Black Panther Story

There has been a lot of talk over the last week about how could certain people be clueless about the Black Panther Voter Intimidation case from Philadelphia.  Again, I will say, don't be shocked by that.

Talk radio took aim yesterday at Bob Schieffer of CBS for not asking the Attorney General about it during a recent appearance on Face the Nation.

Schieffer said he didn't know about it, noting he had been on vacation, a line that earned him derisive shots on the radio.

To be fair, the issue has not exactly been on the tip of tongues of politicians here in Washington, D.C. from either political party.

Of the 178 Republicans in the House and the 41 in the Senate, guess how many of them have made a speech on the floor of the House or Senate that has mentioned that Black Panther matter?

Come on, guess.  Of 229 elected Republican lawmakers - how many?

Your answer is four.  That is 1.7% of all Republicans and 0.7% of all members of the House and Senate.

So, don't be surprised that it's an unknown for many.

Those making speeches on the floor about the matter include Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA), who first brought up the matter in July of 2009, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA).

King has been the most persistent, making several recent "special orders" speeches at night from the House floor, which have touched on the New Black Panther Party voter case.

The issue is getting more attention, which in my view, again demonstrates the power of the internet to keep stories alive, even as it has been overshadowed by other items.

"Why the silence from The Post on Black Panther Party story?" read the column of Washington Post Ombudsman Andy Alexander, who was one of my co-workers for years here in D.C.

"For months, readers have contacted the ombudsman wondering why The Post hasn't been covering the case," noted Alexander on Sunday, who added that the Post has been "virtually silent."

There was finally a story last Thursday in the paper.

"Better late than never," Alexander wrote.  

One final note from my perch, there may have been several missed opportunities for Republicans to raise this issue as well.

As far as I can tell - when Attorney General Eric Holder testified at oversight hearings in the House and Senate in both 2009 and 2010 - no member of Congress asked him about the Black Panther case in four different hearings.

That would indicate a number of lawmakers missed a chance to review the matter.

Or maybe they just didn't know about it.

There has been a lot of talk over the last week about how could certain people be clueless about the Black Panther Voter Intimidation case from Philadelphia.  Again, I will say, don't be shocked by that. Talk radio took aim yesterday at Bob Schieffer of CBS for not asking the ...