The Alabama Democratic Minority Party vs The Alabama Democratic Majority Party Round 2

Cue in Rocky 1 theme song

Democratic Party nomination intra-party fight concept as two mountain cliffs each shaped as a donkey clash head to head damaging the party as a 3D illustration. (Photo: AdobeStock)

Let's recap

The battle for control of the soul (pun intended) of the Alabama Democratic Party begins when the SDEC Minority Caucus dared re-elect Chair Nancy Worley and foiled Senator Doug Jones coup to take over the Alabama Democratic Party so he could control the black block vote. 

In her open letter, which was released by the ADC on Facebook, Bright said, “I am so saddened, insulted and outraged at the DNC for their plan to strip voting rights from blacks elected to serve on the SDEC in order to give Doug Jones the ability to control the outcome of an election he has conspired to have in order to control the majority of blacks presently serving.” 

Speaking specifically of Jones, Bright continued, “He attempted to replace those black officers in last year’s election with an almost entirely white slate and failed because black members voted his slate down. His insistence in this effort, aided by the DNC, speaks volumes to me and echoes what many of us have long understood.” 

She then said that black Americans have historically been taken advantage of after being integral in a political movement’s success, comparing black support that aided Jones’ 2017 special election victory to the efforts to end “slavery” and “Jim Crow.”
“Although blacks have been faithful to the Democratic Party and are largely responsible for electing Doug Jones and any white seeking office in this state, once elected on the backs of blacks, the urgency to remove black leadership begins,” Bright stated.  

“In other words, as long as we’re working in the fields all is well, but when we move to positions of authority, a challenge begins,” she added. “From slavery through Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement, we are constantly being shown how little respect blacks receive for being hard working and loyal.” 

Bright went on to say the electoral challenge to Worley is “a smoke screen to make it appear that Jones and the DNC is not attacking his true target, blacks.”
“This is a huge taint on the national Party and the Senator (Jones) who depends on our vote to get re-elected,” she concluded.

The minority assisted by DNC Chair Tom Perez and the Republican-controlled Alabama Supreme Court received permission to rule the majority and start their own separate and unequal party 

Blacks got their position in the ADP largely because whites left it. We should not be penalized for our loyalty. White voters should not resent blacks on the SDEC or disparage them publicly for insisting on fairness for everyone. It is incumbent upon all Democrats to recruit new Democrats daily, through their friends, their families, and common concerns.

To be clear, this is about the Minority deciding who represents the Majority under the guise of diversity.  

The Democratic National Committee (“DNC”) Charter has two slightly different “inclusion” provisions. Article Eight, Section 2 provides that “discrimination” in the Party (including state units) “on the basis of sex, race, age (if of voting age), color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic identity or physical disability is prohibited.” There is really no comparable provision in the ASDEC Bylaws. 

 Article Eight, Section 3 provides that “to encourage participation by minority groups, blacks, Native Americans, Asian/Pacifics, Hispanics, women, and youth ... [the state parties] ... shall adopt and implement an affirmative action program which provides for representation as nearly as practicable of the aforementioned groups, as indicated by their presence in the Democratic electorate ...” This is the language the Shadoin amendment copied, which is why LGBT and disabled persons were not included. 

There are effectively parallel provisions in the ASDEC Bylaws with respect to women and blacks. Article III, Section 1(d) provides that one male and one female shall be elected from each State House district, assuring gender equity in the overall membership. Gender equity is further enshrined in Article IV, Section 1, which requires that the Chair and First Vice-Chair of the SDEC be of differing genders. Article III, Section 1(a) provides the mechanism by which the black percentage of the SDEkC is the same as the black percentage of the Democratic presidential electorate.

This is necessary to prevent black under-representation, as many of the 210 “district” members are elected from heavily white Republican districts in places like Baldwin and Shelby Counties. Members elected by the Minority (black) Caucus under Section 1(a) are required to be elected in equal numbers of men and women, to preserve gender equity.

So while the Republicans are recruiting candidates and winning elections the battle continues.

The DNC ordered in February that the state party hold new elections and review bylaws to diversity(sic) the membership of the SDEC, the governing body of the Alabama Democratic Party. Since that order, the DNC and the Worley faction have clashed over how the reforms should be implemented and concerns surfaced earlier this fall that all of the squabbling could prevent Alabama delegates from attending next year’s Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.

Stay tuned.