''On race, fairness, and leadership''

"Continuing the discussion Noemie began about David Postman's recent article about the State Party Chair race, I think it's time to talk about race and dispel some rumors. To begin, I want to reprint a letter that a friend wrote. Lawrence is one of the more brilliant people I know, who tends to disarm with humor, but when engaged is capable of cutting through deep lines of bullshit to grab onto an issue and bring it to full light. With his permission, his letter in its entirety:

"Dear Friends--

Over the weekend I read an article in the Seattle Times wherein State Senator Margarita Prentice implied that State Party Chair candidate Dwight Pelz might be "racist" because he has run against people of color in the past.

Now, we've all dealt with the press, and know how easy it is to have one's views misrepresented. I would like to think that has happened here and that Senator Prentice's statements have been turned into something they were originally not. I have spoken with Senator Prentice on the phone in the past, during the Dean campaign, and I know that she is a wise and thoughtful person.

However, because the article spun her position the way that it did, I've been thinking about what the implications are. Several things strike me:

First, Dwight Pelz lives in the 37th Legislative District, one of the most diverse districts in the state. When he was on the King County Council, he was required to run in the King County Council district that encompassed the 37th , as the KC Council, unlike the Seattle City Council, is a districted body. His choice of opponents was not at his discretion.

Second, when a choice of opponents was available to him during his race for the Seattle City Council, he ran against Richard McIver, an African American, not because of McIver's skin color, but because he felt McIver was vulnerable for having missed so many council meetings of importance. It should be noted that if the Seattle City Council were a districted body, Pelz's opponent would have been---Richard McIver.

Finally, I'd like to raise a more ephemeral but insidious concept. What is the true nature of racism when it presumes that all candidates are not equal, and that candidates of color have a right not to be challenged?

We are a majority white, middle-class body. We all hold the concept of diversity dear. This is a difficult issue to tackle, for it treads on old hurts that rightfully still sting.

But do we believe that Dwight Pelz, or any other candidate, must not oppose other candidates from his own neighborhoods and communities because they have different skin tones? I don't think we do, and I'd urge you to consider carefully what conclusions you draw from this article, and what opinions we might or might not spread as its result.

Thanks for reading!

~Lawrence"

Let's get something out in the open:

The leading candidates are not perfect people. Dwight Pelz can be direct, to a fault. Laura Ruderman can be abrasive. Phil Talmadge can be a dirty campaigner. And none of these things matter - the question is not whose company we prefer, but who will most effectively organize and fundraise and advance the message for our Party. And on those two questions, Dwight and Phil have rightfully risen to the forefront of the discussions.

I'm not sure what Senator Prentice's real issues with Dwight are - I hope Lawrence will let me know when he hears from her, and I hope he's right that Postman misrepresented her. But she's not the first to make this suggestion, and I take a less eloquent view of the issue than Lawrence: to me, it's just stupid. We might as well accuse Mark Wilson of being sexist because he keeps running against women.

I've watched Dwight interact with the public in small group settings, large rallies and parades, and one thing he is not is racially insensitive. The 37th has elected seven people of color to the state legislature since 1990. If Dwight is going to run for political office, guess who he's running against? In most, but not all cases, a person of color.

And in all that time, he's run against one minority incumbent - Richard McIver, a very nice man who has a laid-back attitude to his position. (I believe his run against Dwight has perked him up, btw. He seems to be more involved than he was previously.) Dwight's a fighter, and he believed the city would be better served with him in that seat - which is exactly why a person SHOULD run for office. Like it or not, there were forceful arguments made from Democrats in the city that, and I quote, "There should be a minority on the Council". Like it or not, there are Democrats who voted for McIver based on the logic of "I like Dwight, but McIver's a minority".

Should minority status keep someone in office? Should it protect them from challenge? Should liberal white candidates step aside when a minority enters a race? How does a 'yes' answer to these questions reflect any sense of justice or fairness? How does this type of thinking advance issues of fairness and racial justice?

Here's the reality: Dwight hails from an extremely diverse neighborhood. He has represented people of color as an elected official since 1990. He's organized for liberal causes since the '70's. Had he sought out minorities to remove from elected office, this argument might have merit, but throughout his career, this has not been the case.

We must be honest with ourselves. We must be honest with each other. Are we part of the solution to these larger problems, or do we perpetuate them in our attempts - however well-meaning - to be sensitive? I think Seattle, Dwight Pelz, Greg Rodriguez, Phil Talmadge, possibly Senator Prentice, and the Democratic Party has been done a disservice by some of what has transpired over the past weeks, including Postman's article. We can do better than this. Let's get back to discussing organizing, outreach and fundraising. Let's move away from rumors and finger-pointing, and get our focus back. We should be too smart to allow the media to drive our discussions; we're informed, we have the means to talk to the candidates, and we know how the system works. Let's make the system work and move forward, together."-from the post by Switzerblog on Washblog.