Most of you don’t even know his name. David Scott (rhymes with rot) is the most non-representative Black person in the U.S. Congress. The very worst.

Rep. Scott, whose district lies south of Atlanta, runs with a gaggle of renegade rightwing House members that includes Harold Ford, Jr., of Memphis, Alabama’s Artur Davis and fellow Georgian Sanford Bishop. Scott leads the pack, having managed to vote with Republicans more than any other member of the Congressional Black Caucus on issues tracked by Techpolitics.org, the authoritative site run by veteran political researcher Ken Colburn.

Rep. Scott is lavishly rewarded for his loyalty to corporations. He ranks fourth in campaign contributions among Black House members ($803,334), according to Techpolitics, right behind Rep. Davis ($918,781), Ford ($1,344,398), and New York Congressperson Charles Rangel ($1,446,027). As the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, and having served in the Congress since 1970, Rangel deserves the money. The other three are whores to big business, and Rep. Scott is the worst. According to OpenSecrets.org, 76 percent of Scott’s political action committee (PAC) campaign funds came from corporations in the 2003-2004 election cycle. We know who he serves.

Like Artur Davis, Scott was elected to Congress in 2002, the year the corporate Right launched its electoral offensive against Black America. Corporate money and media unseated Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Alabama’s Earl Hilliard, replacing them with Denise Majette and Artur Davis, respectively. McKinney regained her seat, in a district to the north and east of Atlanta, last year. Nobody challenged Scott in 2004, whose district is arguably the most gerrymandered in the state, contorted around the highways and byways of four counties.

Georgia Republicans are intent on doing a Texas-style redistricting of congressional seats, this year, but Scott will probably emerge from the process unscathed – because he is a Republican in all but name. Scott entered the U.S. Congress on a handshake with the GOP, in 2002. His rapidly blackening district (only 42 percent Black in 2000, now almost 53 percent Black) politically resembles Cynthia McKinney’s, yet is represented by her antithesis. That’s why he was not challenged by the GOP in 2004. He’s their guy.

Sending signals

No Black congressperson scores below 75 percent on any “liberal” scorecard. Such apostasy would not be tolerated by the Black electorate. Instead, the clique of Black conservatives send signals to their fellow Blue Dogs and Democratic Leadership Council members through votes on social issues, avoiding obvious treason on money issues, such as job training. David Scott sent one of his messages to the Right with his vote for the “Real ID” bill, which would require a kind of national identity card for citizens to deal with their government, including voting. Scott was joined by Artur Davis and Harold Ford, his co-conspirators of the Black Right. Meanwhile, the entire Georgia Black state legislative delegation walked out in protest of a Republican bill that would require photo ID for voters – a national offensive of Republicans. Scott, Ford and Davis were sending their friends a signal: I’m with you.

David Scott has been whoring since 1974, when he entered the Georgia State House. He proposed mandatory “quiet reflection” – actually, prayer – as a state lawmaker, and has introduced a federal bill with the same purpose. He supported Bush’s prescription drugs giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry, faith-based initiatives, tax cuts for the rich – including abolition of the Estate Tax –  and the war in Iraq, which is opposed by the vast majority of Black people, including in his 13th congressional district of Georgia.

 Although Scott has racked up the worst record of any Black congressperson, his colleagues in political crime are sometimes more reckless than even he. Representatives Harold Ford, Artur Davis, and Queens, New York DLCer Gregory Meeks recently joined 17 of their Democratic Leadership Council colleagues to urge Republicans to bring their oppressive bankruptcy bill before the House. “We stand ready to work with you and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass bankruptcy reform into law,” said the troika of traitors.

Uncalled for celebrations

Back in 2002, Black folks in Atlanta felt that regional political power was in their grasp. Redistricting had created three congressional districts in the metropolitan area that should logically fall in Black hands. But one of those hands was already greased by corporate/Republican money: David Scott’s.

Scott has shamelessly served his masters, and betrayed his constituents. Yet he is unchallenged, in his own district. This is a failing of Black politics. We have no one else to blame but ourselves for allowing this mercenary to serve in our behalf. A strong current moves African Americans to celebrate, vote for – and make incessant excuses for – traitors in our midst. David Scott went to Congress as part of a white Republican deal. Let’s undo it.

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