Cohen’s Apology For Slavery Seen As Pandering

By Kleinheider Posted on July 31, 2008 at 11:14 am

From the Commericial Appeal:

One of Cohen’s opponents, airline lawyer Nikki Tinker, while agreeing with the resolution in principle, found the timing of the House debate and vote suspicious.

“An apology is long overdue for the atrocities of slavery, but it is pure politics and symbolism without a plan that addresses the many people who continue to live without a proper education, health care and economic stability,” Tinker said.

“I find it very interesting that Mr. Cohen would call for a national apology during a heated election when he clearly needs African-American votes. For over 20 years while serving in the Tennessee General Assembly, he never thought to ask the State of Tennessee for an apology, not once.”

Cohen, D-Memphis, pointed out that the first state apology came in 2007 and said Congress was the proper national forum.

As for the timing, he said he has been working 17 months to bring it to the floor. He said he considered postponing it until after the election so that it wouldn’t distract from the “momentousness” of the occasion, but he was urged by staffers to “strike while the iron is hot.”

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