act, which stiffened law enforcement in the name of fighting terrorism at the expense of civil liberties. His document condemning the war with Iraq even became policy for the entire CBC.
In his six previous terms, Mr. Watt, has often been on the uneven side of lopsided votes, such as the death penalty. Still, conservative House Republicans give him high marks for his scholarship and principles.
After a dozen years in Congress, Mr. Watt said he is ready to lead his colleagues. “I spent a lot of time watching and learning and now is a good time for me to do this,” Mr. Watt said. “I've been around long enough to have a vision of how the job can be done and how the Caucus should be led.”
Mr. Watt and his wife Eulada have two sons, Brian and Jason, who are also Yale graduates. And he’s also athletic. He is one of the best players for the Democrats in the annual congressional baseball game. In fact, he was named the game's most valuable player in 1995, 1996 and 2000.
One of Congress’ more outspoken Bush critics, Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida, was elected as the CBC First Vice Chair. They elected Michigan Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick Second Vice Chair, Illinois Rep. Danny Davis Secretary and California Rep. Barbara Lee Whip.
Mr. Watt said he was encouraged by Mr. Bush’s comments about trying to unite the country and was somewhat optimistic there could be such a dialogue. “Whether he lives up to that rhetoric will be up to him,” Mr. Watt said.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy declined to comment on whether Mr. Bush would meet regularly with the CBC. “We don't speculate on the president's schedule,” Mr. Duffy said according to a published report. “I have every expectation he’ll want to sit down with the Caucus again on the key issues in the second term.” |
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