Once upon a time, Democrats and Republicans presented their issues to the people, and let the majority decide whose policies would be implemented. The problem is that now only Democrats are trying to win that way. Since Republicans can no longer win an honest majority, they are trying to keep the people, whom they have offended through their wars on everyone but the 1%, hate mongers, wing nuts, and people too stupid to pay attention, from voting. Nothing is too sleazy for them.
Are voting laws requiring photo IDs inherently racially discriminatory, as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg maintained in her blistering dissent Saturday morning?
A team of politician scientists from Appalachian State, Texas Tech and the University of Florida took on that question for an article just published in Political Research Quarterly (h/t: Justin Levitt). Their conclusion is that the claims of proponents that they’re just upholding the principle of ballot integrity can be discounted; the photo ID laws aim to disenfranchise Democratic voters; they cite findings that the raised cost of voting imposed by photo ID requires "falls overwhelmingly on minorities." In other words, the answer is yes…
…What happened? The GOP, they say, recognized that its homogeneous white, male, older and Southern electoral base was competing against "a racially and ethnically diverse, younger, secular, liberal, and Northern-based Democratic Party." Moreover, the demographic changes bringing more Latinos, African Americans, and Asians into the voting population were working strongly against the GOP and strengthening the Democratic coalition.
The GOP could have evolved to meet these voters on their turf, but chose not to. "Rather than altering issue positions as a means to attract new supporters, the GOP has turned to restrictive voter ID laws to disproportionately deter the participation of current Democratic Party supporters," the researchers write.
In other words, appealing to a racial coalition was beyond the GOP’s capacity, so the party chose instead to disenfranchise the members of that coalition…
Inserted from <LA Times>
Had SCROTUS not gutted the Voting Rights Act several of these new restrictions could never have become law, because the racial discrimination is so blatant, not to mention discrimination against workers and students.
Rachel Maddow discussed Ginsburg’s dissent and the effects of disenfranchisement on the election with Emily Schultheis.
If you can’t see it here, try the direct link to the video on MSNBC. If that doesn’t work, it may still be available on YouTube.
For starters the Dems on Oliver’s Court should have been DemoCATS! I’m amazed Obama didn’t have a Republican poll watcher in his face challenging his right to vote.
The bottom line here is that Republicans are doing their best to sow confusion to further suppress voting. What does it say about a political party when they try to prevent legitimate voters from exercising their right to vote? It says they are not fit to govern!
Get Out The VOTE!!!
9 Responses to “Republicans Keep In the VOTE!”
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I will only say that if I didn't have a driver's license I would probably not have a picture ID. Many years ago when the drinking age was still 18 in NY, we were all required to obtain a Sheriff's picture ID. It didn''t cost anything but you had to go to the Sheriff's office 12 miles away. That went out the window too many years ago to remember. People can still obtain non-driver's licenses but they cost money and you have to get to a DMV office to have your picture taken. Good luck with that if you live somewhere without public transportation, which is most of NY State.
Very good article. Thanks TC.
Get out the vote!!
Voter identification requirements are of course discriminatory. They are also a poll tax. If you have one, you have paid for it. That may not be an issue since you have probably needed it for a different purpose which justifies paying for it. But if you don't have it, it is not going to be free, even if there is no charge for it. To make it truly free, you would have to budget transportation for every voter to a place to get it. You would also have to compensate them for time lost from work. You might have to compensate them in unemployment compensation for being unjustly fired for taking time off to get one. Even then, that doesn't allow for giving people free assistance to get free copies of their birth certificate – IF ONE EXISTS. For many people, and disproportionately for minorities, no birth certificate was issued for them; and their parents are not available to testify for them, being dead. And of course these are exactly the people who are the most adversely affected by Republican policies. Coincidence? I think not, the authors of the cited study think not, and the notorious RBG thinks not.
jla says on Care2, "Institutions die when they stop caring about meeting people's needs and shift to requiring people to become like those running the institution to get their needs met. These are all symptoms of a death march the main question being will it be soon enough to prevent complete destruction of our representative democracy by international corporations and the wealthiest whose income derives from those corporate profits or not." And how right she is. The international corporations and the filthy rich are the monkey wrench in the works. I am very afraid they will destroy America – from inside.
I think the difference now is the republians can talk crap. Tell all lies,act like fools and because people except that from them. And why not a lot of people still are just plain scared of a black man. The democrats may be trying to run on issues but they are running and fast just for the plain fact that the propaganda the right has spreading Are they scared too.( people need to see confidence and leadership.) Obama has been working hard for the American people. And instead of standing up and letting people know who he fighting for healthcare for all,rights for all and so on and so they can not even say Obama is doing a good job and I will stand with him and you should also. No they can do nothing but act like ???. Just today the headlines read "Dem. Jeanne Shaheen can't say if she approves of Obama, prompts laughter" Where is the fire? Do we not want to win? Or we going to say well the clowns on the other side is being mean? Obama needs them to stand up and fight.(sure Obama realizes what is going on. We all know but is it right to to play dodgeball and pretend like Obama does not matter? He is not running?
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Jack went to a Peter Defazio event last night (I don't like beer). His quest was to ask Peter who to support given that Oregon will remain blue (except for Greg Walden over the Cascade).
Peter's answer: Bruce Braley of Iowa is a good place to send your spare change, even if Ms. Obama didn't pronounce his name right. www.brucebraley.com/
I'd also say hit Kentucky. Allson Grimes is getting awfully close to beating Mitch the Turtle.
On another note I'd say look at what's going on in Lousiana. If they didn't have an open primary, then Mary Landrieu would win on November 4th.
Vote No on open primaries. All they open is more lying, cheating, and stealing by the GOP. The minor parties will really have no say.
Thank goodness we still have Ruth Bador Ginsberg on the court. She will tell the truth! Scotus is so owned by the Kochs and other right wingers that until we get a new court we will continue to have discriminatory rulings.
It's nice to see the courts striking down these voter laws recently.
If voter fraud was a problem I might be convinced to require ID, but it's not and I see no reason to make a process working well harder to use. In fact voting should be easier to use. The only question I have ever been asked is my address and name, so they could check off that I voted. They never asked for an ID to verify that information.
As Ginsberg defined, these voter laws are racist in that they affect minorities more than others. But even if that were not true, why try to make voting harder?
We already have federal ID's, social security cards.
Voter fraud is not the problem, Republicanus/Teabagger election fraud IS the problem. Baby Bush initiated a DOJ investigation of voter fraud with the results being that voter fraud was found to be negligible. However, there is a well travelled road of Republicanus/Teabagger election fraud that continues to wind through the country . . . voter ID, changes in voting times, changes to early voting, and the list goes on . . . under the guise or pretense of keeping the vote fair.
I admire Justice Bader-Ginsberg and her chutzpah to see that the dissent is available when the decision is announced. She is of course right. By putting out laws that demand picture ID, the obtaining of which costs money, then SCROTUS is indeed posing a poll tax. Considering that many African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities don't have appropriate access to obtain picture ID nor the funds, is a direct attack on the right to vote of those individuals. It seems that the old angry white males see the world as their oyster, and nobody else's.
GET OUT THE VOTE!
Thanks all. Fell asleep at kleyboard and just woke up. 🙁