The Republican Party’s electoral philosophy: Cheating wins

[applegrove]

The Republican Party’s electoral philosophy: Cheating wins

by Sean McElwee at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2014/10/25/the_republican_partys_electoral_philosophy_cheating_wins/

"SNIP.....................



If Republicans have their way, we’ll eventually be back to the days of the poll tax and the literacy test, where the votes of blacks, youth and the poor simply don’t count. We’re already halfway there. The Senate, with its antiquated system of two senators per state means that the largely rural, old, white and conservative Midwest and South have far more sway than liberal metropolitan areas. This gives Republicans a strong advantage in the Senate, something to remember if they win it this election.

Republicans have also made use of felony disenfranchisement to boost their electoral success. Some 5.85 million Americans are denied the vote due to felony disenfranchisement. Because of the racial bias in our criminal justice system and the war on drugs, a disproportionate share of these voters are black. One study finds that because felons are more likely to be poor and people of color, disenfranchisement benefits Republicans. The authors estimate that, “at least one Republican presidential victory would have been reversed if former felons had been allowed to vote.” Further, they find that such laws may have impacted control of the Senate, and even more state and local elections. It’s no surprise that in Florida, a state where 10 percent of voters can’t vote because of a felony conviction, one of Rick Scott’s first moves as governor was to tighten rules for felons trying to gain voting rights.

To a large extent, the radicalism of the Tea Party and the Republican Party at-large is due to the fact that they don’t represent the population at large; they represent a primarily white and middle- to high-income voting bloc. And that’s how Republicans want to keep it; they know they can’t win in fair race, so like Dick Dasterdly and Muttley, they set all sorts of obstacles in their opponents’ way. Hopefully, much like Dick Dasterdly and Muttley, their plan will blow up in their faces: Voters will be so angry about Republican attempts to suppress the vote that they’ll turn out in even higher numbers. Sadly, convicted felons, undocumented immigrants and many citizens without ID will still be denied the vote. In the movies, cheaters never win, for Republicans it’s been a successful electoral strategy for three decades running.



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[bmac19gg]

1. they say the same thing

Republicans say Democrats are trying to cheat by blah blah blah illegal immigrant voters blah blah blah opposing voter ID laws blah blah you know the details. Personally I don't see either side as having produced any proof that the other is doing what they claim. I don't see anything that looks like a poll tax or a literacy test, and I don't see anything that looks like a conspiracy to get non-citizens voting. I just see arguing and finger pointing and its getting old.

[elleng]

3. They may say it, but they LIE!

[uponit7771]

4. There's no equivalence, GOP has STATED the reason for overburdening vid measures is to suppress

voting..

There' are videos of people saying just that or intimating they win if vid measures take effect.

also

Having to pay 10 - 100 usd TOTAL for an ID when it was never needed before is a poll tax...... the cost have been outlined over and over in DU.

Republicans never count transportation and taking off work cost since most of these places to get the PROPER IDS (meaning all the paperwork) aren't around the corner and don't work on the weekend


\

[bmac19gg]

5. most def

That would be a poll tax. But if you can get all the ID you need for free it isn't a poll tax which. I'm not trying to say these new laws are a good idea or even necessary, I'm just saying you can get IDs for free.

[uponit7771]

7. The IDs but not time off work, transportation and in most cases the prerequisite paper work

... isn't free like a Birth certificate or SS card.

Conservatives are being traitors to the concept of democracy with their actions

[calimary]

2. That's why, most of the time, I refer to the republi-CONS as "the bad guys."

Because that's what they ARE.

[Gothmog]

6. This is a great article