voting

The following will appear as an editorial in the Roxboro local paper. I put out flyers this week at the high school where I work promoting a Teen Democrat meeting next week. 2012 is here.

Conservatives by definition look backwards. Unfortunately, time does not flow backwards; our children and grandchildren will live in the future, not the past.

Originally cross-posted from the Institute for Southern Studies, by Chris Kromm.

Last November, the big themes of the 2010 elections were jobs and the economy. But in states across the South and country, many of the most pitched legislative battles have focused on another issue entirely: voting rights.

With Republicans taking power or strengthening their hand in many state legislatures -- and the 2012 elections looming on the horizon -- GOP leaders are seizing the opportunity to push a raft of measures they claim will restore integrity to the voting process.

But the new voting bills share some important features: They all work to restrict the franchise and shrink the electorate -- in most cases, in ways that would decrease Democratic votes.

And many of the most restrictive measures are being pursued in key battleground states, where shaving just a few percentage points off the black, Latino or youth vote could mean the difference between a state going red or blue.

"It's shocking that the media is reporting on these bills as if they are merely innocent attempts at election reform," said a local North Carolina election official. "Why are they being pushed so hard now? Why in battleground states? Who stands to benefit? The most relevant questions just aren't being asked."

In case you (or your cat) were confused about the May 5th British referendum on voting system reform, cats are here to help...

Cross post from LA Progressive.

"...Now, in 2011, things are a little different. Main Street is hurting, and unemployment is high and seemingly intractable. Meanwhile, as poor and working people struggle and fail to keep their necks above water, Wall Street and the corporate elites never had it so good.

Profits are at a record high, and the gap between the richest of Americans and the rest of us is higher than at any time since the first Great Depression.

It’s been a few days now since we began a conversation that addresses the issue of how frustrated some number of LBGT voters are with the Democratic Party this cycle; this because they find themselves either frustrated at the lack of progress on the civil rights issues that matter to them, or because they see both the Democratic and Republican Parties as unreliable partners in the struggle to assure equal rights for all.

In an effort to practice some actual journalism, I assembled a version of an online “focus group” at The Bilerico Project (“daily adventures in LBGTQ”), with the goal of gathering some opinions on this subject in the actual words of those frustrated voters.

Part One of this story focused on “stating the problem”, and today we’ll take on Part Two: in this environment, with Election Day staring us in the face, what is an LBGT voter to do?

As before, there are a variety of opinions, including a very informative comment I was able to obtain from a genuine Member of Congress, Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania’s 8th District, and that means until the very end you won’t hear much from me, except to help “set the stage” for the comments that follow.

It is about a week before early voting begins for a bunch of us around the country, and that means this may be one of the last times I have to convince you that, frustrated progressive or not, you better get your butt to a ballot box or a mail-in envelope this November, because it really does matter.

Now I could give you a bunch of “what ifs” to make my point, or I could remind you how we spent all summer watching oil gush into the Gulf, and how that came to be...but, instead, it’s “Even More Current Event Day”, and we’re going to visit Hungary for a extremely real-world reminder of what can go wrong when the environmental cops are considered just too much of a burden by the environmental robbers—and if today’s story doesn’t scare you to death, I don’t know what will.

It ain’t Texas, but we will surely visit a Red River Valley...and you surely won’t like what you’re gonna see.

From Chris Fitzsimon on Policy Watch today: on the 527 organizations that will fund "between now and November by Real Jobs and RightChange.com and whatever other right-wing groups that are created with conservative corporate money (and subsidized without any worry by Art Pope and friends).

"House Speaker Joe Hackney told AP that 'there will always be wealthy people who will try to buy elections with their money' and that he hoped that some Democrats would come forward to fight back."

Coming forward means wealthy Democrats funding groups and ads of their own and that's already happening and certain to happen more with big money from unions and trial lawyers and other wealthy interests."

Hello all -- just wanted to say Happy 4th of July from Democracy North Carolina to all of you who care enough about democracy to get up offa your thangs and protect it. Also want to invite you to sign an on-line voter pledge in honor of the 4th. Hope you will spread the word and push the Push-1 Pledge. We're trying to get first-time '08 voters back to the polls this year, like a lot of people. Finally, after the jump, I'm going to re-post something one of our Democracy Summer interns posted on our Tales From the Frontline staff blog -- it will chase the cynical right out of you and give you hope for the future:

Some of you may have heard by now that Blanche Lincoln's victory over Bill Halter in the Arkansas Senate primary run-off has been somewhat tainted by the revelation that 40 out of 42 runoff election polls in Garland County were closed for early voting on the Saturday before Election Day after a public promise to keep them open. Only 2 polls were open throughout the entire county that day and hundreds of voters who showed up to vote were reportedly denied. Since Garland County was the most populous county Bill Halter won 3 weeks ago, his supporters are crying foul.

I was completely caught up in the moment on Tuesday, March 23, when President Obama signed the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” and later when he thanked a larger crowd who had worked to make it happen. I was struck by the real joy reflected on many tired faces, the child-like exuberance in the room – feelings that only occur after a long struggle and when success is at hand.

Though I felt a part of the celebrations as a citizen of the United States, I was deeply saddened that Western North Carolina did not have their official representative present. Now I know some are happy about that, but I am not. I felt wiped out as Heath Shuler continued to cast “No” votes against health reform.