Senator Boxer Accused Of Racism

July 17. 2009

Black Chamber of Commerce CEO Rips Sen. Boxer for ‘Condescending’ Racial Remarks

The next video is painful and uncomfortable to watch. The CEO of the Black Chamber of Commerce, Harry C. Alford, angrily accuses Senator Boxer of racism, for condescendingly bringing up the NAACP, another black organization, in challenging his statements.

Senator Boxer

He referred to it as vile "Jim Crow" tactics and further stated, "You're trying to put up some other black group to pit against me." Ouch!

Race Issue Clouds US Senate Climate Hearing

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--...National Black Chamber of Commerce Harry Alford - the only witness called by Republicans to testify at the hearing - took issue with Boxer when she introduced the NAACP resolution.

"That's condescending and I don't like it," said Alford, who earlier had testified about his fears of the impact of climate-change legislation on minority communities. "It's racial. I take offense to that."

His anger flared up early. Boxer said energy investments are creating jobs in her state. Alford said he saw no evidence that energy investments are creating jobs.

"I've been looking - I haven't seen them yet," Alford told the senator. "The last time I checked, California is an economic basket case and these green jobs aren't going to solve it."

Boxer avoided the barb and responded: "I want you to come with me. Let's go see these jobs you say don't exist."

As for the NAACP, Alford said that "quoting some other black man" is "racial," appearing to suggest that his arguments about the economic effects of climate change legislation should be taken on their own terms rather than in the context of race.

"We're talking energy," he said. The "road the chair went down I think is G-d awful."

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