Ryan Dorsey's Temper Tantrum
A white City Councilman is mad that term limits passed. Here's why his proposal repeal of them reeks of racism.
Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey took time off of being a jerk on Twitter doing the bidding of the cycling lobby to introduce asinine legislation:
Baltimore’s newly approved term limits for its mayor, comptroller and the City Council will not to be effective until 2024, but a member of council is already calling for their repeal.
Councilman Ryan Dorsey introduced a bill Thursday proposing a charter amendment that would remove term limits from city law. The legislation would have to be passed by the council and agreed to by the mayor before it could be placed on the ballot for voters to consider in the 2024 election.
This is Ryan Dorsey doing what Ryan Dorsey always does; showing utter contempt for the people of the City of Baltimore. But it is deeper than that. It shows the deep-seated psychology of Baltimore City Elected Officials. Elected Democrats know best and the people of the city just aren’t smart enough to know better. How else would you explain this quote:
“Term limits are bad for democracy,” Dorsey said. “If voters want to enact term limits as they have, fine. That’s the voters’ choice. All I’m proposing is that the City Council host a discussion on why folks might want to reconsider and then ask them if they do want to reconsider.”
Emphasis mine.
But ultimately let’s call Dorsey’s proposal what it is: racism. Question K passed with 72% of the vote. Non-Hispanic Whites make up 27.6% of Baltimore City residents. That means that an overwhelming majority of those individuals who voted for term limits were themselves Non-Hispanic Whites. Dorsey’s arrogant quote, that he and the Democrats on the City Council know best and that they want to explain to folks why they might want to reconsider reaks of racism and privilege.
It also boils down to another simple fact: The voters spoke and Ryan Dorsey is having a temper tantrum.
In a sane world, Ryan Dorsey’s attempt to suppress the will of the people would be laughed out of the City Council Chambers. But this is Baltimore, a city where logic and reason are often disposed of for crassly political purposes. So I have no doubt that Dorsey’s temper tantrum will be awarded a fair hearing, swift passage, and another Charter Amendment vote in two years’ time.