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?
RudyM
1, July 22, 2016 at 5:16 pm
The handle “swarthmoremom” says it all. Talk about a wealthy left/liberal bubble.
“My mom grew up in Kesington (Philadelphia). Was nice to go see Steve Reich free at Swarthmore College though when I was a Temple student. All that capital comes in handy at times, no doubt.”
Sorry to disappoint you but I did not attend the school as I could not afford it. My daughter won a partial scholarship to the school due to her academic achievements. I chose the name when she was attending the school. It is a lefty school as you say, and the materialism is tempered by the Quaker traditions.
Six months to go until we have the Obama dictatorship!
I attack ideas. Nothing personal. Military coups are a pretty silly idea.
Rosie S.
I notice that you do not confront issues squarely but instead use personal attacks in your posts. If you have an actual argument, please make it. Otherwise, there’s no sense in giving you facts that you could easily verify.
Trump said he would delay his announcement and did it any way. He changed his ADHD once again. Trump thinks he can roll midwesterners. We tend to not like oligarch real estate developers that run phony schools that swindle middle income people. Trump’s battles with Kasich in Ohio won’t help him there. See Jeb is going to endorse Johnson next week.
Autumn,
I understand what you are saying but I don’t agree with you about Trump. (We do agree about military spending sucking the life out of all which supports the people and the planet.) I truly believe we get open dictatorship under Trump or Clinton. (There’s still time under Obama.)
The one difference I do see is that there are more Democrats in the population than Republicans. Democrats become very offended about torture, murder mass surveillance, wars of aggression, cruelty towards immigrants, police state tactics, destruction of civil liberties, ruining the environment, etc when a Republican president is doing those things. (When a Democratic president does them most Democrats couldn’t care less.)
It will be the case that Democrats will begin to be offended by these things if Trump wins. Therefore, I believe he will not actually win. He is playing a part, that is all. He is there to scare Democrats into line so they will vote for their own dictator. Once there is another Democratic dictator in place, Obama’s policies will be further cemented by the next Democratic president aided by a worshipful and compliant Democratic population. Add in some terrorist attacks and USGinc. is ready to go.
Trump is a very bad man and there’s no way of getting around that. Because he hasn’t been in power like Obama or Hillary, we can’t say he is as evil as they are as of yet. But I believe he would be every bit as evil if he were in power. Therefore, to me, we need to think differently in what we are going to do about this out of control oligarchy. I cannot vote for Trump.
We need to stand with others of like mind and heart, with courage and confront injustice using peaceful methods of resistance. That’s the only real solution I see.
Nick
You need to work on revising your forecast for the indictment of HRC and Joe Biden getting the nomination. Once you get that fixed, we can discuss your stepping into Ailes’ shoes due to your impressive political abilities.
SWM, I have no problem w/ lesbians. At least the lesbians that love women. What is the problem w/ calling a lesbian a lesbian? Now, she just happens to be Satan but you seem to think there’s something wrong w/ being gay? Or is it that she just has not come out of the closet? If she falls behind any further look for her to come out. That would be a smart move.
The Clinton campaign stated they will not alter their VP announcement because of the Munich attack. These people never learn. They are spending money on TV ads in swing states and LOSING ground. They are fighting the old war. More importantly, they are making the same mistakes they made in 2008. Successful people never make the same mistake twice.
Rudy, I know that Clinton knew all about Mena, AR and the contras smuggling operation of cocaine. The State cops TOLD him about it, but there is one little problem. What could Clinton DO about it? He could not arrest them, since the FBI or DEA would demand custody, and then release them. Your other objections are specious.
Jill
For goodness sake! I’m one of the planners of the coup! (Please don’t tell your contacts at the CIA.) Meantime, your mission is to follow up on covert action we are planning to arrest the senior Mr. Cruz for the murder of JFK. I know – it’s a lot to handle. But I know you are capable of handling this important mission.
Darren
How does it suppress the vote for Bernie by swapping out two men who will vote for Bernie for two women who will vote for Bernie?
So sorry we Democrats have lost your support over this truly earth-shaking policy. And to think we had come soooo close to have you and the friendly crowd here voting Democratic until this devastating, vile, unamerican and unlawful action was taken.
Oh well. Maybe next time. Oh wait. I forgot. The Democratic party is dead.
Jill, you are spot-on about the military industrial complex which is sucking off monies that could be spent on education, infrastructure, health care, etc. I would to see Jill Stein become president but the two party system right now simply won’t allow it to happen I fear. Therefore I think we can weather 4 years of the Trumpster and organize so the next president is not one of the RNC/DNC chosen. A vote for HRC is a vote for continuous warfare.
Rosie S,
As a progressive I’m certain you read the publication “counterpunch”. There you will find some information about the desires of “liberals” for a military coup. I unfortunately have to live around these kinds of “liberals” and I’ve heard it bandied about. I’m surprised you have not.
Aut umn
I wish I had time to engage all your other issues. Don’t have time for that now. I’m too busy plotting with all my progressive friends the military coup that I will lead if Trump is elected. (Darn! I sure wish I knew who was the traitor that leaked our plan to Jill.)
This is not surprising given the effort by the DNC to suppress Mr. Sanders’ viability as a candidate. However given how much disenfranchisement was occurring, and being obvious to all, in the end he endorsed Hillary Clinton despite all she and Ms. Wasserman did to sabotage his campaign.
Mr. Sanders lost considerable credibility when he made his endorsement of Hillary Clinton and in my view he confirmed that he was actually just another cog in the Washington, DC establishment that would blindly and faithfully do whatever is asked to support the party itself. Hence, nothing changes and what the voters want is irrelevant.
Better yet, how about we start doing that right now! Some people are doing this. The more who will do it, the better chance we have of achieving justice.
RosieS
Thanks for enlightening us on the Demoncrat rules. I guess there are rules that are adhered to and others that aren’t?? Like choosing the nominee even before the Primary (thank you Guccifer 2)? Like limiting debates and scheduling the few they had on low viewership nights? The DNC is finished.
SMM,
Their are many troupes as well as mercenaries under the Dept. of State’s command. This is one way that USGinc. hides the number of troops and contractors that we actually have in place in the nations which we currently occupy (such as Iraq). Please read Jeremy Scahill who has documented this in great detail. It’s not opinion, it’s fact.
If we elect Trump or Clinton we are getting an open dictatorship in the US. This would also occur under Bernie who rejects the rule of law and fully supports presidential, divine right of kings, choosing whomever he wants to kill. He also is a war monger. I really think it is time to step away from the legacy parties and examine 3rd parties.
More importantly, it is time to oppose injustice when it occurs, even if it is occurring in the party you love so much. Wrong is wrong. Donald Trump is dangerous. Hilliary Clinton is dangerous. Bernie Sanders is dangerous.
Liberals (so called) are talking about the need for a military coup if Trump is elected. Whoa! What is this fascination with the military? We’ve already had that coup. It’s called JSOC and it’s a disaster. They are part of the group picking the candidates we’re “allowed” to vote for. Only real idiots think the military is for the people.
How about if Donald, Bernie or Hillary gets elected the people band together to demand peace and justice through use of peaceful means?
What’s the problem, Professor? The rules are clear. Don’t like them? Vote for the Law and Order guy. (So sorry you don’t feel the DNC should expect that their rules should be followed.)
Here are the well-known and long standing rules:
The Democratic National Committee sets the rules that determine the overall composition of pledged delegates in state delegations (including those from Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories). Delegations must be equally divided between men and women. Each state must set specific goals for the number of pledged delegates who are African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Also, states are required to conduct outreach efforts, such as recruitment and training, to groups that have traditionally been underrepresented in the political process because of their race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation or disability