Black Georgia Lawmakers Storm Out In Obama Resolution Fight

[CatWoman]

ATLANTA — Two dozen black lawmakers angrily stalked out of the Georgia House on Friday amid claims a decision by white Republican leaders to delay passage of a resolution honoring President Barack Obama had racist overtones.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson said the proposal to make Obama an honorary member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus required some changes to its language and sent it to a committee. Supporters, including black lawmakers, claimed the move was a snub to the nation's first black president.

"It drips with racism," said state Rep. Al Williams, a Democrat. "I call it just like it is."

State Rep. Austin Scott said he and other Republicans objected to wording that would have put the full chamber on record backing the resolution and its declaration of Obama as a man with an "unimpeachable reputation for integrity."

He said he blocked the proposal after Democrats balked at revising the wording.

"All we've requested is minor changes to the language," he said.

Some noted it was a rare move in the Georgia Capitol, where lawmakers routinely adopt all manner of resolutions without debate and often through a show of hands, from measures honoring a constituent's wedding anniversary to others offering condolences upon a death.

The furor began Thursday when the Republican-controlled House voted 70-68 to reject the resolution. Black lawmakers then walked out Friday, seconds after leaders sent the measure to a committee for reworking.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/20/black-georgia-lawmakers-s_n_177514.html

[Top Cat]

1. I live here in the Atlanta metro and I's so ashame of the Bast-rd's

[CatWoman]

5. TC!!!

Where do you live?

I live in Stone Mountain :hi:

[Number23]

13. Wow! Sometimes I swear that half of (Black) DU lives in or is from Atlanta

Yeah, I'm in Australia now but I was born and raised in the SWAts. :hi:

This story makes no damn sense. What in hell do they care who is or is not a member of the GA Black Legis Congress?

Are they against Obama THAT MUCH that they would take a stand against such a symbolic thing that has nothing to do with them anyway??

ETA: Oh this is rich! It's the use of the phrase that Obama is a man of "unimpeachable reputation for integrity" that's got their panties all twisted! They can't STAND the fact that there are large groups of people all over the world who feel just this way -- about a black man!

[Thrill]

2. One day states like GA. OK, MS, and AL will grow up

[TTUBatfan2008]

6. No they won't...

If anything they are going even more off the deep end, especially OK where there's hardly any minority population to offset the white nutjobs. I'm in West Texas and the people out here are as nice as can be until you start talking politics, race relations, etc. Oklahoma is similar to that. And the minority percentage of the population is similar in West Texas to Oklahoma. At least with states like MS, Alabama, and GA there's a minority population to keep a sharp eye on their behavior and call them out on it.

[LARED]

3. Sounds like Republicans acting like

idiots, not racists.

[Supersedeas]

12. Reskanks acting like Reskanks

[RepublicanElephant]

4. these confederate nutjobs still think the civil war is on. nt

[Mr. Ected]

7. They're Programmed To Hate On Obama Down Here

Rush is their mentor.

[Cha]

10. You got that right..I had an encounter with

a programmed Obama hater in upstate New York, last nght.

Freakin' podshits.

[RubyDuby in GA]

8. Shit like this is making us seriously think about moving out of this state

It seems that the people in charge get dumber and dumber every passing day and they are dragging the entire state down.

We're seriously thinking about leaving the state.

[RollWithIt]

11. I want to see one more election cycle in Georgia & South Carolina....

There is a large scale population migration moving from the North to South. I want to see the House Republicans justify their votes to turn down stimulus money (which later created jobs in their districts) in SWING districts. I believe Georgia has 6 such hotspot districts. South Carolina only has 2 though. Both on the coast.

[RollWithIt]

9. Personally, I have a devious mind sometimes about the tricks of the trade (politics)

The first thought I had was, "I wonder who the smart guy was who decided to put that line in there, knowing it's over the top, who also knew that at least one of the moron racists would object to it so they could point out that they are in fact racists." I mean seriously, I bet for some of the Republicans it was the first bill they'd ever read in full. lol.