Now the GOP Is Trying to Kill the Voting Rights Act

The Republican Party’s total war on minorities
Politics • Views: 27,670

Next target on the Republican Party’s hit list: the Voting Rights Act that guarantees minorities access to the ballot box.

In a political system where even the most trivial issues trigger partisan rancor, the Voting Rights Act has stood for several decades as a rare point of bipartisan consensus.

Until now.

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.

Exactly.

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36 comments
1 Coracle  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:02:38pm

I'm gratified they're concentrating so hard on economic recovery.

2 erik_t  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:03:33pm

I care more about the rights of people than about the notional rights of states.

3 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:05:32pm

The GOP is not content with merely pushing the Overton Window. They're in full defenestration mode now.

4 Fortitudine  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:07:22pm

If nothing else, this is a welcome sign that the Republican Party has finally stopped living in an alternate universe and waked up to the fact that they haven't a hope in hell of persuading minorities to vote for them.

5 Obdicut  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:10:02pm
When the law last came up for renewal in 2006, there was some grumbling from conservative lawmakers, particularly about the provisions that require seven states — including Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas — and parts of nine others to submit any changes to voting laws, rules and even polling place locations to the Justice Department or a federal court for advance approval

Despite the misgivings, the final vote for the bill was a lopsided 390-33 in the House. And in the Senate, critics of the law couldn’t pick up a single no vote. It passed, 98-0.

Now, though, the GOP has suddenly discovered the Voting Rights Act is terrible and evil and they'd never support such a tyrannous instrument. It must have been some other guys voting in 2006. Certainly nobody in office now.

6 BongCrodny  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:13:57pm

re: #3 Your ad could be here.

The GOP is not content with merely pushing the Overton Window. They're in full defenestration mode now.

The Defenestrator

7 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:14:30pm

re: #5 Obdicut

I say, let them push this issue and see how many votes they get.

8 Obdicut  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:15:11pm

If they really do go after it, they're just going to wind up shooting themselves in the foot. They're not going to be able to get away with real Jim Crow shit, and there are bits to the Voting Rights law that makes it a lot easier to gerrymander districts-- which is a large part of what keeps incumbents in power.

Also, the Democrats aren't saints. As usual, the GOP plan depends on the GOP being in power forever.

It'd be fucking hilarious if they got the Voting Rights Act struck down and lost a bunch of state legislatures, and found themselves hoist by their own petard.

9 erik_t  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:16:24pm

re: #8 Obdicut

But, but, permanent Republican majority!

10 Kragar  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:17:33pm
11 Gus  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:19:12pm

The Republican Party dog whistle and Southern strategy has been discarded and replaced with a full white robe and pointy hat.

12 TedStriker  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:23:05pm
“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.

That's because it is racist and bigoted, Einstein...

/if it looks like shit and smells like shit, it most likely is shit

13 Our Precious Bodily Fluids  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:25:11pm

re: #3 Your ad could be here.

The GOP is not content with merely pushing the Overton Window. They're in full defenestration mode now.

Although I'm fully aware of the correct definition (and am rather fond of the word in fact), "defenestration" always sounds to me like an overwhelmingly unpleasant medical procedure.

14 Lidane  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:25:11pm

Gotta love that GOP minority outreach. =P

15 TedStriker  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:30:00pm

re: #8 Obdicut

If they really do go after it, they're just going to wind up shooting themselves in the foot. They're not going to be able to get away with real Jim Crow shit, and there are bits to the Voting Rights law that makes it a lot easier to gerrymander districts-- which is a large part of what keeps incumbents in power.

Also, the Democrats aren't saints. As usual, the GOP plan depends on the GOP being in power forever.

It'd be fucking hilarious if they got the Voting Rights Act struck down and lost a bunch of state legislatures, and found themselves hoist by their own petard.

No, it wouldn't be, because the CRA was forged with the blood of the people who had little to no rights and suffered for it before the bill became law.

This push to gut the CRA shouldn't even be allowed to get a toehold.

16 jaunte  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:30:35pm
I don't want everybody to vote," Paul Weyrich, co-founder of the billionaire-funded Heritage Foundation, Moral Majority, American Legislative Exchange Council and other conservative organizations said while addressing a conservative Republican audience. "Our leverage in the elections goes up as the voting populace goes down," he added after he denigrated those who seek "good government" through maximum, informed voter participation as people who suffer from the "goo goo syndrome."
17 Lidane  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:32:00pm

re: #15 talon_262

No, it wouldn't be, because the CRA was forged with the blood of the people who had little to no rights and suffered for it before the bill became law.

This push to gut the CRA shouldn't even be allowed to get a toehold.

Exactly. This sort of atavistic, racist bullshit should not be allowed to happen at all. People died to get the CRA and VRA passed, and to gain equality under the law.

If some racist assholes can't get over it that's their problem.

18 Kragar  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:32:19pm

Santorum: Parents should run schools

Santorum was repeating statements he made in Ohio Saturday where he told a conservative audience that public schools are "anachronistic." He said public schools go "back to the time of industrialization of America when people came off the farms where they did home-school or have the little neighborhood school, and into these big factories, so we built equal factories called public schools.

"The federal government should not be running schools, frankly much less that the state government should be running schools," he said Saturday.

This statement goes further than other Republican presidential candidates who have said they want the federal government to pass on the role of funding and running schools to the states.

When pressed by Schieffer, Santorum said, "Local communities and parents should be the ones who are in control of public education."

Yeah, lets make every public school a home school! "We don't believe in Evolution or Global Warming, cut it out of the curriculum. Next, we'll teach the truth behind the war of Northern Aggression!"

19 erik_t  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:33:27pm

re: #18 Kragar

Santorum: Parents should run schools

Yeah, lets make every public school a home school! "We don't believe in Evolution or Global Warming, cut it out of the curriculum. Next, we'll teach the truth behind the war of Northern Aggression!"

He's against public education. Why am I not surprised?

20 Lidane  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:33:49pm

re: #18 Kragar

Santorum: Parents should run schools

Further proof that this moron should never be allowed anywhere near the White House.

21 Varek Raith  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:34:33pm

re: #18 Kragar

Santorum: Parents should run schools

Yeah, lets make every public school a home school! "We don't believe in Evolution or Global Warming, cut it out of the curriculum. Next, we'll teach the truth behind the war of Northern Agression!"

I vote Kragar to run his local schools.

22 TedStriker  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:37:26pm

re: #15 talon_262

Whoops...typed CRA when I meant the VRA, but it would not surprise me if these shitheels want to target the CRA too.

23 erik_t  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:38:11pm

re: #22 talon_262

Whoops...typed CRA when I meant the VRA, but it would not surprise me if these shitheels want to target the CRA too.

We already know they do. Ask LUAP DNAR et al.

24 Slumbering Behemoth Stinks  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:39:28pm

re: #21 Somalia: Libertarian Paradise

I vote Kragar to run his local schools.

Kragar/Varek 2012!

"We won't live long, but at least we won't have to suffer through any more campaign speeches"!

25 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:39:47pm

re: #21 Somalia: Libertarian Paradise

I vote Kragar to run his local schools.

Blood for the blood god?

26 jaunte  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:40:03pm

The GOP War on Voting
In a campaign supported by the Koch brothers, Republicans are working to prevent millions of Democrats from voting next year

Voting rights are under attack in America," Rep. John Lewis, who was brutally beaten in Alabama while marching during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, observed during an impassioned speech on the House floor in July. "There's a deliberate and systematic attempt to prevent millions of elderly voters, young voters, students, minority and low-income voters from exercising their constitutional right to engage in the democratic process."

27 engineer cat  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:42:47pm

freepers, today

Note to Santorum: Hire some advisors who get it, grow a spine, or get out of the race before Obama eats you alive. If your only reaction when you draw media opposition is to recoil, slug-like from the pin-pricks, you do not belong in the race. Should have stuck with your point: Black Marxist Theology is not Christian, or biblical.
First, you alienated the Marxist sympathizers, which is fine, but, NOW, you have alienated those of us who respected you for calling out Obama on his non-Christian theological world view.

Bottom line: You are isolating yourself. Not wise. Your advisors work for Romney, perhaps?

so, i have two questions:

1) what is "black marxist theology"?

2) how the hell is santorum killing romney and gingrich in all gop matchup polls??? if the freepers don't like him, who is his demographic???

28 Slumbering Behemoth Stinks  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:43:12pm

re: #25 Your ad could be here.

"Creationism has never been more terrifying."

"Intelligent Design? No. Malevolent Design? Hell yes!"

29 Achilles Tang  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:44:21pm

re: #18 Kragar

Santorum: Parents should run schools

Yeah, lets make every public school a home school! "We don't believe in Evolution or Global Warming, cut it out of the curriculum. Next, we'll teach the truth behind the war of Northern Aggression!"

What he is saying is actually what every school would love to do. Individually paced teaching for every child.

Surely he must know that most families either don't have the skills to home school, since they dropped out, or don't have the time, and to do this in public schools would need perhaps 4 times as many teachers and 75% smaller class sizes.

Presumably he would pay for it by eliminating teacher unions and paying them minimum wage.//

and this man wants to be president...

30 erik_t  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:44:46pm

re: #27 engineer cat

so, i have two questions:

1) what is "black marxist theology"?

2) how the hell is santorum killing romney and gingrich in all gop matchup polls??? if the freepers don't like him, who is his demographic???

1) Things we don't like. At least they're being honest with the 'black' part.

2) True religious nutters, which has never seemed to me like the core freeper demo.

31 HappyWarrior  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:48:48pm

What the hell--------

32 engineer cat  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 12:48:51pm

Santorum: Parents should run schools

uh, i'm sure he means only the 'right kind' of parents

wouldn't want any black marxist theology parents or elite parents whi look down their nose at you and think they know better

33 Romantic Heretic  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 1:15:08pm

They don't even pretend to be anything but authoritarian dirtbags any more.

34 sagehen  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 1:44:20pm

re: #27 engineer cat

so, i have two questions:

1) what is "black marxist theology"?

2) how the hell is santorum killing romney and gingrich in all gop matchup polls??? if the freepers don't like him, who is his demographic???

actually, liberation theology (which is what Rev Wright's church is into) has a long and proud history that this country used to support -- it was developed by the Catholic Church for use in the communist and fascist countries, pushing for democracy.

35 SmithCommaJohn  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 4:17:51pm

In the current incarnation of the GOP, it is now perfectly acceptable to advocate taking away the voting rights of people who don't vote for them. On some of the crazier online forums, like Rapture Ready and Free Republic, you'll see people openly advocating taking away women's right to vote. I don't think it will be long before that enters the "mainstream" right wing discourse.

36 labman57  Sun, Feb 19, 2012 6:00:58pm

GOP-controlled state legislatures should simply cut to the chase and create a bill stating that the only residents who are qualified to vote in general elections are registered members of the Republican Party.


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