So at first glance, this seems like progress, right?
The Congressional Black Caucus says it will gladly accept the two new black Republicans into its group, opening the door to partisan diversity in a caucus that has been historically Democratic.
"Membership in the Congressional Black Caucus has never been restricted to Democrats," CBC chairwoman Barbara Lee said in a statement to POLITICO. "Should either of the two African American Republicans recently elected to the House of Representatives request membership in the Congressional Black Caucus they will be welcomed."
It really isn't though -- it just reinforces the notion that the CBC is a restrictive racial covenant rather than a group focused on the interests of African Americans. Rep. Anh Cao of Louisiana, who briefly represented a mostly black district, would have been more appropriate for membership in the CBC than a black Republican with few black constituents. The reliance on the race of the congressperson for membership criteria isn't just archaic; it undermines their stated mission.
