Texas Defends Voting Laws: We Don't Want Democrats To Vote

[kpete]

Texas is presenting its defense.

Texas didn’t discriminate against minority voters. It was only because they were Democrats. And even if it did, the racial discrimination Texas engaged in is nowhere near as bad as the stuff that happened in the 1960s.

These are some of the arguments the state of Texas is making in an attempt to stave off federal supervision of its election laws. In late July, citing the state’s recent history of discrimination, the Justice Department asked a federal court to place the entire state back under “preclearance.” That means the state would have to submit its election law changes in advance to the Justice Department, which would ensure Texas wasn’t disenfranchising voters on the basis of race.

DOJ’s accusations of racial discrimination are baseless. In 2011, both houses of the Texas Legislature were controlled by large Republican majorities, and their redistricting decisions were designed to increase the Republican Party’s electoral prospects at the expense of the Democrats....The redistricting decisions of which DOJ complains were motivated by partisan rather than racial considerations, and the plaintiffs and DOJ have zero evidence to prove the contrary. It is perfectly constitutional for a Republican-controlled legislature to make partisan districting decisions, even if there are incidental effects on minority voters who support Democratic candidates.

http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Texas-reply-on-Sec.-3-of-VRA-8-5-13.pdf

From the article, which says it better than I can:

Furthermore, the state claims, even if Texas did discriminate, and the state stresses that it did not, it was nothing as bad as “the ‘pervasive,’ ‘flagrant,’ ‘widespread,’ and ‘rampant’ discrimination that originally justified preclearance in 1965.” So as long as Texas skies aren’t alight with flames from burning crosses, what’s the big whoop?

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/08/10/texas-on-voting-rights-its-not-about-race-just-politics/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/13/1230932/-Texas-Defends-Voting-Laws-We-Don-t-Want-Democrats-To-Vote

[Faryn Balyncd]

1. Texas Republicans: "We aren't bigots. We just hate America."

[quinnox]

2. well, at least they are being honest for once

"we don't want no black folk or Mexicans voting, because they almost always will vote for Democrats, damn it!"

[warrior1]

3. How is this not illegal

[reformist2]

4. Sounds like they've painted themselves into a corner!

[cascadiance]

5. Translation: "We are fascists... We love to hate democracy the way all UnAmerican people do!"

We are just following our inner power-mongering sociopathic nature!

(Don't we all wish that they could be honest with us this way in real life!)

[AZ Progressive]

7. Many Americans salute the flag, then desecrate the constitution

Just like so many people call themselves Christians, and then do so many things that are really anti-Christlike

[demwing]

6. Oh! Now I get it. Texas doesn't hate brown people

The state just hates brown people who won't vote for Republicans. Get it?

[napkinz]

8. cartoon ...

[Baitball Blogger]

9. His reasoning violates the Fourteenth Amendment.

Which is standard for Republicans.

[napkinz]

10. "The Texas GOP proudly defends its right to white political power."

How the Texas GOP Is Moving Swiftly to Protect the Political Power of White Conservatives

By Steven Rosenfeld
August 9, 2013

After the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, Republican majorities and politicians in many Southern states quickly went to work to revive segregationist Jim Crow voting laws.

North Carolina’s legislature passed an astounding package of bills destroying 20 years of inclusive reforms. Alabama and Mississippi began enforcing new tougher ID laws. Florida’s Tea Party Gov. Rick Scott resurrected a 2012 witch-hunt for hundreds of thousands of non-citizens—code for non-whites—on voter rolls.

And then there’s Texas, where Republican Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Gregg Abbott, is leading the most brazenly racist effort of all.

Texas and the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division have been fighting over the state redrawing election district lines to intentionally dilute the possibility of non-white voting blocks electing candidates in state and federal races. Before the Supreme Court gutted the VRA in June, Abbott would not acknowledge the race-based political implications of his state’s GOP-led redistricting.

read more: http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/how-texas-gop-moving-swiftly-protect-political-power-white-conservatives

[uponit7771]

12. +1

[napkinz]

11. kick

nt