Want to See Racism at Work? Meet the Alabama Democratic Party

The Birmingham News ^ | July 14, 2015 | Kyle Whitmire

[Micro aggressor]

You should go to an Alabama Democratic Executive Committee meeting, even if you are a Republican. No matter what anyone says, racism is not a thing of the past, and there's no better reminder -- of its existence and of its corruptive, disruptive and self-defeating influence -- than attending an SDEC [State Democratic Executive Committee] meeting.

Last week Alabama Democrats gathered in Montgomery to fight the same battle they've been fighting for the last several years. Nationally, Democrats have done a good job of cobbling together many smaller constituencies into majorities, and with them winning the White House.

[Micro aggressor]

Kyle Whitmire, the author of this opinion piece is the state political columnist for The (liberal) Birmingham News and AL.com. I'm shocked that this piece made it into print/cyberspace.

[proxy_user]

Looks like the Dems are determined to keep losing in Alabama. It couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch....

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Take away the free chit and they’ll turn on each other so fast your head will spin.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Bkmrk.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Just continuing a tradition that began with the first Alabama Democrats back in the early 1800s. If they thought they could win state office by, once again, advocating for segregation, opposing anti-lynching laws and advocating for the return of Jim Crow laws, they would.

[smokingfrog]

No Virginia. Democrats does not mean democratic.

[GOPJ]

Among the rejected nominees are county party chairs, former Democratic candidates for the Alabama legislature, an employee of the Southern Poverty Law Center and even a former party treasurer.

This whole piece is basically an excuse to push the nomination of 'an employee of the Southern Poverty Law Center'... In my book the SPLC is a hate group - and it's nice to see that Democrats figured out they would be used - and used badly - if they allowed someone from that group to take over.

It's the same as if someone on our side worked to keep a NAZI out... there are groups that good people must ban... for the sake of decency.

[Micro aggressor]

Not true. You're obviously not familiar with Joe Reed and the Alabama Democratic Party. Although the author would undoubtably like to see the SPLC represented on the SDEC, this isn't about "good people" keeping the SPLC out of the Alabama Democratic Party. The agendas of the Alabama Democratic Party and the SPLC are very similar. If you had read the article more closely, you would have seen that the intent was to exclude white Democrats from the SDEC. Sen Vivian Figures, a black Democrat, explicitly points that out:

Figures is the only person willing to say out loud what everyone in the room knows. A bloc of members loyal to Reed have rejected many highly-qualified nominees because they won't "kiss the ring." If your name's not on Reed's yellow sheet, there's no place for you on the executive committee. The party, as it is constituted on the SDEC, would rather leave itself unrepresented in those districts than allow white members on the executive committee.

I'm not defending the SPLC, which I also view as a hate group. Nevertheless, the motives of the Alabama democrats are not those that you ascribe to them. Alabama democrats and the SPLC are birds of a feather.

[GOPJ]

I’m starting to see the whole democrat party as one big hate group...

You know more about the Alabama Democratic Party than I ever will... I bow to your superior knowledge... Thanks for the information.

[Micro aggressor]

Glad I could be of service, FRiend!