We’ve all heard about the little dust-up between Black Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Harry Alford and Democrat senator Barbara Boxer during an Environment & Public Works (EPW) hearing on “green” jobs. Boxer, the chairman of the EPW committee, was trying to refute a report commissioned by Alford’s organization stating that the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act — which I’ll call “cap-and-sap” — would actually cause a net reduction in jobs. So, marshalling her arguments, she cited many sources that support cap-and-sap — among them the NAACP and the leader of 100 Black Men of America.
This didn’t sit too well with Mr. Alford. He responded, “Madam Chair, that is condescending to me. I’m the National Black Chamber of Commerce, and you’re trying to put up some other black group to pit against me...All that’s condescending, and I don’t like it. It’s racial.”
In a later interview, Alford was even more pointed in his criticism, saying that his Boxer match was “like being in Mississippi in 1945” and “vile Jim Crow.” He described the essence of the senator’s comments thus, “Colored boy, what are you doing with this sophisticated report?”
Well, Mr. Alford, tell us how you really feel.
Now, although I had never heard of Alford before this brouhaha, I like what I see; he seems a stand-up fellow, down-to-earth, commonsensical, sincere and spirited. In other words, the antithesis of a liberal. I also could not agree with him more on cap-and-sap. I go even further in fact: it is part of a destructive agenda often animated by diabolical motivations. Nevertheless, I must do something that is a first for this scribe: defend Barbara Boxer.
At least, that is, a little bit.
Lest I be misunderstood, I think Boxer is the worst politics has to offer — this makes her the worst of the worst. And I can certainly see why she would have irked Alford, as she was not only condescending, she was her usual imperious, supercilious, paternalistic self. And this is par for the course. Remember when Boxer chided Brigadier General Michael Walsh for abiding by military protocol concerning the addressing of those of higher rank and calling her “ma’am”? It was a pathetic display. But, then again, the general did err. It takes a bit of detachment from reality to view Boxer as any kind of superior. There are better things to call her.
Article comments
1 - Clavos
Interesting point, with more than a grain of truth as regards this episode.
That said, Barbara Boxer is still a despicable, arrogant, condescending shrew.
Her tongue lashing of General Walsh was ignorant and childish.
2 - Baronius
I saw a clip of the incident. I don't know what transpired beforehand, but Alford was thoroughly ticked off even before Boxer entered those statements. Maybe it was his fault, maybe hers, but they were already on the train to Bittertown.
3 - RJ
Excellent column. It's absurd for the head of the BLACK Chamber of Commerce to accuse anyone of being "racial."
That being said, Barbara Boxer is still lower than pond scum. Just for other reasons.
4 - RJ
Hmmm. This column is over 24 hours old, is highlighted on the front page, is well-written, and focuses on both race and politics...and it's only got 3 replies???
Has the recent site redesign reduced the volume of comments that significantly?
5 - Dr Dreadful
Well, I can't speak for anyone else, RJ, but personally I'm not quite sure how to respond to a conservative who's decided that pretending racism doesn't exist is more important than opposing Democrats.
6 - Dave Nalle
Or it could just be that the points made in the article are basically indisputable.
Dave
7 - El Bicho
Or it could be a subject no one cares about.
Or it could be that the author is narrow-minded ideologue whose previous work has turned people off.
Or it could be that Roger hasn't stumbled across it.
8 - roger nowosielski
Leave Roger out of it.
9 - Arch Conservative
Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein.....it's a full time job keeping tracking of all the useless liberals [gratuitous vulgarity deleted] from CA.