Christianity Today Op Ed

[DivineOb]

Yeah, why is it that suppression often correlate with Democratic losses in red states :icantfindthesmileyoftheguyrubbinghischin:?

[Jaecp]

Probably has something to do with the unpopularity of most Republican policy goals and the knowledge that if everyone voted the Republican party would need to change or die

[JimL]

Probably has something to do with the unpopularity of most Republican policy goals and the knowledge that if everyone voted the Republican party would need to change or die

Goes back to the 1970's when religious conservative,and political activist, Paul Weyrich said in a speech, I don't want everyone to vote, as a matter of fact the more people that vote the less of a chance we conservatives have of winning. Or words to that effect. Of course with respect to African Americans it goes back much further than that, but in the 70's they expanded their formula of suppressing the vote to include democrats/liberals in general regardless of race.

[DivineOb]

They got caught admitting that it is part of their strategy just last month. BI is definitely not a "left wing" publication from what I've seen.

"Traditionally it's always been Republicans suppressing votes in places," Clark told the group, which included Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and the executive director of the state's Republican party.

If the underlying recording was faked or made up then a lawsuit for defamation and libel would be a slam dunk.

[Jaecp]

Yeah, didn't the daughter of the architect of the GOPs voter suppression efforts put her dad's hard drive online or something recently?

[lilpixieofterror]

Probably has something to do with the unpopularity of most Republican policy goals and the knowledge that if everyone voted the Republican party would need to change or die

[lilpixieofterror]

They got caught admitting that it is part of their strategy just last month. BI is definitely not a "left wing" publication from what I've seen.



If the underlying recording was faked or made up then a lawsuit for defamation and libel would be a slam dunk.

Voter suppression has been a democrat tactic, in tough races, too.

[DivineOb]

Voter suppression has been a democrat tactic, in tough races, too.

So will you join be in condemning voter suppression wherever it occurs? I can't think of much less American than preventing others from having a voice in our government. Find me a democrat doing this (or gerrymandering) and I'll be happy to condemn them. Would you agree to do the same?

[DivineOb]

There are a number of reasons Democrats have trouble in certain areas. Probably the greatest one is the one totally outside their control -- the realization of white Christians that their day as the majority in this country is inexorably coming to an end within their lifetimes.

At the risk of offending half of the people on here, it can't come soon enough.

[lilpixieofterror]

So will you join be in condemning voter suppression wherever it occurs? I can't think of much less American than preventing others from having a voice in our government. Find me a democrat doing this (or gerrymandering) and I'll be happy to condemn them. Would you agree to do the same?

You will always find this sort of stuff going on. Oddly drawn districts, ballet boxes mysteriously disappearing/appearing at the perfect moment, odd last minute voter registration, etc. Is there an issue? Sure, but remember, not only one party does it.

[DivineOb]

You will always find this sort of stuff going on. Oddly drawn districts, ballet boxes mysteriously disappearing/appearing at the perfect moment, odd last minute voter registration, etc. Is there an issue? Sure, but remember, not only one party does it.

Another reply where you refuse to answer simple and direct questions. It's almost like you're not interested in finding agreement and only want to go cage match 24/7. Let me try again.

So will you join me in condemning voter suppression wherever it occurs? I can't think of much less American than preventing others from having a voice in our government. Find me a democrat doing this (or gerrymandering) and I'll be happy to condemn them. Would you agree to do the same?

[JimL]

You will always find this sort of stuff going on. Oddly drawn districts, ballet boxes mysteriously disappearing/appearing at the perfect moment, odd last minute voter registration, etc. Is there an issue? Sure, but remember, not only one party does it.

You're grasping at straws, Lilpix. Gerrymandering yes, that's been going on since the 1800's which is why the drawing of districts need be taken out of the hands of the politicians. The rest of your post is nonsense. But democrats aren't the ones requiring stricter and unnecessary ID laws, they aren'tthe ones tactically closing polling stations in democrat districts, or moving them at the last minute to confuse voters, they aren't the ones throwing voters off the rolls at the last minute for no good reason, they aren't the ones requiring college students to travel back to their home states in order to vote. It's only the republicans who are coming up with all these schemes and more to suppress the democrat vote, and the reason is because they know they will have a difficult time winning without these suppression tactics. There would most likely be a Black woman Governor of Georgia today had it not been for the suppression tactics employed by her very opponent in the last election.

[Sam]

You will always find this sort of stuff going on. Oddly drawn districts, ballet boxes mysteriously disappearing/appearing at the perfect moment, odd last minute voter registration, etc. Is there an issue? Sure, but remember, not only one party does it.

"Odd last minute voter registration" ... one of those things is not like the others.

But, regardless, this is like saying "Well, we'll always have murders so I can't really support increasing the police department's budget after we zeroed it out last year." There is voter suppression, in many forms, throughout America today. And while both sides don't engage in it to the same degree, you do find it implemented to protect both Democratic and Republican politicians.

But there are plenty of ways to lessen voter suppression and ways to get rid of some its forms entirely. Why it's so difficult for Republican-leaning folk to sign onto those anti-suppression methods would be confusing if the answer weren't so clear.

Bringing it back around to fascism and authoritarianism, you've got one group of people who are pushing for greater democratic representation, even when it might negatively impact their own party's (or the party they lean toward's) control. The liberal push to end Connecticut's gerrymanders is an example here. On the other end, you have a group of people who staunchly and consistently oppose ending various forms of suppression, even when shown hard data demonstrating the disenfranchising effect. They are, fundamentally, anti-democratic in their approach to political power.

If you want to be calling people fascist, that's a much better place to start.

--Sam

[Jaecp]

Is no one gonna mention that contesting late ballots isn't voter suppression? It was terrible PR, but hardly voter suppression and that the example is like 20 years old?

[lilpixieofterror]

Another reply where you refuse to answer simple and direct questions. It's almost like you're not interested in finding agreement and only want to go cage match 24/7. Let me try again.

So will you join me in condemning voter suppression wherever it occurs? I can't think of much less American than preventing others from having a voice in our government. Find me a democrat doing this (or gerrymandering) and I'll be happy to condemn them. Would you agree to do the same?

I answered it quite clearly. Never answer a yes/no question, without clarification.