African-American congressman Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City is facing a revolt from black preachers in Memphis because of his support for 9th District Congressman Steve Cohen.
From the Kansas City Star website: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has faced a lot of adversaries as a political and spiritual leader, but with his current foes it’s like looking into a mirror.
They’re African-American preachers steeped in the traditions of the black church. Democratic Party stalwarts, too.
“The black clergy is rising up against me,” Cleaver said. “I was surprised.”
That’s because a Democratic House colleague from Tennessee has asked him to wade into a simmering political stew in his Memphis congressional district that local political observers said has been salted with a strong dose of racism.
Democratic Rep. Stephen Cohen, who holds the state’s Ninth District congressional seat, is under attack in an increasingly nasty war with several local Baptist pastors.