What in the hell is this?
An Alabama Democratic Party subcommittee voted Thursday to disqualify Patricia Todd from her legislative nomination because she didn't follow a dead letter party rule that no one -- and I mean literally no one -- has followed in almost 20 years.
You may remember Todd's name making the headlines last month when her 59-vote runoff victory put her in line to become the first openly gay legislator in state history. Her win was even more notable in that she is a white woman who prevailed in an Alabama district where most of the voters are black.
That's all in doubt now, thanks to an embarrassing and ludicrous subcommittee decision that is drawing national attention to the story's racial undertones. Unless the full Democratic committee stands ready to disqualify every single one of the party's nominees and concede control of every office in the state to the Republican Party, it would be wise to overrule the panel this weekend. It also would be wise to remove some detritus from the party rules to ensure that voters' decisions can't be overturned quite so easily.
Kathy of Birmingham Blues, a longtime Todd supporter, has been all over this story for weeks. Her extensive recap of Thursday's hearing is here, and she links to a statement from state Democratic Party chairman Joe Turnham here. Her site is your best bet for breaking news on this sad saga that refuses to end gracefully.
You may remember Todd's name making the headlines last month when her 59-vote runoff victory put her in line to become the first openly gay legislator in state history. Her win was even more notable in that she is a white woman who prevailed in an Alabama district where most of the voters are black.
That's all in doubt now, thanks to an embarrassing and ludicrous subcommittee decision that is drawing national attention to the story's racial undertones. Unless the full Democratic committee stands ready to disqualify every single one of the party's nominees and concede control of every office in the state to the Republican Party, it would be wise to overrule the panel this weekend. It also would be wise to remove some detritus from the party rules to ensure that voters' decisions can't be overturned quite so easily.
Kathy of Birmingham Blues, a longtime Todd supporter, has been all over this story for weeks. Her extensive recap of Thursday's hearing is here, and she links to a statement from state Democratic Party chairman Joe Turnham here. Her site is your best bet for breaking news on this sad saga that refuses to end gracefully.
posted by Alabamian at 1:05 AM
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