Aug 25, 2008 10:45 pm US/Central
Jones Said To Apologize After 'Uncle Tom' Comment
Democratic Delegate Del Marie Cobb Says Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Called Her An 'Uncle Tom'
DENVER (CBS) ―
-
-
Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones spoke at the DNC August 25, 2008.
CBS
Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones, attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver, is now at the center of an ugly dispute with the Clinton camp.
He's announced he's leaving the State Senate in January, but the president of the Illinois chapter of the National Organization for Women is calling for him to resign immediately after he allegedly called Democratic delegate Del Marie Cobb an "Uncle Tom."
These racial slur disputes can either fade fast, or keep on going. One bad sign for Sen. Jones, and therefore for his friend, Obama, too, is that this one's rocketed right past the "he said, she said" phase straight to the angry "demand for resignation" phase.
Veteran political operative and Hillary Clinton delegate Cobb told CBS 2 that she and several friends heard clearly what Jones said to her the other night.
"He shouted across the lobby 'Uncle Tom,'" Cobb said.
Jones insists she misheard and denied saying those words.
"She was doubting things about Barack and I said 'come on board. He's a nice clean-cut guy and everything… We got too many doubting Thomases here. We need to be together,'" Jones said he told Cobb.
"He laughed and grabbed me and started laughing and I said, 'No, no, what did you say?'" Cobb said.
"The idea that the litmus test for being black is whether you support Barack Obama – I'm insulted by that," Cobb added. "And that's why I walked back over to him to specifically ask him what did he say. And if he had said 'doubting Thomas' that was his time to say it then.
Cobb told CBS 2 Monday night that she and Jones had a private conversation during which he apologized, she accepted his apology and the two shook hands.
The dispute, which took place at the Illinois delegation breakfast meeting Monday, is drawing national attention. Jones is a personal friend of Obama, and this comes as some Clinton delegates around the country complain that Obama's failed to show their candidate the proper respect.
"The president owes Del Marie an apology and he owes all the delegates an apology," said Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock).
"If we can get Hillary Clinton supporters to support Barack Obama, the ones who still aren't, the ones who are holding out, he will win," said Clinton fundraiser J.B. Pritzker.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
The Tattooed Ladies of Hollywood
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
