Voter Suppression Backfires Memo to GOP: Blacks get stronger like the Incredible Hulk if you deny their voting rights

Politics • November 2012 • Views: 1,498

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/voter-suppression-backfires/264960/?google_editors_picks=true

Voter Suppression Backfires

TA-NEHISI COATES

NOV 8 2012, 10:40 AM ET 389

We talked yesterday about the kind of substantive reform the GOP could make in order to diversify. Here is a good one: Stop trying to inhibit participation. Stop it. You will not make us lazy. You will only make us angry: (continued)

Video

Barack Obama knew who he was talking to when he called voting the best revenge. We don’t need no high-faluting reasons to stand in those long lines. We’ll stand there just for the privilege of putting that stutter in Karl Rove’s speech, and that panicked look on his face.

Delicious!

GOP Blacks

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2 comments

LadyPugilist Sat, Nov 10, 2012 11:02:14am

I couldn't have said it better myself. The GOP tried to suppress the vote of people whose grandparents were lynched and intimidated for deigning to exercise our rights as citizens. Even though I believe these vote suppression tactics are illegal, I will wait in line for 4 hours if need be (as I did in northeast Ohio in 2004, outside in the cold rain), to prove these people wrong. Also, memo to GOP vote suppression machine: now that we've mobilized and experienced success at the ballot box in defeating voter suppression, don't waste your time on this tactic again. Instead, you just might have to retool, embrace diversity and accept power-sharing with your fellow citizens--an ever-increasing number of whom are people of color, and figure out how to pitch your message in a non-dog-whistle-to-racists manner that might convince potential voters of whatever color to consider your policies. I'm black, generally left-of-center, open-minded, and, for the record, I occasionally have voted for GOP candidates in the past. But when someone insults me and disrespects our nation's first black President in unprecedented manners (i.e., "You lie!" birtherism, etc.), and apparently forgets the struggles that my forebears endured just to vote, I will turn out, come hell or high water, and vote against this agenda.

I am completely serious when I say that in the 2 week run-up to the election, I was not worried at all about the outcome. (Why? Because I read Nate Silver, I trust real data, and I've been an Obama campaign volunteer in the swing state of Virginia.) I was relaxed, confident that Obama would win. My only question (as in '08) was what Obama's margin of victory would be. So I was truly surprised that the opposition was surprised. I honestly thought that the Romney campaign's confident projections of victory during the last week were just bravado to keep their base in good spirits to turn out to vote so that the outcome wouldn't be so lopsided in Obama's favor.

The fact that the GOP and the Romney campaign were shocked just demonstrates how they must have no voices in their inner circles who are attuned to on-the-ground dynamics within U.S. communities of color.

Destro Sat, Nov 10, 2012 8:31:54pm

re: #1 LadyPugilist

Even though I believe these vote suppression tactics are illegal

It was illegal and I think a provable criminal conspiracy on behalf of the GOP national party or a political entity (Karl Rove's super pacs?) to suppress the vote in the guise of trying to stamp out voter fraud.

Clearly there seems to have been a coordinated effort by the GOP to do just that. Clearly these GOP led efforts were designed to circumvent the Fifteenth Amendment. I want subpoenas issued and testimonies given under oath. I want the Obama to have the AG investigate.

Where did these ideas come from? What think tank? Is their an email/paper trail? Meetings were held? Who attended?

[Link: littlegreenfootballs.com...]

I think next week I will contact the NAACP and ask if they are working on such a campaign and I will contact my senators and congressman.

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