As Michigan Loses A US House Seat Rep John Conyers Seeing Loss Of His Traditional Base Intends To Run In The 14th District

Georgia of the "Confederate South" is not the only state that is "guilty" of having White Democrats pitted against Black Democrats as a result of redistricting.In the case of long time House Progressive John Conyers - with his "traditional base" being squeezed out of the 13th district that Conyers now presides over - he intents to run for the 14th district, against a Black Democrat.

Recall a few years ago when upstart Hansen Clarke defeated stalwart Rep Carolyn Kilpatrick as the cloud from her son's mayoral corruption dimmed her political chances.   Hansen Clarke who's background made him an unlikely candidate was pegged as the young new face for progressive politics in Metro Detroit.

With the population of the state shrinking due to extended economic malaise the Democrats are likely to make a choice that is indicative of their goals for the future.  John Conyers is 72 years old and has been in Congress since 1965.  Despite the fact that his district has largely eroded under his feet - some Democrats will vest their interest in his seniority and the potential this brings in their pursuit of power, viewing this as more important than laying new groundwork due to past failures to deliver.

In a larger point - the prevailing Black political discourse claims that Black people stand against those who "stand against our community interests".   It seems that the INTENTION to benefit the community is more important than measurable evidence of this being the case.   Nationally the word is "that the other guy did it and our guy is trying to fix the mess".    We see that this model is not applied more locally against John Conyers.  Instead he is seen as yet another establishment leader who's knowledge of Black people enable him to levitate off of the stage, just prior to the "No Confidence Vote" and then lead the people in a protest march - retaining his seat of power for "a job well done".  

The unity in STRUGGLE is more important than results obtained that materially advance our interests.


  From The Article

Detroit— The races for Congress became clearer Thursday as U.S. Rep. Gary Peters announced he'll challenge for the Democratic nomination in the 14th District and longtime U.S. Rep. John Conyers decided he will run in the new 13th District.With the state losing a seat in Congress due to population loss, Peters was the odd-man-out as his old 9th District was carved up, leaving him without a seat. Under the same boundaries, Conyers' 14th District was redrawn to include portions of Wayne and Oakland counties, but not much of his traditional base.Part of the logjam was resolved when U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, announced he'd run in the new 14th District, which includes areas he now represents. That opened the door for speculation about whether Conyers would then run in the 13th, a move that a source close to Conyers confirmed to The News on Thursday.From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110908/POLITICS02/109080461/Peters-to-challenge-fellow-Dem-Clarke-in-14th-District--Conyers-to-run-in-13th#ixzz1Xk6nixRp