Democrats Seek to Exclude LaRouche Followers

Georgia’s Democratic leadership voted Saturday to change the party’s charter to prevent followers of political extremist Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr. from gaining any influence in the party’s political machinery.

Representatives of the 370-member state committee approved by voice vote a charter change allowing the party’s executive committee to decide who represents the ideas and goals of the state party.

The change would not allow anyone to become a delegate for a county or state party office who is “affiliated with any political group whose ideals, goals and methods are incompatible with that of the Democratic Party of Georgia.”

An Angry Reaction

The action drew angry reaction from Andrew Rotstein, Southern regional director for the LaRouche-backed National Democratic Policy Committee, which has no ties to the Democratic Party. “I think it’s an unprincipled evasion of political debate,” he said.

Rotstein, a candidate on the Democratic ticket for the 5th Congressional District seat, called the charter “so nebulous that socialist and free-market conservatives can both embrace the Democratic Party. This is the same party that has supporters of Jesse Jackson and Lester Maddox.”

The action does not affect the candidacies of Rotstein and four other LaRouche followers running for the Senate, the House and a state agriculture commission post, said Bobby Kahn, the party’s executive director.

“Federal and state election laws cover all those candidates,” said Kahn. “What we’re talking about here is the party organization itself. We don’t want infiltration by people not committed to the Democratic Party principles and goals.”