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White Men Should Stop Running For Office, Colorado Group Says
[CPR.ORG] A new political action committee has one question for straight white men with political aspirations.
"Dude, can you not?"

Democratic activists Jack Teter and Kyle Huelsman registered the organization last month. So far they've raised $120 from six donations.
It's a question embedded in the name of the organization. The Can You Not PAC plans to discourage straight white men from running for office in Colorado's diverse districts. The hope is that will clear the lane from female, minority and LGBTQ candidates.

Democratic activists Jack Teter and Kyle Huelsman registered the organization last month. So far they've raised $120 from six donations.

"It's the counterbalance to the classic intervention where people ask, 'Have you thought about ever running for office?', " says Huelsman. "We want to ask, 'Have you ever thought about not running for office?' "

In the short term, the pair plans to focus on Colorado districts that have large blocs of minority voters but tend to elect "traditional" candidates. That includes Aurora and parts of Denver.

Long term, they hope to tackle what they call a "crisis of overconfidence" among straight white men.
I may indeed be over-confident, but I'm not in crisis about it...
A 2004 study found that among professions that most generally produce candidates for elected office, more men than women feel they are qualified. Political scientists think that helps explain why U.S. legislatures are mostly male.

"We're pushing back against the notion that looking like a Ken doll makes you uniquely qualified to run for office," Huelsman said.

Teter added: "We know that men are more likely to look in the mirror in the morning and think, 'Wow, I'd be great at Congress.' Women need to be asked over and over by their communities."
Nothing is stopping them...
Teter said studies show that women and people of color tend to produce more progressive policies than liberal white males.

"So African American state legislatures are more likely to introduce measures that combat racial discrimination," he said. "That seems obvious. But they also produce measures improving education, healthcare, social welfare and the economy. If I support those policies, don't have an obligation to like the most-qualified person -- who evidence would suggest isn't a straight white man?"
Posted by: Fred 2016-05-06
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=454893