Congressional Black Caucus pushes bailout for Air America/Sharpton/Jackson crony
Percy Sutton and Malcolm X, 1963.
Well, well, well.
The Congressional Black Caucus is trying to shake down the White House — and taxpayers — by holding a Democrat financial regulation “reform” bill hostage until Team Obama stuffs it with taxpayer goodies for a minority-owned radio station and other minority-owned businesses.
The story is here and here. In brief:
A clash between the Obama administration and the Congressional Black Caucus intensified Wednesday, illustrating how lawmakers’ unease about the economy has the potential to derail White House priorities. Ten black lawmakers refused to appear at a House committee vote on financial regulations Wednesday, a move that nearly allowed Republicans to kill a major Democratic bill. The move was the culmination of weeks of tension, including a testy meeting two weeks ago that included Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.), Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. In the meeting, Ms. Waters berated the administration for not doing enough to help minority-owned businesses, mentioning specifically a New York broadcaster that couldn’t get a loan reworked.
Less than two weeks after the meeting, the company, Inner City Broadcasting Corp., said Goldman Sachs Group Inc. agreed to restructure the loan. The exchange about the company, which to some administration officials sounded like a bid to have the government intervene in a corporate matter, heightened distrust on both sides, people familiar with the matter say. Caucus members at the meeting stressed they weren’t asking White House officials to do anything improper, people familiar with the matter said. It is unclear whether any government official played a role in having the loan reworked.
Of course, Goldman Sachs! Earning its “Government Sachs” nickname once again. Victor Davis Hanson notes: “Rarely has a single scandal summed up nearly all the current pathologies of the corrupt Washington scene, combining insider bailouts, revolving-door influence peddling, racial-identity politics, subsidies for failing institutions that have a proven record of partisan Democratic politics, and Democratic efforts to reward wealthy friends under the guise of social justice.” See also: Culture of Corruption.
Now, I have some back story that you may remember about the crony of color behind the CBC shakedown. Percy Sutton is head of Inner City Broadcasting Corp. The ailing radio station was in the middle of the Air America disaster several years back. Radio Equalizer blogger Brian Maloney and I collaborated on an extensive investigative series into the left-wing empire’s finances — and Sutton’s ICBC was entangled in the dealings as the minority front business/flagship station for the sinking ship. The company shunted aside its black-themed talk format at WLIB to accommodate Air America. In return, Air America made room for a few minority radio hosts and also entered into lucrative lease management agreements with Inner City Broadcasting, which owns and operates 17 radio stations in five markets.
Air America, of course, collapsed. And ICBC has apparently never recovered either.
Sutton and his son, Pierre (who now runs the business), are leaning on all their race-hustling friends to put you and me on the hook for rescuing the business. It’s not corporate welfare, you see, it’s “media justice!”
Things you should know about Sutton, as I reported in 2005:
The co-founder of Inner City Broadcasting is New York media mogul Percy Sutton, best known as Malcolm X’s lawyer and former Manhattan borough council president. Sutton helped bail Sharpton out after Sharpton was ordered to pay former Dutchess County prosecutor Steven Pagones over the Tawana Brawley race hoax. Sutton also raised and donated money for Sharpton’s 2004 presidential bid. Sharpton still broadcasts a Sunday radio show on WLIB. Sutton and Jackson are longtime friends and partners. Sutton served as Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign finance chairman. Jackson has lobbied on Sutton’s behalf. Sutton sits on Jackson’s Citizenship Education Fund. As original investors, Jackson and his wife reportedly hold more than 23,000 shares in Inner City Broadcasting.
The Orwellian Fairness Doctrine comes in many forms.
***
More fun facts: Ben Smith recalls Percy Sutton’s claim that Saudi royalty supported Obama through proxy ex-Black Panther/Muslim confidante of the Sauds Khalid al-Mansour.
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Categories: Air America,Al Franken,Fairness Doctrine,Race Hustlers
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Michelle you must be a racist. Wait, you’re not white. Hmmmm
I love the conundrum you present to the race hustlers.
Somehow, the media refuses to remember the ‘moral hazard’ that the simple citizen cited as the reason to oppose government bailouts last year.
The TARP bailout palooza is going to haunt this country until we finally get conservative leadership!
The Latino caucus is gonna shank ‘em in the yard.
Air America? Is that still on?
LMAO!!!
Congressional Black Caucus, now there is a brain trust.
These Congressional Black Caucus a-holes should have been arrested upon their return from Cuba. O’Barry is not their president; it’s Fidel.
From the “black leadership” of America: the same ol’ WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.
They want to be treated like an man or woman, but refuse to take personal responsibility for their actions- that is why I never take them seriously.
In the Marine Corps, the polar opposite is true. To a man and woman, all take responsibility for their own successes and failures. The “black leadership” could learn a lot from my brothers and sisters in arms.
I’ll bet that each of them has a shrine to Adam Clayton Powell in their office.
Why not air programming that people will tune in to? Duh! Just like the newspapers that no one wants to read.
Hangfire said:
I was out on a survey for a telecomm job and happened to be in a certain office that had a 4 foot high by 3 wide poster of Dear Leader dressed as Super Man, chin up with that all knowing gaze. I kid you not.
In other news, the Congressional Blonde Caucus is whining for subsidies for…
Alright then, next they’ll need to bail out the Excellence in Broadcasting network.
Waitaminnit! It doesn’t NEED a bailout. People actually listen to Rush.
Wow! Obama’s own dogs are turning on him. You sleep with dogs….
Did you ask where they bought their dart board?
tre said:
I did not dare, hid my smile and later laugh when I went outside.
We don’t need another bailout. We need a new hull.
Go into any office in academia and you’ll see the same thing…
Why does there actually need to be a “Black” caucus?
Because blacks want to stay separate.
So who are the real racists?
Looking great isn’t cheap. You think this color just comes naturally?
oh wait, huh…
That separateness is the key to their power.
Oh yeah?
Wait’ll they hear about the plans that the Congressional Cracker Caucus has for them.
I expected things like this, and expect much ,more before the end of Obowmao’s occupation of the WH.
As soon as the left in the House and Senate found out they could extort money for their votes, I knew there would be more extortionists.
It happened before with larding up all kinds of bills, but it generally was much less blatant.
Now they just don’t care how blatant it is.
It happened in Ohio where that ‘Crat held out for millions, it happened with Landrieu, will happen here, and much more until voters wise up and throw them out.
Uh….keyless door locks so they quit locking their keys in their convertibles?
This made me laugh.