Thanks to Conyers, Identity politics finally is splitting the Democrats
The strategy of the Democratic Party for the last two generations finally threatens to unravel before our eyes. Blacks and feminists are in conflict over the abusive behavior of John Conyers toward subordinate females.
Normally, Democrats sweep under the rug the obvious clashes among the interest of the various identity groups – for example, the homosexual lobby and the courting of Muslims, whose religion calls for the death penalty for homosexuals. With the support of the MSM, they get away with it by demonizing Republicans as the real enemy. However, we are in the midst of a form of hysteria driven by long repressed anger. Women have been abused in the workplace in the media and political bastions of Democrats for as long as anyone can remember. The party even united behind supporting the obvious abuse that Bill Clinton practiced in Arkansas and brought with him to the White House, where the Oval Office itself was defiled by inducing a young intern to deliver sexual acts along with pizza. That was an indignity that power-seeking feminists supported with absurd doctrines like "one free grope." It made the ongoing abuse all the more painful for the women sacrificed for the cause. They didn't matter – until they did, after Trump became the target and the hopes of impeaching him for sexual improprieties opened the door to tales of misbehavior of others being publicized, so as to set precedents that could be used against the POTUS.
Now, with women gaining the courage to speak out, all hell is breaking loose. Mike Lillis of The Hill sums up the situation with the headline "Conyers saga brings Dem tensions to a boil."
Tensions are running high in the House Democratic Caucus over the fate of Rep. John Conyers Jr., with allies of the embattled Michigan lawmaker digging in behind him even as others demand his immediate resignation.
The debate has heightened long-standing generational differences within the party; triggered thorny and uncomfortable conversations about race; fueled the effort to overhaul the way sexual harassment cases are handled on Capitol Hill; and highlighted the differences in how the public and private sectors are addressing a national harassment problem that seems to mushroom by the day. ...
Privately, however, there's overwhelming sentiment among Democratic leaders that the interests of the party would be best served if Conyers resigned immediately, according to numerous aides.
The problem with that outcome is that Conyers wants to hang tough. He has, after all, ridden out scandals before, such as when his wife, Monica Conyers (35 years younger than he), was sentenced to prison for bribery. And he made his political bones in the Civil Rights Movement, which confers a form of sainthood upon him in the eyes of many. In all likelihood, he will stick out his term and not run for re-election, which does no good for the Get Trump Gang and leaves his victims with no satisfaction.
After an initial flirtation with collectively demanding that Conyers resign, the Congressional Black Caucus has reverted to form:
The head of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) said late Tuesday that he won't press embattled Rep. John Conyers Jr. to resign from Congress over allegations that the long-serving Michigan Democrat sexually harassed multiple aides over the course of decades.
Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), who huddled with Conyers and other CBC members Tuesday afternoon, said he wants Conyers to cooperate in a nascent ethics investigation surrounding the charges.
Even worse for the Get Trump crowd and the feminists, Rep. James Clyburn, third ranking Democrat in the House, seemed to offer the opinion that being elected confers immunity:
CBC Chair Richmond asks for ex. of ppl leaving jobs faster than Conyers when face sexual harassment claims; Clyburn asks "who elected them?" pic.twitter.com/FGDNbvBUcg
— Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) November 29, 2017
Nancy Pelosi tried to defend Conyers as an icon on Sunday and had to walk that back in the face of fury from women. But that hasn't stopped Rep. Gregory Meeks from arguing that Conyers "has made America a better place" while paying lip service to the concerns of feminists and bringing racial discrimination into the conversation.
It has gotten so bad that another prominent member of the CBC is reverting to shocking racism, dismissing the complaints because the victims are white and implying that racism is at work, likening the complainers to one of the most hated women in recent memory:
Also at this morning's House Democratic caucus: James Clyburn compared Conyers' accusers to the child murderer Susan Smith, who initially claimed a black man had abducted her kids. Clyburn said, these are all white women who've made these charges against Conyers.
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) November 29, 2017
There is enough anger in the air among Democrats, with the self-identification with victim groups continuing to outweigh the joint quest for power, that Democrats have got to worry about whom to sacrifice, and how – to keep their female turnout high, without damaging black turnout in 2018.