Claude Allen, to put it succinctly, is an "Uncle Tom Negro". 

President Bush’s chief domestic policy advisor for the past year, he resigned his position in February citing family reasons. In March, he earned Playerhater of the month for being arrested for “refund theft” in Montgomery County, Maryland. This fraud in which the accused allegedly purchased items from Target and later returned to the discount retailer, placed a similar item off the shelf into his bag and returned the “unbought” item with receipt of purchase for a full refund (basically getting his the original item for free). His evil twin brother Floyd aside, Claude is still an Uncle Tom.

Allen is a Philadelphia native, Washington, DC and North Carolina reared attorney by training, career politician by occupation. He earned his stripes in the GOP working for the notorious race-baiter, lizard lick, lisping Jesse Helms, during the senator’s 1984 re-election campaign. During the campaign Allen accused Helms' Democratic challenger, then-NC Governor James Hunt, of having links to queers, radical feminists, socialists, and unions. This comment would later be used in the successful effort to block his nomination to the US Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit.

During the mid-1990s Contract With Amerkkka/Gingrich period, the Duke Law grad began working under then Governor now Senator George Allen, in the office of the super conservative Virginia Attorney General’s Office as a counselor, and in 2 years quickly moved up the ranks to Deputy AG. He was quite popular with Virginia’s neo-conservatives eventually landing the position as Commissioner of Health and Human Services. From his post he led a vicious anti-safe sex campaign. Allen was quoted on his views about condoms saying, “"It's like telling your child, 'Don't use the car,' but then leaving the keys in the Lamborghini and saying, 'But if you do, buckle up.”

Allen also worked to defeat legislation that provided health insurance for children of the working poor, largely because the program covered abortion services for rape and incest victims under the age of eighteen. When the law was ultimately enacted, Allen was faulted for not enrolling children quickly enough. He admitted 'abortion was a sticking point' delaying the enrollment of children. And after initially lying, he admitted that the program was under-funded by budget cuts and had a cap on enrollment which meant only two-thirds of eligible children could be enrolled.

While in Virginia politics, Allen was also tasked with helping the Governor to broker a compromise with civil-rights leaders over Confederate Heritage Month. At a meeting Allen attended between NAACP leaders and Governor Gilmore to discuss the organization's opposition to the state's celebration of that month, Allen reportedly gave the Virginia NAACP executive secretary King Salim Khalfani a painting of Robert E. Lee, President of the Confederate States of America, an action that Khalfani, who was uncertain of Allen's motivation, called "unmitigated gall."

As U.S. Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Allen was the point person for President Bush's federal abstinence-only campaign. He was brought in by Bush to be a watchdog in the agency because DHHS secretary was accused by the Bush administration as being too liberal. His reward as watchdog, after the failed judicial nomination, was appointment as the President’s chief domestic policy advisor.

Allen is a member of the Board of Peacemaker Ministries, which preaches that litigation is an anti-Christian step down the slippery slope of "attack responses" in dealing with conflict. The group advocates "biblical" means of dealing with conflict, including in marriage and other intra-family disputes, and it offers seminars on preventative methods and procedures to protect churches from destructive lawsuits. The organization's website also states that lawsuits usually damage relationships and fail to achieve complete justice. Therefore, Christians are commanded to make every effort to settle matters out of court whenever possible. Perhaps most disturbing is the organization's bias against lawsuits brought by victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

Black Republicans are window-shopped to show that the GOP is progressive and racially diverse. Fast-track politicos like Allen are praised by the GOP power brokers for being shining examples of their race. At the same time, they are often used for public relations purposes and damage control during racially charged moments (i.e. Condi during Hurricane Katrina). It’s no wonder that more of these spaded and neutered dogs don’t self-destruct due to their own self-hate.

Peace from the shotgun house, 

- Jupiter “Gadfly ” Hammon Soul on Fire

Released: March 31st, 2006

The views and opinions expressed herein by the author do not necessarily represent the opinions or position of Playahata.com.