Let’s get one thing straight right now.  I firmly believe the nationwide hysteria for voter ID laws is nothing more than a calculated move to make certain the “right” kind of people vote.  It is the Teahadists’ phony solution to a problem that does not exist, and ignores many voter suppression efforts undertaken by the right wing (phony polling announcements, phone banks, etc.).

However, the Texas Democratic Party has a big log in its eye when it comes to criticizing the GOTeaParty about voter suppression.  That is the Texas Two-Face Democratic presidential primary.  Yes, I know the preferred name is “Texas Two-Step”, but let’s call a spade a spade.  I know the party “studied” the issue after the debacle of 2008, but it hardly went out of its way to listen.  Surprisingly, nothing has changed.

Right now, although it says it is inclusive, the Texas Democratic Party gives most of its voters only a two-thirds vote in presidential primaries.  That is the vote they cast at the polling place.

Undemocratic Democratic Party rules pretty much do away with the remaining third of that vote.  Rules give that part of the vote to precinct conventions (we don’t call them bloody caucuses, national media, can you get that straight?).   To claim the remainder of your vote, you have to return to the polling place that night in person to participate in activities usually overrun by machine politics.  Thus, the so-called “inclusive” party also partially disenfranchises the working poor, elderly, poor in general and night workers.

The party does that without apology and with some swagger.

It does it in the name of party participation and grassroots activity.  How do you call it activism when you are holding part of a person’s vote hostage?  I think precinct conventions are fine, even fun.  The party can work its local base and reinforce its community ties.  Filling the room with people who are only there so they are not cheated out of their full and complete vote is not, in my view, any way to win friends and influence people (at least that was the case with the many walkouts in 2008 who simply could not stay any longer).

Democrats should attack the right-wing and its attempts to smother dissenting voters on all fronts.

It would be best if they cleaned up their own mess at the same time.