ILL-inois: Black congressman accuses black opponent of "segregationist politics" in majority black district

Robbins, IL 1st District

Former Black Panther Bobby Rush, the longtime congressman of Illinois' first district, will likely survive a petition challenge brought on by his March Democratic primary opponent, South Side Chicago alderman Howard Brookins Jr. The alderman, who is African-American, believes that Rush failed to gather enough legitimate petition signatures.

In his Sunday Chicago Sun-Times column, Mark Brown reports on Rush's reaction:

Rush sought to position Brookins' attempt as an attack on the voting rights of his constituents, rather than on him personally.

"I'm just astonished that, in this day and time, that the alderman would want to resort to southern segregationist politics trying to disenfranchise the voters of the 1st Congressional District," Rush said.

"This infringement on the voters' rights is reprehensible," he said. "And it really shows that this person has no real understanding of the legacy of those of us who have fought to make sure all the voters of the nation have a free access to the polls and free access to elect individuals of their choice."

The obscenely gerrymandered First District, with its African-American majority, was drawn to elect a black to Congress. What Rush is doing accusing am African American of being a segregationist in a majority black district. He is a reprehensible race-baiting clown. Rush may not have collected enough nominating signatures. That is his fault--it is not a segregationist plot.