Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Human rights How low can Republicans go? Check Virginia
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 6:27 AM
A truly breathtaking piece of political chicanery in Virginia yesterday.
It was M.L. King Day. It was the inauguration day for the second term of the country's first black president, Barack Obama.
A lion of civil rights in Virginia, Sen. Henry Marsh, 79, noted that the Senate calendar held no important business and joined others in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration.
Bad move.
The Senate is split 20-20 on partisan lines, 20-19 in favor of Republicans without Marsh.
Oh, no ,they wouldn't!
Oh, yes, they would!
With a measure conceived in stealth and cloaked in secrecy, the Republicans used their one-day majority for an unannounced radical redistricting bill that, among other things favorable to Republicans, crammed as many black voters as possible in a single district.
Yes. Virginia Republicans used the occasion of M.L. King Day and President Obama's inauguration to make it harder to elect black people to the Virginia legislature. Remember this in the coming landmark voting rights case when the U.S. Supreme Court's white Republican majority tells you that we live in a post-racial America. No consideration need be given any longer to racial impact of school laws or employment actions. Remember it, too, when Arkansas Republicans jam through their Voter ID bill. It if makes it harder for older black people like Henry Marsh to vote, well, that's just coincidental.
Speaking of...
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Vote fraud: Myth-busting in Ohio
May 24, 2013This is really important, since the Republican-majority legislature in Arkansas just joined the "vote fraud" brigade with Voter ID legislation designed to depress turnout among traditional Democratic constituencies. /more/
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Who'll be big winners in tax cut spree?
April 17, 2013If the Republican-majority Senate follows the Republican-majority House in expanding the Obamacare financed expansion of Medicaid today (I think they will), doors open on tax cuts for the well-to-do. /more/
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Republicans mount PR effort on Voter ID bill
April 4, 2013The Arkansas Republican Party, having passed a Voter ID bill developed nationally to depress turnout among traditional Democratic constituencies, mounted a PR effort this morning to show that they really do care about people voting. /more/
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House overrides Beebe veto of voter ID bill
April 1, 2013At 2:20 p.m., the House is hearing arguments from Rep. Stephen Meeks to override Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of the bill to require a photo ID to vote in Arkansas. /more/
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Speaker Carter gets touchy on senator's outburst
March 30, 2013The Arkansas legislature faces a six-day week next week because of the need for extended meetings to complete action on pending business before the currently scheduled end of the session April 19. /more/
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The Good God Friday Edition
March 29, 2013Prop 8 and DOMA and the Arkansas General Assembly and Sen. Mark Pryor shameful responses where, the fight over voter ID, media criticism of the Democrat-Gazette, the morality of Republican tax cuts, Big River Steel, new numbers on expansion and the latest on the potential merger between UAMS and St. Vincent — all covered on this week's edition. /more/
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Republicans don't want poor people to vote
March 29, 2013When they say it (voter ID, whatever) isn't about race or poor people .... Check this out. /more/
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The floor to Gov. Beebe
March 28, 2013Gov. Mike Beebe on Monday vetoed the Republican vote suppression bill because it unnecessarily restricts the right to vote. It was courageous. /more/
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Gov. Mike Beebe vetoes Voter ID bill
March 25, 2013Gov. Mike Beebe has vetoed SB 2, the Republican-backed Voter ID bill. /more/
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Gun nuttery and the race for U.S. Senate
March 22, 2013The gun nuts are spoiling to go after U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor. No surprise. /more/
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