Delegate quotas and the DNC

I noted in a prior post that lots of state Democratic party rules called for surprisingly strict quotas goals around race, age, gender, income, and even (lack of) education among their delegates to the national convention.

Delving around a bit, it turns out that much of this silliness is mandated from the top, specifically from the Democratic National Committee's "Delegate Selection Rules for the 2008 Democratic National Convention." Of the 21 rules listed in the document, three are entitled, "Non-Discrimination," "Affirmative Action," and "Inclusion Programs."

A certain narrative emerges from those three DNC rules.

• We've got a history of voting discrimination.
• Let's compensate for that history.
• Let's identify groups that need help.
• Let's establish target numbers.
• But let's be sure not to call the target numbers "quotas."
• Except for in the man/woman thing. We kinda need quotas there.

Here are some quotations from the rules to support the narrative. The quotations are snippets out of context, but the themes are unmistakable:

1. We've got a history of voting discrimination:

   ... right to vote have not always been extended... groups of Americans have been explicitly denied the right to vote... subjected to discriminatory and exclusionary practices... denying them voting rights.... past history of discriminatory denial of the franchise.... effects of past discrimination.... groups of Americans...may be under-represented in Party affairs.

2. Let's compensate for that history:

   ... a program of effective affirmative action is hereby adopted... Discrimination on the basis of “status” in the conduct of Democratic Party affairs is prohibited...efforts to include groups historically underrepresented in the Democratic Party’s affairs... each state party shall develop and submit Party outreach programs... to achieve full participation by such groups and diversity in the delegate selection process and at all levels... shall adopt and implement affirmative action programs... such affirmative action shall be to encourage participation in the delegate selection process... approved Affirmative Action Plan.... encourage the participation of minority groups... not gerrymandered to discriminate... achieve the full participation of members of these and other groups

3. Let's identify groups that need help:

   ... race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation or disability... African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Americans and women. ...priority of consideration shall be given to African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Americans and women... African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Americans or women.... encourage the participation and representation of persons of low and moderate income.... the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gendered] community and people with disabilities...

4. Let's establish target numbers:

   ... implement affirmative action programs with specific goals and timetables... if such priority of consideration is needed to fulfill the affirmative action goals... Plans shall provide for equal division between delegate men and delegate women and alternate men and alternate women... as far as mathematically practicable, also provide for equal division between district-level delegate men and delegate women and district-level alternate men and alternate women... State Parties may use goals to achieve these ends....

5. But let's be sure not to call the target numbers "quotas":

   ... shall not be accomplished either directly or indirectly by the Party’s imposition of mandatory quotas.... in no event may such participation be accomplished by the use of quotas.

6. Except for in the man/woman thing. We kinda need quotas there:

   Notwithstanding sub-paragraph A.(2) above [the paragraph that forbids mandatory quotas], equal division at any level of delegate or committee positions between delegate men and delegate women or committeemen and committeewomen shall not constitute a violation of any provision thereof.

Democratic convention quotas? (Sorry, I meant "goals")

This excerpt from the 2008 Delegate Selection Plan of the New York State Democratic Party needs no parody:

SECTION D. Representation Goals

1. Goals:

(a) The following are representation goals of this Plan based on the analysis set forth in Appendix D:

(i) African Americans, 28% (78 delegates and 11 alternates); 21
(ii) Latinos, 18% (50 delegates and 7 alternates);
(iii) Asian/Pacific Americans, 7% (20 delegates and 3 alternates);
(iv) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Americans, 8% (22 delegates and 3 alternates);
(v) Disabled Americans, 5% (14 delegates and 2 alternates); and
(v) [sic] Native Americans, at least one (1) delegate.

Move along, no quotas to see here. You can't make this stuff up. It continues:

(b) The State Convention shall ensure that representation in the Delegation fairly reflects, consistent with Democratic voting population as a whole, including African-Americans, Latinos, Asian/Pacific Americans, women, Native Americans, persons under 30 years of age, persons over 65 years of age, persons of low and moderate income, workers, persons with a high school education or less, persons with disabilities, lesbians and gays, bisexuals and transgender persons, rural Democrats, veterans and ethnic and other groups historically underrepresented in Party affairs, if necessary by selecting members of those groups as at-large delegates.

Did I read that right--the New York State Dems will go out of their way to make sure that "persons with a high school education or less" are represented? Wow.

And lest you fret, gender is addressed earlier in the document:

2. Equal Division: The Delegation shall be equally divided between delegate men and delegate women and, separately, alternate men and alternate women, with a variance in each group (“the Variate”) no greater than one. The Variate in one group shall be the opposite gender of any Variate in the other group.

Ah, it's clear now: The Variate in one group shall be the opposite gender of any Variate in the other group. Either a reference to a high school dance or something from a seventh-grade biology lesson. You really can't make this stuff up.

Betsy Newmark comments on similar "goals" for California Dems:

Looking at those requirements and I can't help envisioning that that is what the Democrats would love to do for admissions offices at every state university in California if not the rest of the country.

Indeed.

See Mickey Kaus's "Can we go back to ignoring race now?," which seems to be the first major blog to have blogged on the California "goals."

Update: The NJ Dems are no different. Their 2008 Delegate Selection Plan contains the following "affirmative action goals." The list includes the "underrepresented constituent group," the "proposed representation goal %" and the "proposed representation goal # for 2008 delegates":

C. Affirmative Action Goals

Total Delegates: 127+ 18 alternates = 145

• African-American (Non-Hispanic): 14% 20
• Asian-American: 7% 10
• Disabled: 2% 3
• Hispanic : 15% 22
• LGBT: 8% 12
• Native-Americans: 1% 1
• Youth (18-35): 8% 12
• Arab American: 2% 3

Total 83 of 145

Same deal for Connecticut Dems. See the top of page 22 of their Connecticut Delegate Selection Plan for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Update: Turns out this stuff is more-or-less mandated by the DNC. Details here.