President Bush told the congressional black caucus he didn't know anything about renewal of the seminal 1965 Voting Rights Act last Wednesday, RAW STORY has learned. According to several of the 43-member strong Democratic caucus, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) asked the president whether he supported extending the Voting Rights Act when it comes up for renewal in 2007. He said he didn't know nothing about it, and he'll deal with the legislation that comes before him, Rep. Jackson told RAW STORY. A Chicago Tribune columnist who wrote about the event yesterday said that another congressman told him Bush's response was mind boggling. Rep. Jackson said he was disillusioned and greatly disappointed that a man who just a week or two earlier commemorated the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't understand or have an appreciation for the most important piece of legislation for civil rights in the 20th century. The renewal of the voting rights act is in great peril, particularly the sections of the Voting Rights Act that make it effective. [This comment] should activate the Voting Rights Act forces across the country to begin the process of mass education to help move the Congress and the White House [toward] thinking about it as a serious issue. Jackson said he felt the meeting was mostly a PR opportunity,but that the president was quietly attentive. [more]
- Tell Bush What the Voting Rights Act Is [more]