After 12 terms in Congress, Corrine Brown defeated in primary

Longtime U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown has lost her re-election bid in a radically redrawn 5th Congressional District.

Al Lawson, a former state senator from Tallahassee, won 48 percent of the vote to defeat Brown, who drew 39 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary for a district that now stretches from Downtown Jacksonville west along the Florida-Georgia border to Leon County.

Brown said she was proud that she had severed her constituents well during her 24 years in Congress, and 10 years before that in the Florida House of Representatives.

"It's been an honor serving the people, and they're going to have a new representative," Brown said. "I don't feel bad tonight because I know I've done the best I could."

Not only did Brown run in a district drawn to cover thousands of voters she had never represented, but she was indicted in July on 22 federal charges that include conspiracy, mail and wire fraud and violation of tax laws.

Brown and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, are accused of using an unregistered charity to raise $800,000 that prosecutors said they used as a personal "slush fund."

Brown's trial on the federal corruption charges was delayed until at least November after a third set of attorneys withdrew from the case last week.

Immediately after her concession speech, Brown began dancing with her bodyguard to, "My Girl." Her supporters joined in and continued to applaud her -- the end of an era in Jacksonville and seemingly a nod to her accomplishments.

[SOURCE]

Jim Clyburn: ‘No self-respecting African-American would dignify (Trump’s) campaign’

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn told reporters Tuesday that “no self-respecting African-American would dignify” the presidential campaign of GOP nominee Donald Trump.

On the same conference call with reporters, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House and the most senior black lawmaker on Capitol Hill also condemned fellow South Carolinian Mark Burns, a black pastor and Trump surrogate who recently re-tweeted a cartoon of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in blackface.

Burns, the pastor of the Harvest Praise and Worship Center in Easley, has since apologized for the tweet, which also depicted Clinton wearing a T-shirt that reads “no hot sauce, not peace” and a speech bubble proclaiming, “I ain’t no ways tired of pandering to African-Americans.” Clyburn called Burns’ actions “beyond the pale.”

Burns, the pastor of the Harvest Praise and Worship Center in Easley, has since apologized for the tweet, which also depicted Clinton wearing a T-shirt that reads “no hot sauce, not peace” and a speech bubble proclaiming, “I ain’t no ways tired of pandering to African-Americans.” Clyburn called Burns’ actions “beyond the pale.”

“When you do that,” Clyburn said, “you do not erase the impact that that still has on individuals.”

Clyburn, who participated in the call convened by the Clinton campaign to disavow the Trump campaign’s “troubling ties to a hate movement,” scoffed at these efforts. He said if the Republican nominee truly cared about reaching the black community, he would meet with the NAACP, the Urban League and any of the other black organizations whose invitations to Trump have been declined.

Clyburn also took issue with anyone who would single out Clinton’s use of the phrase “super predator” during a speech she delivered as first lady in 1996.

Critics, including Trump allies and supporters of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, have said the term was racially loaded. Clyburn said it was obvious she was talking about some bad actors, “not every African-American.”

Ultimately, he said, he was pleased “to speak on behalf of Hillary Clinton, and also to denounce Donald Trump and everything he stands for.”

[SOURCE]

Jim Brown: I'm with Colin Kaepernick '100 percent'

Appearing on Monday's edition of NFL Total Access, Brown weighed in on the controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's recent protest during the playing of the national anthem. During his comments he let it be known that he is with Kaepernick 100%. Read his comments below.

"I listened to him and he makes all the sense in the world. He's within his rights and he's telling the truth as he sees it," Brown explained. "I am with him 100 percent. ... Now if you ask me 'Would I do that?' No I won't, because I see it a little differently. I'm an American citizen, I pay my taxes, I want my equal rights but this is my country, and consequently I don't want to open up for ISIS or anybody that will take away what we've already gained."

While professional athletes have been reluctant to speak out in recent years, Brown believes there are signs that they are becoming more outspoken and willing to deal with the public backlash -- as Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett implored late last month.

"Absolutely. I think Pandora's Box is open. I'm very happy that it is," Brown continued. "So many years, we had the great Michael Jordan who stated that Republicans buy sneakers, too. ... And for a couple of generations it was about making money, not messing with your image. And the agents became the pivotal figure for a lot of these guys. And the agents kept reminding them that you have to be this all-American boy to make these kind of dollars and these dollars are astronomical dollars. So the money came into the culture and created a couple of generations of individuals who did not want to speak up."

[SOURCE: NFL.COM]

Trump’s popularity with African-American voters polling at zero

So much for that "outreach" to black voters. Public Policy Polling released a preview of a new poll Monday night that showed Donald Trump’s favorability rating among African-American voters at 0 percent.

TRUMP FAV/UNFAV with African American voters is:

Fav: 0%

UnFav: 97%

Undecided 3%

[SOURCE: The Hill]

Pastor to protest Trump's visit to Detroit church

In an effort to reach out to African-American voters, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will make his first foray into black churches with a visit to Great Faith Ministries Church in Detroit on Saturday and tape an interview with Bishop Wayne T. Jackson.

Rev. W.J. Rideout III, Pastor of All God's People Church in Detroit, said he'll lead a protest at the church against Trump. He isn't upset with Jackson opening his church and TV network to Trump, adding, "That's business. But I don't want him to think that he can come in here and get our votes."

"Donald Trump is an opportunist, and this guy will reach out to get a vote from the worst fish in the sea. He doesn’t care if he gets a vote from a rock. He just wants to get into the White House," Rideout said. "He’s outsourcing jobs overseas. Yet you’re talking about making American great again."

“I think he’s a racist, I think he’s a bigot and I think he doesn’t have a care for human kind,” Rideout said about Trump.

[SOURCE]