speaking to a Black crowd:
February 26, 2008
Black Hillary Supporters May Be Receiving Death Threats
By Marc Sheppard
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/02/black_hillary_supporters_may_b.html.......
And, while DC congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton spoke the requisite racial solidarity, Tubbs Jones revealed a true affinity for Clinton's sisterhood message, admitting that she had committed to Hillary's feminist positions and election some 15 years ago. That was, of course, long before anyone ever even considered a possible race/gender dilemma for black women
The Ohio Democrat spoke quite convincingly of sexism trumping racism and the need for women to finally shatter that immutable "glass ceiling." Listening to her passionately address women's issues and considering her voting record on such concerns as Child Health Insurance Programs, one could hardly question her Hillary decision. But then she spoke with equal earnest of a darker truth hanging over black Clinton supporters:
"There are some black elected officials who have earned their stripes, who've had to change their phone numbers two or three times because of the calls being made to them about the positions they are taking in this election. Shame on us. Shame on us. That we would beat down black elected officials who've paid their duty and their time.
"I'm saying to you that I don't care what happens, I'm for Hillary, someone else is for Barack Obama, but we're going to stand up - the black caucus is the conscience of the nation and we're going to stand up and do our thing no matter what happens."
But while Tubbs Jones dallied vague about the nature of the "beat downs," fellow panelist Louisiana State Senator Cleo Fields was so distressed by the very thought as to warn that he would:
"be disappointed and would be ready to fight if somebody raised a finger at this sister
who had worked so hard for so long and had been representing black people better than most people could ever dream of."
It was then that Tavis Smiley, himself, grasped the opportunity to address his own first hand experience of this darker side of Obamamania, the one we've previously explored with much concern: