Unusual Reverse Discrimination Case in Miss

[Pangloss]

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1449254

 

The US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against local election officials and Ike Brown, the chairman of the Democratic party in Noxubee County, Mississippi. Under the auspices of the 1965 Voter Rights Act, the contention is that they racially discriminated against white Democratic candidates, discouraging them from running for office and encouraging voters to vote against them.

 

Brown is quite open about his bias against both white candidates and white voters, and while he isn't really supposed to be objective, being the chairman of a specific party, one would think that he would have to be racially unbiased. Perhaps of more interest here are the unnamed "local election officials".

 

Here's a typical quote from Brown:

 

"We support the black candidates because we're sure they're going to vote in the liberal interest," Brown said.

 

One can't help but wonder what would have happened had a white chairman of a local Republican party branch said something like this:

 

"We support the white candidates because we're sure they're going to vote in the conservative interest," Mr. X said.

 

This clearly fails my "stink test" for bias -- if the reverse is clearly outrageous, then the former position ought to be seen as outrageous as well. (This subject, and how it pertains to the news media, is explored at length in Bernard Goldberg's interesting recent books, Bias and Arrogance.)

 

But with regard to this particular case, the aspect of discrimination against white voters is interesting. The county where the lawsuit was filed is predominently black, and whites are a minority. Are they not deserving of exactly the same protections that were put in place to protect voting blacks when they were the minority?

 

"Voting is precious. It's a right that people sacrificed for for years and years," said Leslie Burl McLemore, director of the Fannie Lou Hamer Institute at Jackson State University. "There is a way to encourage participation, and it can be done without having to discriminate against another set of voters."

 

Thoughts?

[ecoli]

I think that this is a problem that will come up again in the future, even if this particular case falls apart. Essentially, being white people are not allowed to complain when being discriminated against, because of injustices done by other white people. does this sound fair to any of you? I hold no grudges towards African Americans, have never harmed them nor said anything bad about them... why should I be grouped with others who do, based on the color of my skin?

[cosine]

Thats not even reverse discrimination, thats just plain discrimination. Its stupid, but is he legally allowed to do that?

[Sisyphus]

Yeah, it's just racism. And yeah, it's disgraceful. But I don't think it counts as discrimination; it's just free speach. The Klan is free to discourage people from voting for black candidates. And, sadly, it's probably politically effective. All politicians manipulate demographics.

 

It's certainly not true that "white aren't allowed to complain," BTW. What is this lawsuit? What is this thread?

[john5746]

Yeah' date=' it's just racism. And yeah, it's disgraceful. But I don't think it counts as discrimination; it's just free speach. The Klan is free to discourage people from voting for black candidates. And, sadly, it's probably politically effective. All politicians manipulate demographics.

 

It's certainly not true that "white aren't allowed to complain," BTW. What is this lawsuit? What is this thread?[/quote']

 

Did you read the first post? This guy heads the Democratic party in his area. He isn't just speaking his opinion, he is directing the party money and influence to discriminate by race.

 

This should offend black people as well. To assume all blacks are liberal is bad also. Maybe what he really wants to say is they will support black people. Like the mayor in New Orleans did?

[Sisyphus]

Sure I read it. I just don't know what laws are being violated. Especially since, apparently, money is considered speach in this country.

[Pangloss]

I guess the answer to that question becomes a little more clear when you consider the inclusion of county election officials in the lawsuit. But I do think Sisyphus has a valid question there. Even if one stops short of accusing the Justice Department of playing politics (which Sisyphus didn't suggest at all, but the accused Mr. Brown did), it raises interesting questions about the obligations of party officials. I don't know what the law says on the subject, and the article was not forthcoming about that. I look forward to hearing and reading more about it.

 

I think the case of Ricky Walker (described in the article) may help to clarify Ike Brown's obligations somewhat. Walker is a prosecutor who ran for local office, as a Democrat, only to be told by Brown (his own party chairman) that the party was going outside the county to bring in a black man, and that they were doing so because Walker is white and the other man is black.

 

So clearly that's not an appropriate thing for a party official to do. But is it illegal? I guess that's something a lawyer will have to answer. All I can say at the moment is that if the roles were reversed then Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would already be marching in the streets.

[bascule]

I support the angry black conservative men who get on Fox News and rail about how they're victims of a composition fallacy. They really are.

 

However I believe the liberal/conservative imbalance among blacks is owed to conservatives being, in general, weaker/more apathetic on civil rights/racial equality than liberals, and the overwhelming majority of white supremacists being conservatives.

 

However, once again I'd like to applaud Bush on appointing blacks to the highest positions of power they've ever held in the US government.

[Pangloss]

What's a composition fallacy? You lost me there but it sounded really interesting, if you don't mind my asking.

[ecoli]

What's a composition fallacy? You lost me there but it sounded really interesting, if you don't mind my asking.

 

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/composition.html

[bascule]

What's a composition fallacy? You lost me there but it sounded really interesting, if you don't mind my asking.

 

Well, in this case, "You're black, so you must be a liberal!"

[Pangloss]

You're right, that's an apt example. I'll have to remember this one. Thanks guys.