The New York Times ran an article yesterday about potential turbulence in Rep. Steve Cohen's re-election effort. The Memphis Democrat is a anomaly - a white Jew representing a city that is sixty percent black, and some in the city just don't think that that is appropriate:
MEMPHIS — A Congressional race in Tennessee has become freighted with racial overtones almost a year before the election, with a prominent black politician saying the white incumbent cannot properly represent black voters . . .
"To know Steve Cohen is to know that he really does not think very much of African-Americans," Mr. Herenton said in a recent radio interview on KWAM. "He’s played the black community well."
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Race relations in Memphis are deplorable enough already. Herenton isn't helping the situation at all by trying to divide the electorate in this fashion. To top it off, his campaign manager said the following:
"This seat was set aside for people who look like me," said Mr. Herenton’s campaign manager, Sidney Chism, a black county commissioner. "It wasn’t set aside for a Jew or a Christian. It was set aside so that blacks could have representation."
Really, Mr. Chism? Tennessee's ninth district was "set aside" for a particular ethic group, and other groups shouldn't be allow to hold office in that district? I'm sorry, but that is racism.
There's a much larger issue here than just race-baiting. It's the idea that elected representatives must pass a racial litmus test in order to hold office. I mean, can you imagine if we applied that rationale to presidential elections? Obama wouldn't be president because as a black man, he could not possibly represent a nation that is seventy-four percent white.
The fact is that you can have a black candidate running in a majority-minority district who holds conservative views that the black population traditionally does not espouse. Demographic representation does NOT necessarily equal effective representation. I mean, can you imagine if Alan Keyes was elected in a majority black district? The man is certainly black, but he's also on the radical right.
Now, blacks SHOULD be elected and their presence in Congress is of indisputable value. However, the solution isn't to create "set aside" districts. The solution is that more blacks need to run for office and the Democratic Party needs to put more effort into recruiting black candidates. "Set aside" districts are a tool that the Republicans use to dilute the power of minority voters in other districts. If they can lump minorities, who tend to vote Democratic, into one district, surrounding districts have a better chance of voting Republican due to the absence of those minorities. This is called "packing" a district. [On the other hand, you don't want to "crack" a district either, but that's too tangential to discuss here].
So is Mr. Cohen an effective representative for Memphis, despite his low levels of melanin? Well, according to the article he received an "A" rating from the NAACP. Local black leaders in Memphis view him as a strong ally and advocate for issues important to the black community. If recent history is any indication, his constituents also approve of him. Cohen faced this same sort of race-baiting in the 2008 primary campaign against Nikki Tinker, who was nearly universally condemned (especially here on Daily Kos) for her divisive ads. One in particular tried to make Cohen out to be in alliance with the KKK. That idea was laughable, as the KKK is notorious for its antisemitism. Her tactics were so vile that Obama got involved and called her out on her shameful campaign. So what did Tinker's race-baiting get her? She was defeated by Cohen to the tune of 79% to 19%.
You see, Memphis residents understand that Cohen has been an effective advocate for their district, despite being white. He may not be able to stand in the shoes of a black person, but blacks in Memphis don't view that as a disqualification. They know when they are being played by people like Herenton and Tinker. Contrary to Mr. Chism's claims, blacks ARE being represented in Memphis and they approve of the job that Cohen is doing.
Regardless, this campaign will still be a tough one for Cohen. Herenton is a former mayor who still holds considerable sway in the city and should be a much better match for Cohen than a no-name former aide to Harold Ford, Jr. One can only hope that a candidate's policy positions and credentials come back in focus and race stays out of the picture. Unfortunately, because this is a primary where the two candidates are not likely to have substantial policy differences, I don't expect the focus on race to dissipate any time soon. It will likely be the sole means by which to make a distinction between them, and Herenton seems to want to exploit that. He himself proclaimed that this campaign is "going to be about race, representation and power". He's also got a lot of friends in the Memphis establishment that will fight for his candidacy.
Please send Herenton a message that race-baiting is NEVER appropriate, no matter who is trying to stir up animosity. Make a donation to Cohen's reelection effort.
NOTE: I realize that any diary that even remotely touches on race is immediately controversial. Let me reiterate that I STRONGLY believe there is crucial value in having minorities in Congress, and that we NEED more of them there. I oppose, however, making race a prerequisite to running/holding office and I think race-baiting has no place in politics.
Crossposted at To Move a Nation