But that's the way it has always been!
"Sen. John Kerry dismisses as 'absolutely ridiculous' the notion that his support for Iowa and New Hampshire's prominent roles in the presidential nomination process means he thinks only the votes of white people count" (Yahoo! News).
Isn't that they way it has always worked? White males with property voted for each other, made the laws that kept them in power, and traded favors for such power. What? You don't remember as far back as Texas Republican Tom Delay's scandals over the past year or so? Then I guess you won't remember Jim Crow laws or Women's suffrage, either. There are just 14 women now in the U.S. Senate and very few blacks every were, looking at the historical record.
"Many Democrats complain that the two early nomination elections winnow out candidates based on votes from small states with overwhelmingly white populations. The party is considering adding, during those early weeks, one or two states in other regions to draw diverse electorates into the process" (ibid).
Of course having early Caucasus and polls in these states favors white candidates. It is the political equivalent of S.A.T. tests -- everything is normed on middle-class conservative white folk. Why do we have trouble recognizing it or admitting it? As long as people in Dixville Notch, N.H.* are willing to stay awake until well nigh Midnight to be the first in the nation to vote, we will have disparity in the process.
What Americans need to do is to reform the process that was probably fine a couple hundred years ago but is clearly broken now. There is no need to have primaries in this era, let alone on different days for different states. Rebuild the whole process along the democratic ideal from campaigning to the Electors. Mr. Kerry is wrong. Fair, equitable representation cannot be created by the means we use now.
(Photo Credit)
* The last time I saw a black person in Dixville Notch he was a tourist. Perhaps there is a reason the town is in the White Mountains.
