Anti-Gay Artur Davis Only Black Congressmen to Oppose Health Care

The predictably anti-gay Rep. Artur Davis—the black conservative Democrat from Birmingham, Alabama who boasts an abysmal 45 percent Human Rights Campaign score—was elected on a campaign pledge to "improve health care" in his overwhelmingly black, low-income and un-insured west Alabama district. Davis aligned with Alabama's House delegation to vote unanimously against the health care legislation approved late Sunday.

Alabama's only black congressman was the only one in the 42 member Congressional Black Caucus to oppose the bill. Davis was the only black congressman to oppose the historic ENDA vote in 2007. (Clarke and Towns voted "no" because it did not include transgender protections.) Davis, who  voted against the House health care version last year, was the also the only black congressman to oppose extending hate crime protections to LGBTs. Of the 34 Democrats to vote "no" last night, his is the most Democratic-leaning district of any no vote, reports Salon, which crowned Davis "the most cowardly Democrat" in Congress. Very fitting indeed.

His 7th District gave Barack Obama nearly 73 percent of the vote in 2008. Davis, who ousted an incumbent Democrat (Earl Hilliard) in a primary in 2002, has spent the last few years as the least liberal member of the Congressional Black Caucus. But his departures from the party line have intensified this year as he runs for governor of Alabama -- a much tougher task than running in his safely Democratic district. Whether voting no will help him with his state’s electorate remains to be seen.

Davis is running against Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, who is white, for the Democratic nomination. Davis' majority black congressional district in Alabama is one of the poorest in the country, boasts the state's highest HIV/AIDS rates and is the epicenter of the state's syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia epidemic, "among the highest in the country", reports WKRG.

Says Davis of his vote against expanding health care to his district's poor and low income residents: "I just don't see this as a racial vote or a racial issue."

Of course it isn't. Priorities, priorities ...

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Comments

[TheRevKev]

This is the way that democracy works MAN!

THE MAJORITY WINS!

Period.

[Former COGIC]

Typical wannabe House Negro.
Artur Davis and Harold Ford consistently sold out blacks at every opportunity. Davis's district is black and poor and has little access to healthcare. He knows the bill will pass but takes a stand against it to currry favor with whites.

Will he get the nomination? Maybe. Will he win the general election? Hell NO! He still has a "D" next to his name and no matter how conservative he tried to be, he will be painted as a liberal, Obama lover and black. G

[Ladarian]

cowardly, craven and a hater
the man is a snake

[Diva1961]

This is very sad. He didn't vote against it for clear concise reasons that are pertinent to the bill. His district is sick and dying and he looks over and pass them in order to play politics with their health and lives. Sick, sick, sick.

[ReggieH]

He wants to be the first black governor of Alabama, and thinks he can win by being as far to the right as possible. Sad

[MW09]

Just shameful. I'd never vote for him, such a fake and a coward.

[Jim]

This is a sickening man. Literally, he is sickening, as in causing sickness in his constituents.

Davis needs to be targeted in the Democratic primary in his district. His constituents must realize that their Congressman has voted to keep them ill and to die prematurely.

I don't believe in Hell, but if there were such a place, it would surely be Mr. Davis's ultimate destination.

[Dallas Cowboy]

What Jim and COGIC said.
Davis and his ilk are a scourge.
They shortchange their constituents to be better accepted by white conservatives, who will never viote for a black governor in Alabama.