Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is promoting universal voter registration, a system used in many other democracies, to spotlight and challenge what she sees as a systematic effort by Republicans to discourage voting:
“Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of Americans from voting. What part of democracy are they afraid of?” Clinton demanded. The GOP, she said, needs to “start explaining why they’re so scared of letting citizens have their say” [Evan Halper, “Clinton Crusades Against State Voting Restrictions,” Governing, 2015.06.05].
Perhaps Clinton would like to bring that message to South Dakota to help us refer the anti-voter laws passed by our Republican Legislature. Senate Bill 69, the Incumbent Protection Plan, makes it harder for people to run for office, meaning voters will have fewer choices on their ballots and more uncontested races where they get no vote on who takes power. Senate Bill 177, the discriminatory youth minimum wage, is ostensibly about economics, but it’s really another voter-suppression bill. Employers don’t need SB 177 to pay young workers a training wage. Republican legislators passed Senate Bill 177 as a poke in the eye to the majority of voters who passed the minimum wage increase in 2014: Don’t bother passing ballot initiatives, you silly voters, because we legislators will just undo them.
Senator/Secretary/Candidate Clinton, you obviously share South Dakotans’ concerns about voting rights. Our Republican Legislature offers two keen examples of exactly the problem you want to make a major campaign issue. Help us promote our referenda to defend voting rights. Come visit South Dakota… before Bernie Sanders beats you to it!
By the way, I hear a petitioner will be at a big bike race event at Crow Peak Brewery in Spearfish tonight. I believe that may be the pasta feed starting at 5 p.m. for riders in tomorrow’s Gold Rush Gravel Grinder. Spearfish, Belle Fourche, Lead-Deadwood friends, don’t wait for Hillary—head to the brewery and sign those petitions tonight!
Update 10:38 CDT: Spearfish friends! Petitions will be at Killian’s at 4 p.m., then Crow Peak Brewery at 5, then back at Killian’s from 6 to 7. A hearty petitioner will also be working some of the Gravel Grinder aid stations Saturday. Racers, we’ll understand if you don’t stop on Saturday, but if you need a break, we’ll take your signature!
Wow …. why would Republicans want fewer people to vote?
Because they are Republicans, restricting rights is what they do,
Good one, Mr. Nemec ….
fewer democrats, poor, ill, minority or young voters, i would say. we dems need to systematically and publicly communicate to voters, clearly and simply, every criticism of republican policy and implementation. perhaps the state party needs a communication office, staffed.
FOLLOW-UP ….. (from BLAST2016)
GOP STRIKES BACK: Yesterday, HILLARY CLINTON called out four Republican candidates by name – SCOTT WALKER, JEB BUSH, CHRIS CHRISTIE and RICK PERRY – for their stances on voter ID and early voting. Today, three of them hit back:
SCOTT WALKER, in a statement: “HILLARY CLINTON’s rejection of efforts to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat not only defies logic, but the will of the majority of Americans.’
CHRIS CHRISTIE, in New Hampshire: “Secretary Clinton doesn’t know the first thing about voting rights in New Jersey or in the other states that she attacked. My sense is that she just wants an opportunity to commit greater acts of voter fraud around the country.” http://bit.ly/1KQKQWI
RICK PERRY, on Fox News this morning: “When I got on the airline to come up here yesterday, I had to show my photo ID. Now, HILLARY CLINTON may not have had to show an ID to get on an airplane in a long time, but if she’ll fly commercial, you show that … the people of Texas is who she’s taking on, because that was a law that was passed by the people of the state of Texas. She just went into my home state and dissed every person who supports having an identification to either get on an airplane or to vote. And that’s highly popular.”
Texas now has open carry of firearms and I’ll bet rwnj with guns with keep registered Dems from voting. Of course,if wingnuts go off on cops like in this video,maybe there won’t be any more Texas or Texans. :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=33&v=xfK1fJhZX7g
MFI,
I can see some knuckleheads or even KKK members with open carry not far from a polling place scaring people away. Talk about vote suppression.
Can you imagine another shooting inside a Walmart down there and there are a number of meatheads down there with their assault rifles in there?
1st how can these open carry armed tell who the bad guy is in that store?
2nd Think of the customers not knowing what is going on trying to run or hide for safety.
3rd How are those poor police officers when they get to the scene going to be able to identify who the bad guy is with all the open carry holders shooting at each other thinking each other is the bad guy? It will be hard enough evacuating people to safety.
Chaos, adrenaline, fear, armed idiots, innocent customer with kids screaming, limited visibility with a store filled with inventory. Scary!
Lynn, if the civilians in the video had been black, they’d have been dead too.
Hillary is absolutely on the right track with her voting rights comments. I’ve been reading editorials about her move to the left. I’m all for that, but I’m not convinced she’ll stick with it. How much is for votes and how much is really sincere? I feel fairly certain that she is sincere about voting rights, but I want to hear from her about the domestic economy and foreign policy.
if hillary can follow up positively after obama’s massive two terms, we, the nation and the world are in good hands
Wish HRC had the cojones to order public executions of wingnuts who are openly trying to tear this once great country apart. Wingnuts,otoh,are quite content to stir up imbeciles to the point where they commit heinous crimes and then wingnuts claim they had nothing to do with the violence. It is all the fault of Amerika hating Libs.
Ugly but instructive comparison, Mike. We don’t fan the flames of violence. We believe we can solve problems by civil, democratic means.
Deb, I want to believe that the voter rights push is not a tack to the left but smart politics that Clinton could carry right through the general election. Fighting for voting rights isn’t as potent for distinguishing herself in the primary as it is from distinguishing herself in the general from Republicans. Look at the context of her speech and the responses Porter cites: when she advocates voting rights, she puts every Republican, regardless of who wins the GOP nomination, on the defensive. She’s taking the tack I recommended last month of branding Democrats as the party of democracy, the party that vows to defend every voter’s voice. That’s not a Left/Dem message; that’s a message that appeals beyond the primary to Independents and disaffected voters.
Clinton can ride voter rights to victory in November. She’s smart to run on it—and remember, this is a Bernie Sanders supporter offering this analysis!
Another issue that most on our side of their brain agree, “USA isn’t the world’s police force.” Lindsey Graham and John McCain seem to side with “perpetual military intervention”.
Miss Lindsey says if he is elected and suspects you of being a terrorist,he is calling in the drones w/o regard to your constitutional or civil rights. Miss Lindsey-judge,jury and executioner.
thom hartmann broadcasts suggest hillary will go after war criminals
Leslie, don’t toy with me!
How likely do you think it is that Hilary would go after the Shrub, Darth Cheney, and other neo-con, war mongering sleeze balls? Did Hartmann give any reasons for that?
When I think of the American women and men who died; the Iraqi moms, sisters, brothers, gramas, husbands, uncles, and entire families who died because of those neo-con psychopaths . . . . . . . I can hardly breathe.