Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke appeared Wednesday to back off his initial opposition to slavery reparations, saying he would support a bill in Congress to study and consider the payments. The former three-term congressman from Texas made his comments during an appearance in New York before the National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by Al Sharpton. And a few days later, campaigning in New Hampshire, O’Rourke said: “I don’t believe… that [reparations] should be the primary or initial focus of the conversation." REPARATIONS BECOMING LITMUS TEST FOR 2020 DEMOCRATSThe idea of slavery reparations for black Americans is at least partially backed by five Democratic presidential candidates so far – Sens. The push by some Democratic White House hopefuls points to the further importance of race and identity issues within the party.

Source: Fox News April 03, 2019 15:45 UTC