The Story Behind Bobby Rush, the Hoodie-Wearing, Trayvon-Supporting Congressman
The Story Behind Bobby Rush, the Hoodie-Wearing, Trayvon-Supporting Congressman
by Nicholas McCarvel Mar 28, 2012 5:14 PM EDT
Wednesday may have marked the first time many heard of Bobby Rush, but the hoodie-wearing, Trayvon-supporting congressman is known as a ‘local legend,’ writes Nicholas McCarvel.
Before Wednesday morning, Bobby Rush was best known as the one politician to ever have beaten Barack Obama in an election. The congressman from Chicago’s South Side made headlines for wearing a hoodie while speaking on the chamber floor in support of Trayvon Martin, and getting himself booted from the podium for not adhering to the dress code.
Bobby Rush
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., wore a hood in support of Trayvon Martin on the House floor on Wednesday and was escorted out for violating the chamber's ban on wearing hats., AP Photo; Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Photo
snip//
The 65-year-old Rush himself bursts with confidence, boosted by 10 terms in Congress, winning nine of them with 80 percent of the vote. The drubbing of Obama in 2000 was his closest contest since winning office in 1992, still doubling his opponent, 61 percent to 30 percent.
But while Rush has ingrained himself as the “only man to ever beat Obama” in the minds of many Americans, he had been rather quiet on the issue of Trayvon Martin prior to Wednesday. His Twitter account—one place where the Trayvon case gained steam on the national stage—did not mention Trayvon until Wednesday, when Rush spoke on the floor of the House.
Yet Rush has championed civil rights for much of his career, last year penning a column honoring the late Martin Luther King Jr. In honoring King, Rush scolded the country for not moving forward on the issue of minority rights. “If {King} were alive today, I believe he would demand that the nation take a hard look at the mass incarceration of young black and brown men and women that has eviscerated too many communities in our nation.”
Strong identification with the Trayvon case could also come from a tragedy in Rush’s own life. In the fall of 1999, his 29-year-old son Huey was shot and killed in Rush’s district in Chicago as the incumbent waged his campaign against Obama. The killer got 90 years in prison.
more...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/03/28/the-story-behind-bobby-rush-the-hoodie-wearing-trayvon-supporting-congressman.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
