Okay, by now many of you have heard that Patricia Todd, the FIRST lesbian candidate who might have actually made it to the State House here in Alabama, has had her VALID primary victory held up by DEMOCRATIC PARTY operatives in the state. Those operatives are fighting her candidacy, some people say (oops sorry that's copyright Fox News 2004) because she is not black. Oh no, my friends, I am not making this up. None other than the New York Frickin' Times is covering this story. The state Democratic Caucus is figuring out what to "do" with her as I type this.
I went to lunch with a group of Democrats yesterday and one told me, "Oh yeah, [Alabama Democratic kingmaker] Joe Reed would not care if she was gay, straight, bisexual or a siamese twin, as long as she was black."
Sorry to ask the obvious question, but is this what the civil rights movement was about? Making sure there are set-aside seats for black candidates? Even if Democratic primary voters vote for a...I am not making this up...lesbian instead? I'm sorry, but it is not as if blacks are not represented in statewide and city politics. It is as if gays and lesbians are not represented. At all.
By the way, I sure do hope Bull Connor is spinning in his grave right now.
There was a lot of hand-wringing at the Democrats' lunch about how this makes our state look and isn't it too bad because there are some of us here who are open-minded and liberal. With all due respect to those fellow Democrats, we're sitting in suburban Birmingham eating nine dollar lunches. Our state deserves what ever invective the national press and the blogosphere wants to kick our groin with, if this is how DEMOCRATS are gonna fuckin' behave. I'm ashamed of every single Democrat who wants to overturn what the VOTERS decided in the primary. For the first time in my life, I'm ashamed to be a so-called Democrat.
There's only one way to fix this in my opinion.
We need an all-lesbian State House.
Just for a few years. To "make up" for the gross under-representation of this distinct minority. And yes, Joe, some of them can be black lesbians. Just for you.
One more message for Joe Reed: Just to prove to us that, as you say, this is not about Patricia Todd's sexual orientation? Ma hunnie, it's tranny time:
UPDATE: It looks like this is gross injustice is being overturned as I type. Good prevails! Birmingham Blues is the go-to blog on this issue. You rock, Kathy.
Ooooo, Hunny, I like him with that rouge! Makes him look all happy or gay or somethin...!
ReplyDeleteHow about we do this...all Alabama Democrats in the State House have to be drag queens for one full day, while sitting in the State House, to prove t'their fairer-minded constituents that this is not about Patricia Todd bein' a dyke.
This next part I truly hate t'bring up -- but apparently it be a sore spot between blacks an' homosexuals: Civil Rights isn't only about being black in America. Civil Rights is about bein' 'human', not th'color o' yer skin, an' people o'African Descent aren't th'only humans that have had their civil rights denied them.
That will be all.
I tried to get Wonkette interested in this story right after Todd won the runoff--2 weeks ago? but I guess they weren't interested (not national enough?). The guest blogger was Weigel, a Reason.com contributor, and he's got an article about it as of yesterday, with the typical comments...
ReplyDeleteWe're members of no party... but we do think for ourselves. Hard to do in this city--much less this state. Be interesting to see the outcome... can't believe the DOJ would even care about this... and if they do, Joe Reed has such a chokehold on the power base that I can't believe his chosen candidate wouldn't be the winner, regardless of what the "people" (Who are they? oh, yeah, us!) have chosen.
Be on the lookout this fall for more electronic elections to go 51%- Rep. to 49% Dem, regardless of what the polls or the real vote says--especially in states such as Maryland w/no paper trail.
JustWords
We need an all-lesbian State House.
ReplyDeleteJust for a few years. To "make up" for the gross under-representation of this distinct minority. And yes, Joe, some of them can be black lesbians. Just for you.
BlueGal,
Sometimes you make me laugh so hard it hurts. Wish you could have been there with us today. You would have enjoyed it immensely.
I, personally, am fascinated by how the other political side lives and operates.
We still on for a late lunch or early dinner tomorrow? My meeting is suppossed to be over at three.
Whoooo... Even the granny-wear gets play round these parts!
ReplyDeleteNice job, BG...
By the way...I have a surprise for you over at my place. I hope you like it...:>)
I can't believe it took so long to get to a pair of pantaloons.
ReplyDeletein a nation where it seems that the only way to ensure any diversity in the congress is for majority minority disctricts to vote along racial lines...
ReplyDeleteand this is the important part here:
...because majority white districts are voting along racial lines...
then i'm much more ambivalent about opposition to white canidates in these districts. the comment thread is a troll fest, but http://www.blackprof.com/archives/2006/08/ny_district_11_a_prism_of_race.html is an interesting read on this sort of thing. There are some real differences in these two races, but the comparison isn't fruitless.
thanks much for that, sly civilian. I appreciate the contribution. I particularly
ReplyDeletedon't like the term "historically black districts". If a white person
threw a similar term around there would be (quite correctly) a major
backlash.
Part of what's going on in Alabama is that Reed is a tremendous bully,
and his personality thus becomes part of the problem.
Thanks again for putting the thought and time into contributing here.
I deeply appreciate it.