People wait in line to vote in Decatur, Ga., Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. (Ben Gray/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
President Biden is making a renewed push to get voting rights through Congress to protect the right of Americans to choose their leaders.
But GOP obduracy and the Senate filibuster stand in the way.
Biden finally endorsed changing the rule in a much-anticipated Georgia speech on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. (Read story here.)
Georgia is where Republicans made it a felony to hand a water bottle to a voter waiting in line. That shows how far they’ll go to harass black voters. Don’t think for a moment this law isn’t aimed at suppressing black votes.
As I’ve previously written on this blog (here), Republicans “fervently believe only white people can vote,” consider black votes “fraudulent,” and think “letting black people vote is ‘fraud.'” But that’s not the only reason we need federal legislation. Republicans don’t just want to disenfranchise black people.
They’re also working toward a “heads we win, tails you lose” election system, under which gerrymandered GOP legislatures can override voters and choose electors themselves. Many of the world’s dictatorships are ruled by minority factions. America could be next if this isn’t stopped.
I don’t need any more convincing that Republicans are against democracy, and you shouldn’t either. They’ve proven that many times. Federal legislation is necessary to preserve our democracy. The filibuster isn’t necessary for anything. When they’re in conflict as now, the filibuster, not democracy, should go.