Congressman John Lewis Faces Primary Challenge

John Lewis (D-GA) has been in the House of Representatives for 21 years. He is a leader of the civil rights movement and has won the Democratic nomination in his Atlanta district without challenge since 1992. Mr. Lewis was also a staunch Hillary Clinton supporter until recently. This year, he’s being challenged for the nomination by 31-year-old minister Markel Hutchins and State Representative Mable Thomas. That’s what comes of backing the wrong horse.

The older generation of black leaders apparently didn’t believe Mr. Obama had a chance, and while respecting the young Senator’s efforts, they knew Mrs. Clinton had all the right endorsements lined up. Besides, white America wasn’t going to vote for a black candidate for president, and this election was too important to lose by nominating a callow ward healer from Chicago. And then, lily white Iowa backed Mr. Obama and the rest is history.

Mr. Hutchins told the Washington Post in referring to Jesse Jackson’s recent nasty comments about Senator Obama, “This is the very reason why there has to be a transition from the leaders that brought us across the bridges 40 and 50 years ago to a new era of leaders who will bring us across the bridges we face today. Leadership cannot be measured by one's proximity to the civil rights era.”

Mr. Lewis is rather dismissive of Mr. Hutchins, proving he has a political tin ear, “The young man, he just copies everything Obama does. The civil rights movement was over by the time he was born.” That is the point entirely.

Meanwhile, “Able” Mabel Thomas' features Mr. Obama’s June 3 speech when he declared victory over the old Guard on her website. Mike Koblentz, Chair of the Northwest Community Alliance in Atlanta, is quoted there saying “The Fifth District of Georgia needs full time, hands. on, assertive, community based leadership to deal with theses extraordinary and difficult, economic times. We will also need a whole hearted, early, endorser and partner for Barack Obama in order to win Georgia for Obama in November. Nobody in recent times in Georgia comes to a House election with more heart, activism, accomplishments, and more roots to our community than Able Mable Thomas.”

Knocking off Mr. Lewis in a primary will be difficult since these two are splitting the anti-Lewis, pro-Obama vote. However, if Mr. Lewis doesn’t get more than about 45% of the primary vote, he should seriously think about calling it quits after one more term. Next time, the party machinery will be completely Obamaniacs.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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