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Published: Jan. 26, 2005
A DeLay-ed Reaction
by Raynard Jackson, BV Views columnist
At the mention of the name Tom DeLay, Republican congressman from Houston
and Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, most people in our
community have an immediate reaction -- "right-wing nut, racist, redneck,
Republican, hater of blacks, etc."
I must confess, before I got to know him and his staff over the years, I had
similar views. Most of these views were based not on personal experience
with him or tangible evidence, but the way he was portrayed in the media and
how he was demonized by radical liberal black Democrats like Jesse Jackson
and Julian Bond.
Tom DeLay is no doubt a conservative, but so are many blacks. DeLay wants
less government involvement in our lives. He wants workers to keep more of
the money they have worked hard for. He wants injustice based on one's race
to be fully punished with all deliberate speed.
Many blacks I know (including those who are known Democrats) want all of the
above. So, why is Tom DeLay so demonized? Maybe it's because he forces us to
think about difficult issues about our community and to question the status
quo.
Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "A mind
stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimensions." Anyone
who exercises knows that stretching causes some discomfort. But, this
short-term discomfort minimizes the chances of injury during one's workout.
So it is with DeLay. He was a driving force behind the welfare reform
debates of the late '90s (as was I and many blacks from both parties). He
constantly fights against raising the minimum wage, as do many black
business owners. He fights against gay marriages, as do many blacks. He
supports lower taxes so we can keep more of the money we earn. I don't know
of one black person who wants to give more of their hard-earned money back
to the government. He supports Bush's faith-based initiative. So do many
blacks.
So, are our views of Tom DeLay based on substance or because he is
conservative and white? Solomon states in Proverbs 4:7: "Wisdom is the
principle thing, therefore get wisdom, but with all thy getting, get
understanding."
I have begun to help Congressman DeLay raise money for his nonprofit DeLay
Foundation for Kids (www.delayfoundationforkids.org). This is a labor of
love for him and his wonderful wife Christine. The DeLay Foundation began in
the early 1980s to support various ongoing programs to help abused and
neglected children.
I have several well-known black athletes and entertainers involved with him
to raise money for his foundation through a series of golf tournaments.
Before meeting DeLay, they would call me with concern in their voices and
ask about all the negative articles and news reports they had become aware
of. They attended the first golf fund-raiser as a favor to me. But, after
having spent considerable time with DeLay and his staff, they have concluded
that he is a decent, honorable person; and now they are becoming friends and
supporters of his charitable cause.
I challenge BlackVoices members to point me to specific evidence of Tom
DeLay being a racist or insensitive to our community. His opposition to
affirmative action, gay rights or hate crime laws is not proof. We in the
black community must become more thoughtful and less emotional. Disagreement
with the agenda of the radical left like the Congressional Black Caucus and
the NAACP does not make you a bad person; it just means you have a different
opinion on certain policies. Remember the Biblical quote: "…with all thy
getting, get understanding."
No more DeLay-ed reactions!
Reach Raynard Jackson at
raynardjackson@aol.com
Published: Jan. 26, 2005