Yesterday on Up Front with Robert Mak, the idea of a congressional district tailored to give non-whites a majority was discussed.
Three observations, and one conclusion.
First, we are being told by this district's creation (should it be created) that while not the only important qualification, having one's representation closer to one's own color has particular value: so important that we will gerrymander an entire district just to give nonwhites a better chance at having someone who looks more like them represent them.
Second, if such a district exists, there may not be any white candidates on the ballot, which is (see above) a bad thing for the white residents of the district.
Third, the Constitution of the United States allows any 25-year-old citizen living within a state to run for any House seat in that state.
Therefore, despite living well north of this proposed district, I am considering running for the House in this district -- should it be created -- although I'd gladly bow out should some other worthy white candidate run. But the proponents of this district are telling us that it's important that representation happens by skin color, so who am I to argue?
In all seriousness, the Constitution -- particularly the 14th and 15th Amendments -- as well as our more recent history and law, strongly imply it's wrong to give anyone preference due to race; indeed, that it is generally wrong for the government to consider race at all. I think it's important to remind those who seem to have forgotten.
Of course, a better way to deal with the problem than running for this district -- which, make no mistake, I may do, if I have the time and money -- would be for our representatives deciding the redistricting to be not stupid.
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
Posted by pudge at April 18, 2011 07:34 AM | Email ThisAll you have to do is read their own words to see how much they fervently believe that skin color is important in "classifying" humans.
Disgusting. And ultimately futile. What happens in the future when the US continues on its melting pot trajectory? Do Democrats then flip the laws to account for lighter skin tones? If if meant a possibility of nabbing a few more victim votes, you bet.
Posted by: Jeff B. on April 18, 2011 08:52 AM;-)
Posted by: Douglas Aldrich on April 18, 2011 09:16 AMI am a 60 year old WHITE male.
Can someone tell me why I should "get behind" diversity? I already have enough local and crummy Mexican and Thai eateries to fortify my immune system.
All that diveristy has done for me is to keep me off the ladder for government contracts.
I once was interviewed for qualifications for a contract at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
I failed on every category of special consideration.
At the end of the interview, I asked: "I'm SHORT shouldn't that count for something ! ? "
The interviewer cracked up. She said "ME too, it should count !"
Posted by: Bart Cannon on April 18, 2011 12:35 PMCan you imagine if anyone on the right said anything even near this racist? The Left would go crazy. And the person would probably be tried for a hate crime.
But since this happened on the Left, you have to do your own journalism and watch it on YouTube.
Posted by: Jeff B. on April 18, 2011 02:23 PMRacism is alive and well on the Left. Somebody should tell them.
Posted by: Michele on April 18, 2011 02:40 PMIn 1861, Republicans control of both Congress and the Presidency, Republicans promptly delivered on their platform pledges, passing a number of civil rights laws & the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery (118 of 118 Republicans in Congress? voted for that Amendment, but only 19 of 82 Democrats in Congress - or 23 percent - voted to end slavery.
Every Jim Crow racial segregation law was passed by a Democrat state legislature.
Republican platforms consistently called for an end to Democrat-imposed Jim Crow laws and poll? taxes, but Democrat platforms never did.
Posted by: Hellpig on April 18, 2011 04:30 PMBarack Obama was seated next to a little girl on an airplane trip back to Washington. He turned to her and said,"Let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."
The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to Obama, "What would you like to talk about?"
"Oh, I don't know," said the Obama. "How about What Changes I Should Make To America?" and he smiles.
"OK," she says. "That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?"
Obama, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it for a second and finally says, "Hmmm, I have no idea."
To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to change America when you don't know shit?"
Posted by: hellpig on April 18, 2011 04:36 PMFortunately Americans are waking up and realizing that public employees with six figure salaries, guaranteed pensions, world class health benefits, excellent paid time off, and protection from being fired, do not really fall under the heading of those in plight.
Posted by: Jeff B. on April 18, 2011 04:44 PMWorse, I lived in MA for most of the rest of my life before I came here!
:-)
Actually, and seriously, there's a lot of conservatives leaving CA, and many of them land here.
It seems like the pattern is the same: identify the most desireable areas to live, move in and restrict them from everyone else. My mom lives in an out-of-the-way area (Challis), but the environmentalists are active there. The reintroduction of wolves ("government dogs") is a hot button issue. Not sure where she would move to get away from it all. If you keep retreating, eventually you run out of places to retreat to! :)
Posted by: PeggyU on April 18, 2011 06:08 PMLike an aging 1960s era guitar hero, that sells his signature song to Budwesider, the Left is now allowing Al Gore to sell his Climate Hysteria by comparing it to the Civil Rights movement.
Especially disgusting when you know that Gore's entire flawed premise was based on bogus statistics abusing outlying data from a single tree in the Polar Urals. It's pretty pathetic. From a truly noble cause to a bogus perversion of science.
But this is today's left. From unions which once protected us from child labor abuses, now perverting value so that longshoremen make as much as doctors. To the blatant hypocrisy of vilifying the rich with class warfare rhetoric, while granting special exemptions to rich lefty elitists friendly with the Obama administration.
How far they've fallen.
Posted by: Jeff B. on April 18, 2011 08:57 PMAnd no, there's nothing illegal about it, unless there's a specific state law that prescribes how districting must be done, or proscribes doing it according to the perceived demographics of the population. I don't believe any such law exists in Washington, though I could be wrong.
I fully expect bipartisan gerrymandering to continue in Washington State as it always has, protecting incumbents from both parties. And this is part of why this plan has such little chance of succeeding: even if race-based districting weren't anathema to most of us, such a plan would likely mean that at least one incumbent Democrat would have his seat threatened. So it won't happen, period.
Oh wait, I forgot. Liberals only have to obey laws they like.