Completely unacceptable

We've focused a lot on electoral politics of late, and this story is yet more evidence that the Democrats and the Republicans have become about as different as Tweedledum and Tweedledumber.

There's a special U.S. House election in the Los Angeles area featuring Democrat Janice Hahn and some Republican nobody. Frankly, I'd have to sit this one out.

Far from being a progressive voice, Hahn was one of the thoughtcrime sentries behind L.A. City Council's right-wing resolution endorsing mandatory school uniforms. This of course should be viewed as completely unacceptable in the Democratic Party. But the DLC runs the party, and they lap it up like toilet water.

And that's why I long ago gave the party the big "fuck you" it so richly deserves.

Mandatory uniforms in public schools are so unacceptable, in fact, that Hahn deserves to face a tough primary challenge in 2012. Not only are public school uniforms with no opt-out against California statute, but they've also been ruled unconstitutional in Tinker v. Des Moines.

I don't give a shit what "reasoning" Hahn or her cohorts came up with in their resolution on uniforms. Frankly, that's too damn bad. When the Constitution speaks, public officials are supposed to don their listening ears and defer to constitutional law. When something is in the Constitution, there's no "yeah buts" about it. I don't see how I can possibly make that any clearer.

One might argue that Hahn will probably confine her right-wing extremism only to City Council, but I'd argue that we have a duty to discourage such far-rightism by not letting its advocates keep winning elections.

Unacceptable? You bet. With interest in school uniforms apparently declining, it's mind-boggling that the Democrats would even allow Hahn to be their nominee. But I guess you can't always fix foolish.

Adherence to the Constitution should be a litmus test in determining whether to support a candidate for any office - from President down to trustee of the smallest township in the land.