Where Racial Politics and Chicago Politics Collide

There is so much wrong with this story:

With Democratic Rep. Danny Davis signaling he’s ready to step down from the House after seven terms to run for president of the Cook County Board next year, there’s a real possibility that a non-African-American candidate could win the seat.

“I think there is always that concern,” said Richard Boykin, a former Davis chief of staff who is mentioned as a possible contender. “It’s a fear that a lot of people have.”

“There’s great concern,” said Tommie Simmons, a black community activist in Chicago.

“If you get 10 African-American people running for Congress and one white person, the white person can win,” said Boykin.

“Just imagine eight African-Americans running and one white person running — that could happen,” added Simmons.

State Sen. Don Harmon, who is white, was widely mentioned as a potential successor to Davis but took his name out of the mix because he believed it was not his place to run.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to diminish the African-American voice in this district,” said Harmon. “It was an immediate reaction for me. I’ve worked hard to build a multiracial coalition, and I’m not about to throw that away.”

Now some black Democrats say they are prepared to wage a concerted effort to make sure the district continues to be represented by an African-American.

“Everyone wants to jockey for higher position. But we have to sit down and seriously discuss whether we want to keep this seat or whether we want to lose this seat,” said Simmons.

Wow. Yeah, we've come a real long way.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/25799.html#ixzz0NKdYyxa5