With voter suppression looming and a Republican push towards an authoritative government, it’s up to all of us to save democracy.
In 2013 in a court response by then-Attorney General Greg Abbott, he said, “A jurisdiction may engage in constitutional political gerrymandering, even if it so happens that the most loyal Democrats happen to be Black Democrats and even if the State were conscious of that fact.” Shannon Perez vs. The State of Texas was a court case over the Republicans’ redistricting after the Supreme Court gutted the 1965 Voting Rights Act. On behalf of Texas, Abbott argued that Republicans knowingly engaged in extreme partisan gerrymandering and knew it would disproportionately hurt Black and brown Texas. Their defense was the partisan gerrymandering was meant to hurt Democrats, and it’s not their fault that most Black people vote for Democrats.
Eight years later, the Republican party of Texas carries on its history of voter suppression and racial disenfranchisement, and they boast about it openly.
[mepr-hide] https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/mepr-hide]Just yesterday, our felony-indicted Attorney General went on Steve Bannon’s talk show and admitted that Texas would have flipped blue for Biden in the 2020 election if he hadn’t successfully blocked mail-in voting.
How many down-ballot races were ultimately also affected by that?
It’s impossible to say, but it would have been enough for us to win. It also adds more perspective to the GOP’s big push in Texas for more voter suppression.
This month, Beto O’Rourke is traveling all over Texas, having a “Drive for Democracy.” He has already visited Midland, Lubbock, Abilene, Wichita Falls, and Gainesville and plans on visiting 15 more cities by June 20.
Today, while speaking in Gainesville, Beto said something important.
[mepr-hide] https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/mepr-hide]Democrats need to realize the threat before us, and we need to use the power that we have. If we fail to do what’s right for the country, we may lose Democracy forever.
These words aren’t meant to be fear politics, but a harsh reality of what Texas and all of America are facing in our future.
Just look at what Texas Republicans did in the 2021 legislative session and the awful bills they tried to pass.
It isn’t just about the right to vote. It’s about every fundamental right that we have as Texans and as Americans.
[mepr-hide] https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/mepr-hide]Women won’t be able to have access to healthcare, large swaths of our population will remain uninsured, pay rates will continue to remain stagnant, even when the cost of living rises, police will continue killing unarmed citizens, and thousands of children will keep going to bed hungry every night.
How much worse can it get? A lot worse. There are elected Republican officials on the state and federal level who have repeatedly broken their oath to defend the Constitution. Many Texas Republicans have ties with domestic terrorist organizations, white supremacy groups and uphold the Confederacy.
We’re at a cross-roads.
An immediate fix to this would be for Congress to pass the For the People Act and grant DC Statehood. But, unfortunately, the only way that will happen is to abolish the filibuster, and all Democrats vote in unison. However, this jackass is a big problem:
Joe “the Dixiecrat” Manchin is a moderate Democratic Senator from deep red West Virginia. He’s the only elected Democrat in the entire state and typically votes with Republicans 50% of the time.
Yesterday, he wrote an Op-Ed, which made clear that not only will he vote against the For the People Act, but he also is opposed to any effort to end the legislative filibuster as a way to pass several of President Joe Biden’s policy proposals.
Manchin has also gone on scores of interviews and stated how he’s trying to bring the country together with bipartisanship.
America is responding appropriately.
Joe Manchin is backed by the Koch Brothers and is at the heart of the corruption in Washington DC. Representative Jamaal Bowman compared Manchin to Mitch McConnell. Journalist Jemele Hill said that white supremacy is to be upheld by a cowardly, power-hungry white dude. He is.
Manchin wants people to believe he’s doing this to be a hero of democracy, but that’s a lie.
Hundreds of bills to strip Black and brown people of their voting rights are being pushed through state legislatures all around the county. The Republican Party is no longer a body that favors democracy. Instead, they want an authoritative style of government to rule the American people. They are a literal pre-curser to the Handmaid’s Tale. Manchin is not a hero by allowing this to happen. He’s an enemy to democracy.
Some Democrats have vocalized that they would be ok if Manchin switched to (R), but none of us should be ok with that. If Manchin switched parties, that would put Mitch McConnell back at the helm of the Senate, and we could forget about any progressive legislation until 2022.
[mepr-hide] https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/mepr-hide]Democracy is in trouble and it’s time for all of us to stand up.
In 2020, 19% of eligible voters weren’t even registered to vote. Moreover, almost a quarter of the people who registered to vote in Texas didn’t show up. It’s going to take all of us to change this. Texas isn’t a red state, it’s a non-voting state, and if left up to Republicans, it will remain that way.
If Beto makes it to your town, try and see him. If not, watch him online. Everyone should hear his message of how important voting is and what is at stake.
[mepr-hide] https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); [/mepr-hide]It’s time to get involved, sign up to volunteer at Powered by People, the Texas Democratic Party, or Move Texas. If you can’t give any time, consider a donation. If you can’t give any money, consider talking to those close to you about the importance of voting.
WE are the people, the power is in OUR hands, and we NEED to stand up against the Republican’s push to kill America’s democracy.
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