On Thursday, there were protests in defense of voting rights on Capitol Hill, one of which was led by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Beatty and other black women were arrested for their protests, which they knew they likely would be. But they had brought attention to the need for voting rights legislation and made their point.
Afterwards, posted a strong, defiant message on Twitter to let the world know she and her fellow protesters won’t be silenced and won’t stop protesting until Congress passes comprehensive legislation to address the wave of voting restrictions being passed by GOP-controlled states across the country:
You can arrest me. You can’t stop me. You can’t silence me.
For some reason known only to him, Donald Trump Jr. decided he’d comment on Congresswoman Beatty’s tweets, but he did it in a way that’s typical for him: Like a moronic asshole:
This is terrible. I had no idea that Black Women couldn’t vote. How is this not a bigger story? https://t.co/CNxjcE8kS2
Yes, black women can indeed vote. But it seems Republicans consider them to be a threat to their electoral future, so they want to make it as difficult as possible for people of color to vote. Make no mistake: Voting restrictions are about suppressing the voices of black and brown Americans. They’re a modern-day form of Jim Crow.
Rep. Beatty, however, got the last word on the matter:
Since your Dad lost, got kicked off Facebook & Twitter for inciting an insurrection that killed 5, & keeps lying about the election, Govs. Kemp & Abbott and Republican states are working overtime to deny Americans' the right to vote. It's a big story. https://t.co/n2VxUcHf7S
Ain't it tragic that we've gotten to the point in America where an entire political party wants to prevent people from votin', but ensure everyone owns a gun?
If we valued the voice of the people we would have mail in ballots sent to every registered voter nationally, accurate voter records, or election day as a national holiday, same day registration, and a polling station for every 5k voters in logical places. But ok dog whistle
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is terrified of what he’s facing when he runs for reelection next year.
Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) has already announced she will seek the Democratic nomination to face Rubio, along with former Florida governor Charlie Crist, who also currently serves in the House. Bothone poll extremely well when pitted against the incumbent Rubio.
Also, a couple of weeks ago, the Orlando Sentinel excoriated Rubio, writing:
“What’s the point of appealing to someone who swore off another Senate run when he ran for president in 2016, then turned around and ran for the Senate? Someone who negotiated a bipartisan immigration reform bill and then campaigned against it?
“We’ve been waiting a decade for Rubio to do the right thing. But the senator is Lucy with the football, and every Floridian who trusts him is Charlie Brown.”
And now the Florida senator is making it clear that he knows if every registered voter in his state casts a ballot next year, he’s going to lose in a landslide.
Speaking with The Floridian, Rubio was asked about legislation Demings will soon be introducing in the House called the “Every Vote Counts Act.” The legislation would federalize elections and supersede laws that have been passed in dozens of states recently, including in Florida.
But to hear Rubio tell it, the bill is a disaster:
“She’s trying to undo what the Florida legislature passed. These guys don’t want there to be any election laws, she’s part of their national Marxist strategy.”
So making it easier for people to vote and guaranteeing that everyone who is eligible can cast a ballot is now Marxist? Karl Marx wasn’t exactly a fan of elections. If you doubt that, take a look at what happened when Marxism was instituted on a national scale in the Soviet Union.
Demings explained the reason she sees the need for her bill, and it completely destroys Rubio’s angry rantings:
“Let’s not be distracted by politically-motivated lies which seek the undermine faith in our elections. The Department of Homeland Security under President Trump reported that last year’s election was the most secure in our nation’s history. Unfortunately, Republicans in state legislatures across the country are seeking political advantage by attempting to stop certain people from voting. When we take away someone’s vote, we take away their voice.”
Republicans don’t want all Americans to have a voice when it comes to elections. They just want their voters to show up and cast a ballot. See, they know they can’t win elections without cheating, so they try to codify their cheating via legislation that restricts the most fundamental right of any representative democracy.
Marco Rubio is a cancer on the Senate. He needs to be booted from office and also needs to go back and take some lessons in history and political science.
Now that we once again have a U.S. Attorney General who believes in protecting the Constitution and the rights of all Americans, the Department of Justice is once again working to make sure that all of us have an equal voice in deciding who represents us and makes the laws that govern our nation.
According to multiple reports, the DOJ under AG Merrick Garland is giving serious considering to suing the state of Georgia for the package of voter suppression restrictions that were signed into law Thursday evening by Governor Brian Kemp (R).
CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz reports that President Joe Biden was asked about whether or not the DOJ would indeed challenge voting restrictions in the Peach State:
Asked by @DJJudd if there's anything the WH can do to protect voting rights in Georgia, President Biden says "We’re working on that right now. We don’t know quite exactly what we can do at this point. The Justice Department’s taking a look as well.”
That’s not all the president had to say on the matter, according to the New York Daily News:
President Biden took blistering aim Friday at Georgia Republicans and suggested they could face Justice Department scrutiny for enacting an ‘outrageous’ law that places ‘Jim Crow’-like restrictions on voting in the critical swing state.
“Biden also told reporters later in the day that Justice Department intervention could be warranted.
“’We don’t know quite exactly what we can do at this point. The Justice Department’s taking a look as well,’ he said.”
A lawsuit has already been filed in Georgia by several civil rights groups. The Justice Department could either join that action or file its own lawsuit to block implementation of the voting restrictions and eventually have them ruled unconstitutional and therefore illegal.
The Biden administration also continues to push for passage of the For the People Act in the U.S. Senate. While Republicans are expected to try and delay a vote on the bill by using the filibuster, it increasingly looks like Senate Democrats will overhaul the filibuster rules so that the voting rights bill can reach the Senate floor for a vote. With the Senate currently divided 50-50 among the two parties, a tie vote would allow Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the deciding vote that would make the For the People Act the law of the land.
The DOJ needs to fight the Georgia voting restrictions and get them overturned. If Republicans cannot win elections without cheating, then they should disband their party and admit they’re bereft of any real ideology other than repression.