Make Political Affiliation a Protected Class
Summary
The Google firing is the last straw. The Trump administration should immediately call for the new EEOC head to make political affiliation a federally protected class on par with religion. It should then direct the Department of Justice to file suit against institutions and individuals found to discriminate against Republicans in employment. Because Google won’t look like America until it’s 50% Republican.
Google: Get to 50% Republican, or Get Sued
Republicans are highly underrepresented in universities, media outlets, and technology companies. This is the result of decades of intentional, systematic employment discrimination that can be rectified by the current administration with the stroke of a pen.
Specifically, the president can call for the EEOC to designate political affiliation a protected class on par with religion. There is ample precedent for such a move, as political affiliation is already a protected class in DC and many states have laws on the books to prevent political discrimination in employment.
However, these laws do not have teeth because they have not been enforced at the federal level. Thus, a change in policy could turn the EEOC into one of the most strategically important agencies in the federal government.
Specifically, every American institution above the EEOC threshold of 100 employees should be compelled to conduct a survey of political diversity and publish the results. This would be similar to the current diversity surveys that Google and Facebook have released — except it would also include a mandatory breakdown of Democrat and Republican voter registrations. Under the EEOC disparate impact doctrine, a disproportionately low representation of Republicans would be prima facie evidence of discrimination.
The remedy for employment discrimination against Republicans is simple: the DOJ should bring suit against the worst offenders. This will establish a deterrence effect and encourage others to rapidly come into compliance with the law. The Google case is an excellent starting point. In addition to a suit against the company, individual lawsuits should be filed against Colm Buckley, Alon Altman, Paul Cowan, Joel Becker, Anthony Baxter, and the like for creating a hostile work environment.
Further lawsuits should be filed against institutions like the New York Times and Harvard University if a scientific survey reveals what all external evidence suggests: that these organizations have been illegally discriminating against Republicans.
Huge fines against institutions like these would send a signal. It would mean that every major newspaper, university, and technology company in America would need to quickly get its percentage of registered Republicans up to the national average or risk prosecution. It would also mean that Republicans could finally come out of the closet without fear of professional reprisal. Note that a similar effort could also be mounted with veterans, who skew Republican and who became a protected class in 2015.
In summary, this initiative is a simple but highly effective way to remediate an obvious ill. It should be an immediate priority for the Trump administration.
