With the amount of legislation and Constitutional Amendments addressing slavery and voting, you would think that our government would be able to figure it out. Yes, I know it's a long shot to think the government is capable of figuring anything out, especially when it's so clearly articulated. But I can hope.
A brief history lesson: during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the northern, mostly anti-slavery states maintained that since slaves could not vote and were legally considered property (thanks, Dred Scott*) then they should not be counted as population. The southern, pro-slavery states wanted the population numbers which translated to more seats in the House of Representatives and more electoral college votes (more political power). The compromise resulted in Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3 of the US Constitution which said that one slave equals 3/5 of a person. See? Even when the country was new, the government still managed to make stupid decisions that really didn't solve anything.
Anyway, the 13th and 14th Amendments effectively rendered that little section of the Constitution moot, and future legislation and Amendments would ensure that every adult citizen counted for one whole person and had one whole vote. That is, until the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee met this past weekend.
The DNC RBC went a step further than its predecessor and effectively said that Michigan and Florida delegates, while whole people in reality, only count for half a vote when it comes to picking a candidate. I'm too lazy to sort through exact numbers, but this motion disenfranchises several hundred thousand voters.
Good job, Democratic Party - you've managed to violate at least 4 Constitutional Amendments, the entire Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and 3 bylaws of the Cape Cod Homeowners Association. Impressive.
* - The Dred Scott v. Sandford decision was handed down 70 years after the Constitutional Convention, but it doesn't change the fact that most people viewed slaves as property in 18th Century America.
