March 01, 2016 03:48 PM UTC

Ken Buck Ain't No Racist (Maya Angelou Edition)

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• by: Colorado Pols

NBC News reports on a relatively mundane vote today in the U.S. House to rename a United States Post Office after author and civil rights activist Maya Angelou:

On days when the House of Representatives does not have much to do by way of work, the body names post offices. Usually these are fairly mundane affairs, the body will unanimously vote to approve the naming of a post office no matter what member puts the request forward.

That was the case today when a vote to rename a post office in California to “Medal of Honor” post office passed 381-0.

However, it was not for the next vote, cast to rename a post office in Winston-Salem, N.C. after Civil Rights icon Maya Angelou. That measure passed with only 371 votes.

Nine Republicans voted against the Maya Angelou bill and one voted present.

House Democrats responded indignantly:

Rep. Steve Israel, D-Ny., released a statement saying:

“Naming post offices is one of the most benign and bipartisan duties we perform in the House of Representatives, and there is rarely any opposition. That’s why I was shocked today as nine Republicans voted against naming a post office after Maya Angelou, indisputably one of our country’s greatest poets, authors and civil rights activists. The fact that these nine Members would cast a no vote shows a blatant disrespect and only adds to the damaging actions they’ve taken this year to reverse progress from long and hard fought civil rights battles.”

Today’s 371-9 vote to name a Post Office after Maya Angelou featured Colorado’s own Rep. Ken Buck as one of the very much in the minority “no” votes. We haven’t seen a statement from Buck explaining his vote, but this wouldn’t be his first brush with racial controversy since winning election in 2014. Not long after taking office, Buck took to social media to complain about President Barack Obama treating a group of “Hispanic students” (actually Native American) to lunch–a display that caused Buck, for whatever reason, to ‘lose his appetite.’

Anyway folks, when we find out what Rep. Buck’s problem with Maya Angelou is, we’ll let you know.