The GOP Assault on Democracy

October 18, 2011 at 9:28 AM

By RICHARD CALKINS
The far-right, antidemocratic fringe existing in today’s Tea Party has entered the mainstream of the GOP.  Fraudulently claiming non-existent voter fraud as a reason, GOP governors in several states seek to disenfranchise African-Americans, Latinos, young voters, seniors, and the disabled.  They are requiring voter ID’s, which can be expensive and difficult to obtain.  They are cutting back early voting, which allowed the flexibility for everyone  to vote. 
It’s no accident that those targeted typically vote for Democrats.  In Wisconsin,  more than 50% of African Americans have no photo ID, and preliminary data indicate the photo ID law may be racially discriminatory, not a new concept to GOP Governor Scott Walker and the Tea Party,
In seeking to repeal the 17th Amendment requirement of direct election of senators, the GOP wants to return to the years before 1913, when backroom deals allowed wealthy men and corporate interests to bribe their way into office.  In attempting to repeal the 17th Amendment, the GOP seeks to deprive people of the opportunity to vote directly for officials whose decisions shape their lives.
Michigan’s Governor Rick Snyder has passed laws that shove aside locally elected officials and appoint “emergency managers” who can dissolve local governments and school boards (such as in predominantly African-American Benton Harbor).  Other such GOP wrecking crews exist in Wisconsin, Maine, and Ohio, among others.
At a time when we should be expanding democracy, The GOP’s big government, antidemocratic power grabs are turning America back a century.  The cure for what ails democracy is more democracy-not less.

Please add a comment

Leave a Reply

Name:

Email:
(Your email will not be publicly displayed.)

Please type the letters and numbers shown in the image.