Obama seeks to unify CBC this week

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) will meet with a key group of black lawmakers Thursday to heal the wounds inflicted by his divisive primary fight against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for the party’s presidential nomination.

Despite Obama’s strong support among black voters, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) was split, with some female members actively pushing for Obama to choose Clinton as his running mate.

{mosads}More than one-third of the CBC endorsed Clinton before she conceded earlier this month. The breach caused tension within the 42-member group.

Many of the members backed Clinton based on longstanding ties with the Clintons from when Bill Clinton was president. But Obama supporters said many simply sought to back a winner.

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) stepped up onstage with Clinton on the same June night that Obama claimed the nomination. Clinton refused to step down until June 7, four days after the last primary states. Jones has advocated for Clinton to get the No. 2 slot on the ticket.

Clinton booster and Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson urged the Black Caucus to push Obama for the so-called dream ticket, but that suggestion was shot down in a CBC meeting by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) and publicly by CBC Chairwoman Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.).

Obama is to attend a “special Congressional Black Caucus meeting” at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The location has not yet been determined.