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An intensifying conservative legal assault on the Voting Rights Act could precipitate what many civil rights advocates regard as the nuclear option: a court ruling striking down one of the core elements of the landmark 1965 law guaranteeing African Americans and other minorities access to the ballot box.
At the same time, the view that states should have free rein to change their election laws even in places with a history of Jim Crow seems to be gaining traction within the Republican Party.
“There certainly has been a major change,” said Rick Hasen, a professor of election law at the University of California at Irvine. “Now, you have a whole bunch of credible mainstream state attorneys general and governors taking this view. … That would have been unheard of even five years ago. You would have been accused of being a racist.”
Some of the shift appears to be driven by resentment of what tea party members and others perceive as an overgrown, out-of-control federal government, as well as by widespread concern among Republicans about claims of voter fraud at the polls. Part of the change could also stem from more vigorous enforcement of voting rights laws by President Barack Obama’s Justice Department.
The issue has surfaced in the Republican presidential contest, including at one of the televised debates, and could move to the front burner within weeks as a federal appeals court in Washington prepares to rule on the leading lawsuit against the Voting Rights Act. That case, brought by Shelby County, Ala., is backed by the attorneys general of Alabama, Arizona and Georgia. At least three similar constitutional challenges are pending...
...The lawsuit brought by Shelby County was argued this month at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and could be on a fast track for the Supreme Court.
The provision “was constitutional in 1965 and 1975. And Alabama was, shamefully, a big reason why,” said a brief filed in November by lawyers for Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. “But in part because of Section 5, Alabama has changed, and the statute is no longer a necessary and proper means of redressing constitutional injury.”
Strange’s brief argues that African Americans now serve in the state Legislature at rates comparable to their percentage of the population and that white and black voters have about the same registration rate.
Voting Rights Act critics also say the list of 16 states that get special scrutiny is badly outdated. “It makes no sense [now] for the State of Texas but not the State of Arkansas to be covered,” Blum said.
A series of cases filed recently by South Carolina and other states seek approval for voter ID laws and other voting changes. However, some of those cases also hint that the act’s pre-clearance provision could be unconstitutional.
Voting Rights Act under siege by an intensifying Conservative legal assault
Article Source: Politico
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- Public Discussion (74)
Dan Tokaji, a professor of election law at Ohio State, said the chances the high court will strike down the core of the law are “between likely and extremely likely.”
“They know striking the statute down would be incredibly controversial. … It would be an even bigger deal than what the court did in Citizens United,” Tokaji said.
If the key provision were removed, he said, “I don’t think we would go back to the days of Jim Crow. We wouldn’t have literacy tests or other of the most blatant disenfranchising devices used in 1965. On the other hand, it would be easier for states to enact more subtle measures that make voting more difficult and that dilute the vote. … The impact will probably be most significant at the local level [where] a lot of things might slip by without anyone noticing it.”
- 20 votes
Gee, I wonder what's changed in the last five years to cause this new effort to gain strength? It couldn't be the fact that a Black man was elected president? Nah, that couldn't have anything to do with it. The people behind this are simply concerned with things like states' rights. /s/
- 42 votes
Can 't argue your point at all Carloz. Suddenly something that was working quite well for 40 years is under attack. Maybe if America stands up this election cycle and says enough some of these "gov and AG's" in the red states will recede into the back ground...
- 29 votes
Maybe if America stands up this election cycle and says enough some of these "gov and AG's" in the red states will recede into the back ground...
...until they see their next opportunity. But, yes, I agree, fair-minded people need to be aware of what's at stake and make their voices heard this November.
- 23 votes
see 50 years ago, you could just say "i dont want @!$%#s to be able to vote" now and days you have to talk in code, you have to say things like voterID and gerrymandering but the end is the same, blacks get hurt worse than whites.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_strategy#Evolution
the modern southern strategy.
- 24 votes
blacks get hurt worse than whites
Don't the Dems are sure that our kids are learning how to read and write in our public school system?
Then, all should go to the electoral colleges and vote. ID's are mandatory to be shown for all the services, hospitals, airport, etc., etc.
- 2 votes
Racism is alive in America and ensconced in it's home of hatred, the Republican party.
- 20 votes
This is the hardcore of the Republican EVIL. Racism and trying to win by cheating. Carl Rove was caught during the Bush years trying to establish lists of voters who would have to respond to a mailed request to provide information about residence. By sheer probability of people not responding to mail, this would have eliminated tens of thousands of eligible Hispanic American voters. Then you have Rick Perry specifically to reduce the impact of Hispanic American voters.
This stuff is ILLEGAL!!! And I am NOT talking about illegal immigrants voting. This is about Hispanic Americans that are eligible voters. The Republican efforts to eliminate eligible voters from voting needs to be crushed.
And we are indeed talking about Republican RACISM is here.
And after this issue is dealt with there is the same old, same old Diebold voting machine issue. After is has been proven that the current machines can be hacked into, they are proceeding to use them.
- 22 votes
Comment collapsed by the communitySome of the shift appears to be driven by resentment of what tea party members and others perceive as an overgrown, out-of-control federal government
Just when you thought it wasn't possible,the more these folks speak,the less sense they make.
Too much government...so let's drag in a whole bunch of lawyers,judges,court employees,security to check everyone,and who knows what else is required.
They're the ones who are MAKING too much government. As for out-of-control,yes,the tp certainly is that.
They are free to leave this country if they don't like it anymore. Go to China and see how many of y'all even stay out of jail for a week. You betcha ;)
- 7 votes
GOP has made Voting Rights Act relevant again.
They've been stirring up bigotry and passing laws that restrict minority and senior votes.
GOP voodoo raising Confederacy zombie.
- 14 votes
What good black candidates have come from the right wing? I haven't seen one worthwhile black person from the right ever. All we ever see are the opportunist tokens.
- 13 votes
determined0a1
I am sorry but the racism is more obvious in the Dem side. Every time that there is a good candidate in the right side is black, the Dems destroy them.This country is not racist, we are all in the same pot (not the smoking kind). And....using race is not going to bring sympathy for the guys in the left because we all have black, gay, lesbians friends.
Right...There has been 100 Black Democrats endorsed by the Democratic Party... and only 5 black republicans allowed to run and hold high federal office, in 80 years....The Republican party is 2...yes, thats right...just 2% African American! While African American choose to be 20% of the Democratic Party. Ask a con why, they a liable to be openly racist enough to say that the vast majority of African Americans are stupid enough to be brainwashed , or that they are voting to get "handouts", a caricature even mimicked by the minstrel show of Hermann Cain and Allen West...
Out of a population of 40 million, only some 670,000 voted republican in 08...while some 16 million voted Democratic! This was by party design.
Not by Democratic Party design..but by the GOOPers themselves;
From now on, the Republicans are never going to get more than 10 to 20 percent of the Negro vote and they don't need any more than that... but Republicans would be shortsighted if they weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. The more Negroes who register as Democrats in the South, the sooner the Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans. That's where the votes are.
Thats not where the votes are so much anymore, so repugs will do what they can to reinstitute jim crow laws under a thin veneer of "states rights" the similar Democratic line of the civil war south and code speak for the southern white bigot...and there hasn't been one organization that works for Black Americans trepublicans won't attack From the NAACP, started with the help of many progressive republicans, to ACORN, to the SEIU to the CBC.
So say what you want publicly the actions tell the real story ;)
- 15 votes
Carloz, it is about states' rights - in the same way the Civil War was about a states' rights to subjugate black people. They argued it was the state's right to decide whether slavery should be allowed and that the federal government had no authority to intervene. This is what they went to war over. Perry and other GOP candidates and pundits are arguing from the same point of view.
Conservatives argue states' rights as a substitute for arguing for taking away the rights of minorities. Conservatives have not only been arguing against the Voting Rights Act, but the Civil Rights Act, and they use states' rights as the basis for their argument. Conservatives fundamentally disagree with the protections put in place to prevent the majority from taking away the rights of the minority. They fundamentally disagree with notions of freedom and fairness - as long as it is them that comes out on top. This will have to be my conclusion about conservatives until prominent conservatives take a forceful stand against this despicable behavior.
- 6 votes
Carloz, it is about states' rights - in the same way the Civil War was about a states' rights to subjugate black people. They argued it was the state's right to decide whether slavery should be allowed and that the federal government had no authority to intervene. This is what they went to war over. Perry and other GOP candidates and pundits are arguing from the same point of view.
The state's right to oppress rights -- and today to suppress votes.
- 8 votes
“But in part because of Section 5, Alabama has changed, and the statute is no longer a necessary and proper means of redressing constitutional injury.”
if Alabama et. al are fine with following this statute then why the need to take it out? unless they are wanting to re introduce the black codes or Jim crow laws, which this statute wouldnt allow.
Every time that there is a good candidate in the right side is black, the Dems destroy them.
an example please?
- 8 votes
stopping likely democratic voters is a high priority for the John Birchers/ALEC
it keeps whites in charge
- 8 votes
I'd also like to see an example of a serious black candidate from the right being "destroyed" by the Democrats, because I cannot recall a single one.
IMO, black Americans who are seriously "into" politics are almost always Democrats or they are members of "fringe" organizations---and I call groups like these "fringe" not because they never have good ideas, but because IMO they often do not have solid nationwide organization and have virtually no chance of fielding a Presidential candidate capable of winning an election.
All of these people are aware of the GOP Southern Strategy. Some have lived long enough to have seen its' conception, implementation and evolution over time. If the GOP wrote off 80-90% of black voters as unwanted and unnecessary, it makes one wonder how much value this same group would place on black participation in the party itself. Five percent? Less? I am amazed that there aren't more blacks out shilling for the GOP and the Tea Party, because rumor has it that this is an extremely lucrative enterprise...
I have to question the motives of anyone trying to "water down" the Voting Righs Act. At the heart of all the reasonable-sounding talk, this is nothing less than an attempt to make it harder for certain segments of the US population to vote---an existential danger to the rights of those people no matter how one "spins" it.
Here is yet another reason why conservatives---regardless of race---are simply not taken seriously in the black community, and black conservatives are often considered "sell-outs." If one hears a rattlesnake often enough, he learns the sound, remembers it and reacts instinctively upon hearing it---his life depends upon it.
Literally AND figuratively.
- 6 votes
Hard to believe that in the 21st century we are still arguing these same points. Not much different than the State Supreme Courts against SCOTUS in the Citizens United legality.
- 2 votes
blacks get hurt worse than whites
Don't the Dems are sure that our kids are learning how to read and write in our public school system?
well looking at this statement we have missed some people.
Then, all should go to the electoral colleges and vote.
citizens don't go to vote at the electorial college. our votes go to "electors" who are not actually bound to vote the way the electoriate voted.
ID's are mandatory to be shown for all the services, hospitals, airport, etc., etc.
not true. i flew from san jose, california to my father's funeral in saint louis, missouri without any id. i did have to undergo a little more background checking on the flight to saint louis, but after that i did not have any problems
- 5 votes
Sorry for your loss.
well looking at this statement we have missed some people.
Not moi. I improved a lot. English is my second language.
You worry me that you are flying w/o an ID . I really envy you because I have to show mine at least 3 times when I take a plane.
- 3 votes
The provision “was constitutional in 1965 and 1975.
I sometimes wonder if these people come up with such weak arguments on purpose. It's almost as if they feel they have to show their disdain by not working hard enough to come up with something credible.
- 10 votes
#2 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:10 AM ESTThey might as well said "It was constitutional when their votes did not affect us that much. Now that is does,we deem it unconstitutional"
- 8 votes
The GOP keeps going backwards, further & further, until they turn every voter against them. All the fights they are picking were over long ago. It won't benefit them short term or long term to keep going after voting rights, women's rights, & minorities rights, not to mention the way they have gone after workers rights.
- 10 votes
#3 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:45 AM ESTAs they continue to self destruct they become like a wounded animal lashing out at every debate they have ever lost. They are looking to damage the country as their last act.
Conservatism is anti-American. Prove me wrong conservatives - speak out against this crap.
The silence of the moderate and economic conservatives is deafening. Distance yourselves from this bigoted strain of conservatism and rejoin the American people. They are wrong at every level that a person can be wrong and you guys know it.
- 4 votes
Need some kind of id/proof, such as voter registration, to prove you are legally eligible to vote. That is not difficult to obtain. Only American citizens should be allowed to vote in our American elections.
- 1 vote
#4 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:01 AM ESTVoter's registration card is not enough for for the new laws in some states. Driver's license is not enough for for the new law in some states. They want a state ID. WTF is a driver's license if not a state ID?
- 9 votes
Most of those without ids are poor, minorities and elderly. It isn't easy for some of those people to get those ids and many of the states that are requiring them have shut down offices and made it even harder. I see this as voter suppression and I hope the ACLU gets involved. Why do republicans always have to make up solutions for nonexistent problems? It's not like we don't have enough real ones. I hope everyone is paying attention.
- 5 votes
What do voting rights have to do with the economy? How about the other 50 things like guns, abortion, contraceptives, gays, DOMA, DADT, etc.
The answer is nothing. It's a deflection of poor leadership skills.
Lets start bringing up Federal,State and Local legislators and politicians pay and benefits, for work not performed, and see how fast it gets dropped.
- 5 votes
#5 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:02 AM ESTBut re-affirming "in god we trust, well, you know, that is REALLY important stuff....and creates soooo many jobs. After all, if you can't pray yourself healthy and into a job, then you just aren't praying enough.
- 9 votes
I would like to follow the money backing all this voter and rights regression, no doubt it leads to Koch and like minded Bircher wanna be's.
- 10 votes
#6 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:09 AM ESTThe Kochs are now trying to deflect from this by saying they are getting harassed by pissed off people. The poor Kochs are playing the victim!
- 7 votes
sociopaths/narcissists always play the victim.
first they ignore you ,if that doesnt work they then divert or distract and if those still willing to engage in finding out the details of the truth (which most start blaming both sides by this point), then they accuse their accuser of the same things they are doing.
Then they become the victim.
Classic sociopathic tactics.
- 6 votes
6.2 Sounds like the Palestinians.
Or the 'mericun taliban.
- 3 votes
The Conservative Plank of todays GOP is every bit as distasteful as the conservatives democrats pre civil war plank was...
- 6 votes
#8 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:14 PM ESTThat's because they are the same people. The Lincoln Republicans left the GOP for the Dems and the racist Southern Dems joined the GOP. It doesn't matter what shirt these people wear, these racist haters have been around from the start and they are trying to take control again. As if a legacy of slavery, a civil war and decades of strife aren't enough to convince Americans to walk away from them.
- 10 votes
Voting Rights Act critics also say the list of 16 states that get special scrutiny is badly outdated. “It makes no sense [now] for the State of Texas but not the State of Arkansas to be covered,” Blum said.
I agree with this. The standard should be: If a state seceded from the United States to guarantee its right to maintain slavery, the stricter scrutiny applies to that state.
Then again, I'd be fine with the stricter scrutiny applying to every state and every election that involves the Senate, the House of Representatives, or the Presidency. If the position has the power to affect my life, then I want the election for that position to be beyond reproach.
- 6 votes
#9 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:14 PM ESTVoter fraud has been shown to be a factor in about .0002% (that's 2 ten thousandths of a percent) TOTAL.
Unemployment is 8.3%.
Can you say "PRIORITIES?"
The party of less government is more concerned with making birth control illegal and making sure that you have ID to vote than they are about anything else in America!!
I don't know about the rest of you, but every time I go to vote, I'm already required to show ID.
So far, every caucus/primary that the Tepublicans have had this year has had some kind of fraud tied to the voting.
I think we know where the real problem is.
- 11 votes
#10 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:59 PM ESTBut in part because of Section 5, Alabama has changed
NO IT HASN"T!!!!!!
...and neither have SC, TX, MS, KY, GA.....
- 5 votes
#11 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:19 PM ESTVoting Rights Act under siege by an intensifying Conservative RACIST legal assault
There... I fixed it, in the name a accuracy.
- 8 votes
#12 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 3:25 PM ESTIt's not the voting rights of any one group of people that are under scrutiny. There is no reason that any legal voter should not be required to show a photo ID. This is not an attack on blacks, or women, or anyone else. ALL voters should be able to ID themselves. There have been many cases of people who come to the polls, only to be told that they've already voted.
These voter ID proposals don't say that only blacks will be required to ID themselves at the polls. There is nothing "racist" (a misnomer, and I hate that) about having one's ID in one's possession at all times. Anyone who thinks that any voter ID law will require only certain groups to ID themselves at the polls is apparently ignorant and lacking in reading comprehension skills.
- 2 votes
Dani: There have been many cases of people who come to the polls, only to be told that they've already voted.
Can you back that up?
- 7 votes
It makes no sense [now] for the State of Texas but not the State of Arkansas to be covered,” Blum said.
The obvious solution is to expand it to cover all the states.
- 6 votes
Percentage of proven voter fraud in national elections .0002%
Percentage of young black Americans of voting age without required ID 18%
The non-issue of voter fraud IDs has become a priority of republican legislatures across the south for one reason and one reason only ...racist voter suppression.
It is a concerted effort to hurt Obama's chances in November.
Voter fraud is not an issue ...anywhere in the US.
There are no grounds to defend this republican practice that is not racially motivated.
- 6 votes
I am going to repeat this again. Trust me, no one will like the new Photo and Voter ID laws. They have been imposed in our state and the number that "hate" the new laws are growing daily. These laws are having a profound impact on our Vet's, solders, parents, elderly, women, students, etc.
I have been helping the people track down and get the forms they need for their old documents . Without these documents, they can not get a photo ID or drivers license. A very wealthy women that owns this park can not vote now. She has voted her entire life. She stopped driving 7 years ago. I told her that she would be allowed to drive now even if she wanted too. I can not help her and I had to explain this to her and her family. I had to tell them to get a lawyer. She is lucky because she has the money and can afford it. Sadly, she is also very ill. I know one thing, everyone that is coping with the impact of these new laws feel betrayed. Every single person I have been trying to help has given more to this nation then most. They have given more blood, sweat and hard work to help build this nation. A handfull of wealthy individuals have brain washed so many. I doubt most are capable of seeing past your own personal space. No one other than an American Indian is a native of the US.
Women are being hit really hard. So are men but they do not have all the name changing issues. My father would not be able to vote or drive in this state. He was an amazing man. He fought in the Korea war, was seriously wounded, and came home with honors. I know how hard he work in our community. I use to go with him on house calls . He also designed a special extended care facility and had it built for people that needed long term care and recovery. My father died at the age of 40. He was CEO for two years. I am glad he got to see his dream come true. My fathers parents move here from Italy. It is normal for families to give their child a special long name that honored their family and history. That name was put on a birth certificate. The child is also given a short name that allows them to fit into their new society. My father went by the shorter name all his life. The same is true with the lady that owns this park. The birth certificate name was a reminder where we came from, what it cost, and what we accomplished. This was never a problem for anyone until now. Think about how many people that are dealing with that issue alone? A large number were born at home, not in a hospital. I am running across people where their records were lost in some disaster or fire. I know what it cost my grandfather to move here with a new wife. They had a lot of children. My Grandfather worked in the coal mines. I remember how he died. I was only two years old but black lung is ugly. He did not live long enough to see all his children grown.
I am glad my father is not alive now to see what is happening. I am seeing the impact it is having on life long republicans. including my step father. He really feels betrayed. The angry is growing every day. They are blaming the teaparty and republcan party. They have force more state laws and regualtions on us all. I think the next election is going to be interesting.
In order for my mother to get her drivers license in this state she needs:
-
Her birth certificate
-
Her marriage certificate to my father.
-
My fathers death certificate.
-
Marriage certificate to my step father.
-
2 documents that show her full name and address,
-
her social security card,
-
proof of insurance,
-
old drivers license.
My mother was going to give up her driver license until all the new laws were enforced. She is upset because all of this is costing more and more money. Not driving would drastially reduce their insurance and vehical cost. I am working on getting her old marriage certificate and my fathers death certificate. The states are loving this. They are making money but they are back logged already. I had two birth certificate and this state would not accept either one. It had the state seal but it was not good enough for some reason. I ordered a new from PA and it took 18 weeks.
We all have to fight this agenda. Stop, think and considered other cultures, being poor, being young just starting out, etc.
- 4 votes
The Driving License Dept has ID's for citizens that can't or don't want to drive. If wealthy, I am sure that a "nice" or "nephew" could take him/her with the help of a male nurse, a wheeling chair and get her picture taken for ID. If not ID, then that the bills were paid in the actual address for at least six monts.
- 2 votes
Like so many, the name on the birth certificate does not EXACTLY match the name they went by their entire life. Only a lawyer can straighten that out.
- 3 votes
There are plenty of lawyers in this country to give you a hand for free.
- 1 vote
You are missing the point completely. You might be able to find a free lawyer but the documents are not free. Why should it cost this much? Why so many twists and turns that can get your vote kicked out? Considering the facts about voter fraud, this is all about disenfranchising millions of Americans.
- 4 votes
C'mon.....Alabama & Georgia....Southern slave states. Arizona.....wanna be immigrant slave state.
Could these guys have any less credibility?
I love the "hey we're cured" argument for doing away with the voter's rights act. Sorry Confederacy, it was needed in 1965 and it's still needed today. We'll need a couple more generations of institutionalized racism to die off before we can even think about letting you guys into polite society.
- 6 votes
#13 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:33 PM ESTThere are times when I have thought... "If such-and-such happens, I am moving to another country." Then I try to temper that thought by saying, "If everyone like me leaves, America will surely be lost. It is my duty to stay and fight for fairness and justice." Well... If the voting rights act is struck down, I think that WILL be the signal that it is time for me to leave.
This is Civil War people!!! I have been saying this for quite a while... there is no bloodshed yet (and lets hope it stays that way), but nonetheless it looks like Civil War too me.
- 7 votes
#15 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:43 PM ESTThis is Civil War people!!! I have been saying this for quite a while... there is no bloodshed yet (and lets hope it stays that way), but nonetheless it looks like Civil War too me.
Malamute Man - You are 100% correct; those of us that are sane must stay to fight against the KKKonservatives!
- 5 votes
I find myself in your same predicament. I always say I plan on leaving but then I never do. The US is my home and it is my responsibility to try and take care of it. We just have to do our best to keep the fascists out of power.
- 6 votes
Leaving's not a solution. But I really do see the possibility of civil war. Not likely but not impossible either. And maybe civil war isn't the right label since this won't be average people fighting it out with other average people. More like the French Revolution, the sequel.
It is truly ironic that the Tea Party zealots are the first to scream class warfare. You'd think they'd want to keep their collective mouth shut and not draw attention to the fact that the wealthy interests they work for launched a wholesale assault on the middle class and poor of this country ages ago.
And so far, it's been a totally one sided war with the aristocracy looting the wealth of the nation for more than a century. But the same technologies that facilitated the Arab Spring are making it hard for this country's cockroaches to hide their tracks while simultaneously making it easier for the masses to communicate and coordinate. Information and education of the masses is never a good thing for the ruling class. Ask Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
From Wikipedia............
Louis XVI ascended to the throne amidst a financial crisis; the state was nearing bankruptcy and outlays outpaced income.[6] This was because of France’s financial obligations stemming from involvement in the Seven Years War and its participation in the American Revolutionary War.[7] In May 1776, finance minister Turgot was dismissed, after he failed to enact reforms. The next year, Jacques Necker, a foreigner, was appointed Comptroller-General of Finance. He could not be made an official minister because he was a Protestant.[8]
Necker realized that the country's extremely regressive tax system subjected the lower classes to a heavy burden,[8] while numerous exemptions existed for the nobility and clergy.[9] He argued that the country could not be taxed higher; that tax exemptions for the nobility and clergy must be reduced; and proposed that borrowing more money would solve the country's fiscal shortages. Necker published a report to support this claim that underestimated the deficit by roughly 36 million livres, and proposed restricting the power of the parlements.[8]
Anything sound familiar.............Church? Aristocracy? Regressive Taxes? Wars? Massive Debt?
- 4 votes
It is truly ironic that the Tea Party zealots are the first to scream class warfare. You'd think they'd want to keep their collective mouth shut and not draw attention to the fact that the wealthy interests they work for launched a wholesale assault on the middle class and poor of this country ages ago.
Interestingly... 99% of the Tea Party zealots don't realize they are being exploited by the moneyed interests at the top of their "movement." Screaming class warfare is just another example of the tactic of "the other side" of one's own transgressions. That deflects any criticism before it even happens... and in the end attempts to make it seem like, at the very worst, they are no worse than those they oppose.
As for Civil War... I am saying it is much more than "possible" or "likely"... I am saying we are in the midst of it RIGHT NOW!!!
- 5 votes
So far it's just an ideological war of abstractions. I'm talking about a shooting war. Storming the Palace of Versailles. Gettysburg, Chicamagua, Antietam. That messy sort of thing. The line between a disaffected populace and revolution can be pretty thin. When people feel they have little more to lose well, ask some Arab leaders how that story can end.
- 3 votes
Gettysburg, Chicamagua, Antietam. That messy sort of thing.
I know that's what you are talking about Mofongo... I characterize what is happening right now as Civil War even though it hasn't devolved into a "messy sort of thing" because this ideological war of abstractions is, IMO, no less of a threat to the "union" than the messy war of the 1860s was. Also, because I think it is important for the American people to wake up to the very deliberate effort to "divide the union." I believe that sort of perspective is the only thing that will get our complacent populace to understand that this is not just another caustic political campaign that will settle back down to business as usual in another 10 months or so. This is a very well orchestrated power grab that has been in process for decades. And lastly, because I think it is entirely possible for this ideological war to devolve into a messy war. If we all pretend like there is nothing unique happening, we make that very undesirable messy war more likely.
- 7 votes
Yes, it always begins because the apathetic rational majority doesn't stand up early enough and forcefully enough. We always look for reasons to avoid action.
- "Somebody else will do it."
- "They're not really all that bad."
- "What can I do?"
Well, I'm with you dude. This is a crisis. A pivotal moment in the history of this country and therefore the world. Do we help these scum infiltrate our government and stage a coup from the inside? Or do we stop them before they become too strong? Nazis or Freedom, that's the choice.
The 2010 midterm elections were the warning bell. We've seen the result. Get out the vote!
- 6 votes
It won't ...just be....African Americans or Hispanic Americans...it Will be women too.
Back to the Good Old Days...that's the Republican Party's Motto...
- 4 votes
#16 - Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:33 PM ESTI live in a state that imposed the unwanted new Photo ID laws. Everyday, it is making more and more people angry. Not just angry, they hate it. It is expensive, the states are making tons of money off of it, it will disenfranchise millions when voter fraud was not only extremely low, but an outright lie. Now they want to force their values on women, elderly, disabled, etc. They do not care about women, children basically anything except winning even if they have to cheat. Anyone that claims racism does not exist, if fooling themselves. I live in the deep south and it is alive and well.
- 7 votes
#17 - Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:33 AM ESTWhen you have a state that has had not one incident of "voter fraud" yet the republican legislators are proposing new laws they claims will prevent future voter fraud, you know it's bs. I can still remember on MSNBC Al Sharpton had as guest a rep. discussing their new laws and his guest admitted there were no claims of past cases. When asked why then change the laws, this guy claimed it was to prevent it from happening and he also bashed the legue of women voters administrator (doing business for over fifthy years) of being biased. We can see what this is about no matter how much the repubs will lie on camera cause as we have seen they are not embarrassed of being hypocrites on the stimilus, HCR, birth control and anything else they once supported. We also see the total hypocrisy from their own presidential caucuses voting; it's a sham. You want to talk about voter fraud, that is a prime example. How many state republican chairmans have now had to resign because of their voting irregularities? And not many news media is talking about it, why not?
- 5 votes
#18 - Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:21 AM ESTWhen you have a state that has had not one incident of "voter fraud" yet the republican legislators are proposing new laws they claims will prevent future voter fraud, you know it's bs.
But, but, but, maybe there could possibly be one case in the future if they don't do something now. It's just a ton of prevention. /major sarcasm/
- 6 votes
with the attack on voting rights and the attack on the civil rights bill proposed by ron paul (guting the public accomodations section which willgut the act) anyone who is interested can see the plainly visible attack on minorities in america.
the attack extends to women, elderly and anyone not of the caucasian plutocratic class.
this is the "freedom" that the republican party wants to subject this country to.
- 5 votes
#19 - Mon Feb 20, 2012 2:17 PM EST...and striking down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act will have the effect of gutting the whole thing.
- 3 votes
I can't believe the citizens of this country could be so stupid as to allow a small minority of insane fascists to hijack the government through elections. If we allow them to grab power, I suppose we deserve whatever we get.
But who's voting for these nasty people? Not any of these groups in any numbers.
- Women
- African Americans
- Hispanics
- Elderly
- Organized Labor
- Moderates
- Independents
- People With Health Problems
- Democrats
- Liberals
How many votes are left for the party of hate and fear outside of a few backward rural populations yearning for the rebirth of the Confederacy? It can't be possible.
If we all vote.
- 5 votes
#20 - Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:10 PM ESTYou're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead. |
