Ill. Governor Stumped
by Hate Crimes Panel
By AP from the
NYTimes on the Web, March 3, 2006
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- It
started as a routine gubernatorial appointment to a feel-good commission -- so
routine that the governor says he didn't even know the details.
But the naming of a Nation of Islam official to a commission that fights
discrimination has exploded into an election-year furor for Gov. Rod
Blagojevich, putting him in the middle of a conflict among blacks, Jews and
gays.
Even if Blagojevich makes his way through the racial and religious minefield
this issue presents, his claim of ignorance about the appointment could
reinforce his image of a detached, uninformed governor.
''No matter what he does, he's going to tick somebody off,'' Rick Garcia,
political director of the gay rights organization Equality Illinois, said
Friday. ''It's completely a no-win situation.''
Four Jewish members of the Governor's Commission on Discrimination and Hate
Crimes resigned this week rather than serve alongside an aide to Nation of Islam
leader Louis Farrakhan, known for his disparaging remarks about Jews, whites and
gays.
The third and fourth resignations came Friday, when Howard Kaplan of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Chicago said he could not serve on a commission
''that, by implication, accepts divisive and bigoted standards.''
Democratic state Rep. Lou Lang, who was appointed just a day earlier to fill one
of the vacancies, also stepped down.
In dueling news conferences, Jewish and gay lawmakers called for Sister
Claudette Marie Muhammad to disavow Farrakhan's comments or step down from the
commission, while black lawmakers defended her right to serve.
''I think she has the intellect and also the humanity to do what this commission
was put together for,'' said state Sen. Donne Trotter, a Chicago Democrat.
Blagojevich appointed Muhammad to the commission in August, but she drew no
public attention until she invited other commissioners to a Farrakhan speech
last month. Some commissioners began complaining of her presence on the
panel, and the criticism increased after Farrakhan's speech Sunday included
references to ''Hollywood Jews'' promoting homosexuality and ''other filth.''
The Democratic governor, in a recent interview with The Associated Press, said
he did not realize he had appointed a Nation of Islam official until learning
about it from news reports.
He nodded vigorously when asked whether his staff should have discussed the
appointment and its implications with him, but would say little else about the
incident.
But he did say Muhammad should stay on the commission so long as she supports
its goals of fighting discrimination.
''I strongly disagree with the things Minister Farrakhan said. They're
wrong and hateful and they're harmful,'' Blagojevich said. ''I also oppose
guilt by association. Ms. Muhammad didn't say those things.''
Muhammad did not return messages left for her at the Nation of Islam, where she
is Farrakhan's chief of protocol and director of community outreach, but she
issued a statement promising to support the commission's work ''to eradicate
hate and discrimination against any group or person.''
Blagojevich's aides have refused to answer questions about how Muhammad was
appointed.
The commission, with 20 to 30 members, was established in 1999 but eventually
fell into disuse. Blagojevich appointed a new set of unpaid commissioners
last summer. Their mission is to promote tolerance by working with law
enforcement, religious leaders, educators and social service agencies. The
full commission has met in full only twice since it was reconstituted.
The biggest political risk to Blagojevich is that the controversy could alienate
black leaders who are already grumbling because he won't raise taxes to generate
more money for schools and social services. One black state senator, who
is also a prominent Chicago minister, has talked about launching a third-party
challenge.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger, the white pastor of a mostly black Chicago church and
a friend of Muhammad's, said Blagojevich would generate enormous anger if he
removed Muhammad from the commission.
''If you are not willing to stand up in difficult times, don't pretend to be a
supporter of black issues, of the black community,'' Pfleger said. ''Now
is a test for him.''
Meanwhile, Blagojevich is being accused of ''appeasement'' and cowardice by
gubernatorial rival Edwin Eisendrath, who trails badly in the Democratic
primary. Republicans are also calling on Blagojevich to remove Muhammad.
People on both sides of the question are shaking their heads over the
Blagojevich administration's failure to anticipate the problem. Some
likened it to Blagojevich's statement last month that he had no idea ''The Daily
Show'' was a comedy when he sat down for an interview that ended up mocking him.
Garcia, the gay rights leader, praised Muhammad and said he wants her to stay on
the commission. But he said of the Blagojevich administration: ''How
they could not see it as a potential problem down the road is mind-boggling to
me.''
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