There is a little reported story out of the Democratic National Convention where two Sanders delegates have been barred from attending the event. The problem was not their credentials or their conduct. State Sen. Tim Ashe (right below) and Ken Dean are men and the DNC ruled that there were simply too many of that kind in the delegation. Vermont was ordered to replace them with women, any women, so long as the delegation was equal. Ashe and Dean have filed challenges for good reason.
Coupled with a growing controversy over the determined effort of the Democrats not to release a list of donors to the media, this is hardly a good story to trigger days before the opening of convention. The national party appears to be imposing a quota system on delegates based on gender despite the fact that such delegates can claim that they are qualified through the democratic process. After all Dean and Ashe were elected as delegates on June 11. Then, on July 5, the state party was ordered to remove them due to their gender deficiency.
Of course, the infamous superdelegates remain untouchable. It is just those elected by the people that can be negated solely on the basis for their gender. Notably, eight of 10 Vermont superdelegates are men.
The Democratic party leadership appears to be moving away from the fight against gender discrimination in guaranteeing equal opportunity to the fight for gender equality with the use of quotas to force gender balance. Ironically, it was Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in United States v. Virginia (1996) who warned that “Today’s skeptical scrutiny of official action denying rights or opportunities based on sex responds to volumes of history.” Not only are these delegates saying that they are being denied position due to their gender, but the DNC is negating the choice of Vermont voters — male and female. There is such a thing as individual achievement and choice. The Vermont voters are allowed to select people on the basis for their individual merits rather than categorical exclusions based on race, gender, religion, or other immutable characteristics.
This point was made by the Supreme Court in University of California v. Bakke (1978):
[R]ace, like gender and illegitimacy, . . . is an immutable characteristic which its possessors are powerless to escape or set aside. While a classification is not per se invalid because it divides classes on the basis of an immutable characteristic, see supra at 355-356, it is nevertheless true that such divisions are contrary to our deep belief that “legal burdens should bear some relationship to individual responsibility or wrongdoing,” . . . and that advancement sanctioned, sponsored, or approved by the State should ideally be based on individual merit or achievement, or at the least on factors within the control of an individual.
Those concerns are heightened in my view when alleged gender discrimination negates the results of a democratic process like delegate selection.
What do you think?
The DNC has become a crime family, the way they protected Clinton in Comey hearings was sickening. I will NEVER vote for her. If Trump wins it’s still not as bad as that BIG$ warmonger job-offshorer LIAR who gets away with all her corruption. The satisfaction of the War Profiteers/Bankers/Dictators wasting millions on a loser would be sublime.
I will vote, volunteer for and donate to Jill Stein. Jill had Bernie Sanders policies and no-big $ stand before most heard of Sanders, Sanders polled #1 among all voters, only DNC BIG$ corruption and M$M “BernieBro” lies kept him from nomination. IF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT MADE SANDERS #1 VOTE FOR STEIN SHE WINS. Clinton cannot win Independents, she is a SURE LOSER.
TJ, Personally, I am tired of Bill Clinton but his approval ratings are far higher than those of Hillary or Donald Trump. Looks like the too moderate and too boring but very safe Kaine is the pick. He is an Irish catholic that was born in St Paul,MN.
Hillary’s VP pick is already picked….Bill Clinton 4 years of defining what the word “is” is. When slick Willy is back in the White House, he won’t be baking cookies in the kitchen. VP will be a puppet. Willy calls the shots.
Remember, they voted to keep the support of the TPP as part of the platform. That should be good enough alone to make anyone not support this crowd.
Hey Feyd – Don’t forget to ad like running someone who should have been indicted and should not be able to get a security clearance as President not to mention the “Hilly foundation”. Give me a break the democrats lost their way a long time ago.
I smell a rat in this reported change. And that rat is none other than the chair of the DNC Debbie wasserman Schultz. Anything for the cause, eh?
“Democracy” can work only if historic race and gender discrimination is first addressed. Otherwise the historically favored group has a distinctly unfair advantage.
The DNC has a golden opportunity to keep a democrat in the White House for four more years, yet continues to shoot themselves in the feet with bonehead moves like this that most Americans would think reeks of stupidity. Sad.
Just what exactly are the standards of achievement and merit being used as benchmarks here?
“A distinct majority will eat feces and vote for the lesbian Satan.” nick Are you sure your were not at the convention shouting “hang that lesbian’?
The Democratic Party can’t have progressives as delegates, so gender discrimination is a clean-enough pretext.
They were elected. Let them stay. The DNC should simply stay out of it!
If true this is outrageous!
SWM, Don’t kid yourself, Trump will get some Bernie voters. A distinct majority will eat feces and vote for the lesbian Satan. Next Gary Johnson. But, Trump will get high single digit, maybe 10-12% of Bernie voters; the older, blue collar ones. But, if the Clinton Machine keeps pulling PC horsesh!t like this, they will drive almost every independent to Trump, including normal women.
Bernie Sanders
✔
@BernieSanders
Those who voted for me will not support Trump who has made bigotry and divisiveness the cornerstone of his campaign. #RNCwithBernie Bernie had some very good tweets last night.. The democrats have used proportional representation for years. Would not work for republicans. This year’s convention was the least diverse one they have held in twenty years.
That would’ve been preferable, I’m sure.
They should’ve gotten Mateens’ wife.
DNC gets idea from Twitter suspending Milo Twitter account?
DNC hates white males.
Vote accordingly.
KCFleming – one wonders if they had been members of BLM if they would have been barred?
The DNC strikes again!!!