Kesha Rogers
Encyclopedia
Lakesha Rogers (born December 9, 1976) is an American political activist in the Lyndon LaRouche Youth Movement
and former Democratic
candidate for Texas
's 22nd congressional district
. Rogers, an African American
, is a follower of Lyndon LaRouche
and his LaRouche movement
. She has called for the impeachment
of U.S. President Barack Obama
.
family", with her father being a minister and construction worker and her mother working for the Houston Independent School District
. She graduated from Texas State University in 2001 with a degree in Political Science and Speech Communications. She has criticized "the standard institutions of higher education" as "the biggest barrier towards students wanting a real classical education", and has expressed an interest in recruiting young people to the LaRouche Youth Movement. Rogers ran unsuccessfully for chairman of the Texas Democratic Party
in 2006.
(a big employer in the Houston area), and supports his impeachment
. She has also criticized Obama's health care reform proposals, arguing that they are fascist
and will kill Americans. Rogers supports "a global Glass-Steagall
", a reference to a banking reform law that was passed during the Great Depression
and repealed in 1999.
During her 2010 primary campaign for U.S. Representative, Rogers accused President Obama of "pissing on John F. Kennedy's legacy" by proposing to end NASA
's Constellation program. She rejects the anthropogenic global warming theory and argues that London
banking interests are trying to ruin America's economy.
Her campaign slogan was "Help send me to Congress, and we can send our grandchildren to Mars!", a reference to the LaRouche movement's strong support of space travel
.
.
Following Rogers' primary victory, a Texas Democratic Party spokesperson assured the Houston Press that "[Rogers's] campaign will not receive a single dollar from anyone on our staff," stating that Lyndon LaRouche followers are "not Democrats." The Chairman of the Harris County
Democratic Party said, "One of the things the LaRouchites are able to do is to engage young people. If she can turn out young people to vote for Democrats, all the better." He voiced the opinion that Rogers' policies would appear more mainstream were it not for her association with LaRouche, stating with Rogers that LaRouche's support for "investment in public works
, separating commercial from investment banking and opposition to corporatism
" were similar to the programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt
.
Subsequently the Texas Democratic Party's state executive passed a resolution cutting ties with Rogers. Members were not required to support her, nor was she to be recognized at party meetings or mentioned on the party website's list of candidates. The resolution cited the "illegal activities, discriminatory proclamations and thuggish behavior" of the LaRouche movement. Rogers called the decision "arrogant".
Rogers' opponent in the general election was incumbent Pete Olson
, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary. A spokesman for Olson's campaign said, “You never take an election for granted, but you, perhaps, wonder whether the Democrats in this district have profoundly changed their views on the president. She didn't hide her position.” Rogers lost to Olson, 29.8% to 67.5%.
Worldwide LaRouche Youth Movement
The Worldwide LaRouche Youth Movement and the LaRouche Political Action Committee are part of the political organization of controversial American political figure Lyndon LaRouche...
and former Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate for Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
's 22nd congressional district
Texas's 22nd congressional district
Texas District 22 of the United States House of Representatives is the Congressional district that covers a south-central portion of the metropolitan area. It includes the cities of Rosenberg and La Marque as well as portions of Missouri City and Pearland, in Fort Bend, Harris, Galveston, and...
. Rogers, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, is a follower of Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon LaRouche
Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
and his LaRouche movement
LaRouche movement
The LaRouche movement is an international political and cultural network that promotes Lyndon LaRouche and his ideas. It has included scores of organizations and companies around the world. Their activities include campaigning, private intelligence gathering, and publishing numerous periodicals,...
. She has called for the impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
of U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Personal life
According to her campaign biography, Kesha Rogers was born to a "lower middle classLower middle class
In developed nations across the world, the lower middle class is a sub-division of the greater middle class. Universally the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the upper middle class associated with the higher realms of the middle...
family", with her father being a minister and construction worker and her mother working for the Houston Independent School District
Houston Independent School District
The Houston Independent School District is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and insular municipalities...
. She graduated from Texas State University in 2001 with a degree in Political Science and Speech Communications. She has criticized "the standard institutions of higher education" as "the biggest barrier towards students wanting a real classical education", and has expressed an interest in recruiting young people to the LaRouche Youth Movement. Rogers ran unsuccessfully for chairman of the Texas Democratic Party
Texas Democratic Party
The Texas Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in Texas and the local branch of the United States Democratic Party. It is headquartered in Downtown Austin within close proximity to the Texas State Capitol.-19th century:...
in 2006.
LaRouche movement
Rogers is an active supporter of the LaRouche Youth Movement, and has been photographed holding a LaRouche campaign sign depicting President Obama with a Hitler mustache. Rogers has attacked President Obama for allegedly trying to dismantle NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
(a big employer in the Houston area), and supports his impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
. She has also criticized Obama's health care reform proposals, arguing that they are fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and will kill Americans. Rogers supports "a global Glass-Steagall
Glass-Steagall Act
The Banking Act of 1933, , was a law that established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in the United States and introduced banking reforms, some of which were designed to control speculation. It is most commonly known as the Glass–Steagall Act, after its legislative sponsors, Senator...
", a reference to a banking reform law that was passed during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and repealed in 1999.
During her 2010 primary campaign for U.S. Representative, Rogers accused President Obama of "pissing on John F. Kennedy's legacy" by proposing to end NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Constellation program. She rejects the anthropogenic global warming theory and argues that London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
banking interests are trying to ruin America's economy.
Her campaign slogan was "Help send me to Congress, and we can send our grandchildren to Mars!", a reference to the LaRouche movement's strong support of space travel
Space travel
Space travel can refer to:*Spaceflight, the use of space technology to fly a spacecraft into and through outer space, which may include:*Spacefaring, capability of and activity in the art of spaceborn travel.*Human spaceflight...
.
2010 United States House of Representatives election
On March 2, 2010 Rogers ran in the Democratic primary election for the US House Texas 22nd District against two opponents, Doug Blatt and Freddy John Wieder, Jr., winning the election with 7,467 of 14,281 votes. The win was compared to that of surprise Senate candidate Alvin GreeneAlvin Greene
Alvin Michael Greene is a Democrat from South Carolina. He was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2010 United States Senate election in South Carolina. He was defeated by incumbent Republican Sen. Jim DeMint by a margin of 61.46% to 27.65%, with the remaining votes going to third-party and...
.
Following Rogers' primary victory, a Texas Democratic Party spokesperson assured the Houston Press that "[Rogers's] campaign will not receive a single dollar from anyone on our staff," stating that Lyndon LaRouche followers are "not Democrats." The Chairman of the Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
Democratic Party said, "One of the things the LaRouchites are able to do is to engage young people. If she can turn out young people to vote for Democrats, all the better." He voiced the opinion that Rogers' policies would appear more mainstream were it not for her association with LaRouche, stating with Rogers that LaRouche's support for "investment in public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
, separating commercial from investment banking and opposition to corporatism
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
" were similar to the programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
.
Subsequently the Texas Democratic Party's state executive passed a resolution cutting ties with Rogers. Members were not required to support her, nor was she to be recognized at party meetings or mentioned on the party website's list of candidates. The resolution cited the "illegal activities, discriminatory proclamations and thuggish behavior" of the LaRouche movement. Rogers called the decision "arrogant".
Rogers' opponent in the general election was incumbent Pete Olson
Pete Olson
Peter Graham "Pete" Olson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes much of southeastern Houston, as well as most of the city's southern suburbs such as Pearland, Sugar Land, and Pasadena.-Early life, education, and military...
, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary. A spokesman for Olson's campaign said, “You never take an election for granted, but you, perhaps, wonder whether the Democrats in this district have profoundly changed their views on the president. She didn't hide her position.” Rogers lost to Olson, 29.8% to 67.5%.