Obama calls new GOP voting changes a “big mistake” and instructs DOJ to Investigate

[FrenchieCat]

Obama Denounces New GOP Voting Laws, Says the Justice Department Is Investigating
By Ari Berman

"I will say that my big priority is making sure that as many people are participating in our democracy as possible.
Some of these moves in some of the other states that we’ve seen try to make it tougher to vote,
restricting ballot access, making it hard on seniors, making it hard on young people.

I think that’s a big mistake, and I have made sure that our Justice Department is taking a look
at what’s being done across the country to ensure that people aren’t being denied access to the
franchise." - Pres. Obama

The fact that Obama invoked the Justice Department is very important, since the department has the authority under the Voting Rights Act to approve, deny or modify these laws. “The Justice Department should be much more aggressive in areas covered by the Voting Rights Act,” Congressman John Lewis told me recently.

There are signs that is starting to happen. The Justice Department recently sent pointed letters to Texas and South Carolina, two states that have strict new photo ID requirements, asking for more information on what kind of impact the laws will have on minority voters. And last month, the department found that Texas’s new redistricting maps for the state house and US House of Representatives violated the Voting Rights Act by shortchanging Hispanic residents. (A three-panel federal district court in Washington, which also has authority under the VRA, is now reviewing the Texas maps.)

Career lawyers in the civil rights division of the Justice Department, who were frequently sidelined and overruled during the Bush Administration, are reasserting their authority and independence under Obama. They may be the only ones who can halt the GOP’s war on voting.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/163774/obama-denounces-new-gop-voting-laws-says-doj-investigating

[AtomicKitten]

1. Bravo!!!

k&r

[lsewpershad]

58. +1

[HowHasItComeToThis]

67. REPUBS ARE THE ENEMY WITHIN

[msongs]

2. 'bout time and good news if it is not a campaign stunt nt

[FrenchieCat]

3. Wow....

[SidDithers]

27. Amazing, eh?...nt

Sid

[FrenchieCat]

32. Not anymore....

Sad, though, considering what's at stake. :(

[panader0]

5. Up to 5 million people may be disenfranchised by the new GOP

voting resgistration laws. Who do you think those people would vote for?
This is not a campaign stunt. It is a desire for justice, for the right to vote.

[Whisp]

7. ....

it's too bad everything looks so sour and suspicious to you.
hope you are happier in real life than on DU.

[ClarkUSA]

14. "a campaign stunt"? This kind of asinine idea is why Obama supporters are constantly amused...

... and bemused.

[JuniperLea]

80. They have so little...

It really is getting amusing.

[drm604]

24. A campaign stunt?

Think about what you're saying. Suppose we assume for the sake of argument that he's totally cynical and opportunistic and this is a campaign stunt. Why would he want to pull a campaign stunt? Because he wants to win and continue as President for another 4 years, that's why.

If he wants to win then one thing he'd want to do is stop the Republican war on voting so people can actually vote for him!

No matter what you think of the man, the idea that this is a campaign stunt makes no sense.

[pam4water]

63. +1

[JuniperLea]

79. What a lovely turtleneck...

It hides your double chin. - Example of a back-handed compliment... not unlike your own.

[blm]

4. Finally....time to unmask those fascist bastards.

.

[jaysunb]

17. My sentiments exactly !

:hi:

[blm]

44. hey there, buddy

; )

[YellowCosmicSun]

6. Now the GOP will be on the defensive for suppressing votes until the election.

[barbtries]

40. at the same time

suppressing all the votes they can if they think they might be for the democrat.

[lunatica]

8. OMG! This might just work!

Oh please, please let them stop the war on voting!

[orpupilofnature57]

9. The Devastation of the 2000 farce should be the only lesson necessary.

[truedelphi]

10. And next on his agenda - some serious scolding!

Boy, I bet he will make those Republicans squirm!

[FrenchieCat]

11. Perhaps that squirming you feel is just your own?

The negativity really isn't helping us in anyway....
not in reference to something like this.

Give it a rest, or at least be a bit more selective. Ok? :eyes:

[truedelphi]

36. Any time I see someone pretending that they care about the needs of

The average American, I feel like squirming. Especially if they have previously demonstrated again and again that they don't care.

Any activist elected to office, who really cared about the voting issue, would have made it a priority during the first year's activities, not during the final months.

O8)

[kestrel91316]

69. Exactly. They have had plenty of time to deal with this and yet haven't until now.

[ClarkUSA]

12. "the department has the authority under the Voting Rights Act to approve, deny or modify these laws"

When's the last time any Democratic president made this kind of a move against Republican voter suppression?

[eomer]

42. Not sure what the substance of your claim is, if any.

The last Democratic President was Clinton and I believe his administration was strong on enforcing the Voting Rights Act. In fact all Democratic Presidents since its passage in 1965 have been strong on enforcing the VRA, haven't they? The only one that we might argue about would be President Obama, who inherited a DOJ Civil Rights Division that had been gutted by G.W. Bush. Obama has been fairly slow in restoring the Civil Rights Division (that is responsible for enforcing the VRA) and the division is still not back to where it was under previous Democratic administrations.

In the meantime, while the Civil Rights Division under Obama has not yet returned to functioning as it should, an unprecedented assault on voting rights has made tremendous progress with egregious laws already enacted in a number of states. Bill Clinton recently said, raising some controversy, that the current assault is the worst since Jim Crow.

Hopefully this recent statement by Obama and the actions initiated by the Civil Rights Division are the start of a restoration of vigorous enforcement, but let's be clear that, if so, it will only represent a return to the way things used to be under previous administrations and it is late in coming. We've all been aware of this assault for a couple of years. So, good for Obama for finally doing something about it, if it turns out that he really does something more than statements and pointed letters.

[jenmito]

13. I heard him say that. I was so glad to hear it. Sharpton and Maddow often have segments on this

voting suppression. I hope the DOJ gets ALL of those RW voter suppression laws overturned.

[FrenchieCat]

15. They will have to be very systematic about it,

and relentless....

[jenmito]

16. I have a feeling they WILL be...

his reelection depends on it.

[FrenchieCat]

18. Our country depends on it!

[jenmito]

19. That's right!

:hi:

[madrchsod]

20. good news for a change....

[The Traveler]

21. Excellent.

This definitely bears legal scrutiny. The Republicans love democracy ... they feel every other nation should have it ...

[FrenchieCat]

30. Other than ours.....

[elleng]

22. Thanks, Frenchie; been waiting for this.

[OhioBlue]

23. This is great. Thank you for posting!! n/t

[FrenchieCat]

34. You are welcome!

[FrenchieCat]

25. I note who is missing from commenting in this thread.....

in a positive way.

[SwampG8r]

45. to what purpose?

sounds nefarious

[L. Coyote]

26. STOP the GOP war on voters!

[yurbud]

28. this gives me HOPE!

[FrenchieCat]

29. Great!

[FredStembottom]

31. Thank you, Frenchie Cat!

This is issue #1 with me!

I'll spend the rest of my life searching to find out how DOJ was ever stopped from acting against these clear violations of the Voting Rights Act.

This cheers up my whole week!

[FrenchieCat]

33. Let's hope that it will cheer us up through the next election....

cause we are talking 5 million votes here.
That's huge.

[FredStembottom]

47. I feel like all else is useless...

...unless the DOJ gets on this.

[certainot]

35. the left is finally getting obama's back- it is a shame progressives had to wait for obama-

all our local RW radio stations have been selling voter suppression for years. 24/7

fantastic -- good on obama --- and is it any wonder that it coincides to OWS ? the left is finally getting obama's back

[DCKit]

37. For the second time in the 19 years I've lived at my current address...

my voter registration has been canceled with the excuse of "a piece of returned mail"... and I live in DC. Go figure. Republican operatives at the board of elections?

[Cigar11]

38. They are Cowards...

If you can't win on your values, credibility or merit ... then cheat!

If the only way you can compete is to limit who plays the game, then you’ve conceded that your opponent is a superior competitor and you’re the competitive coward.

[barbtries]

39. so glad to hear this

what gets me about republicans...never mind. wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross. they're such hypocrites. just such hypocrites

[McCamy Taylor]

41. K&R for the party that gave us...and enforces...the Voting Rights Act

[AllyCat]

43. Yes! He'll have to wake up Holder to do it, but dang, this is what we need!

[Blue Owl]

46. Ya mean they're not gonna just sit there like usual and look the other way?

I want to believe...

[salib]

48. This is quite promising

And the timing is great. Likely the states will have stats from the primaries so theDOJ will be able to get court ruling or at injunctions in time for the general election.

[ieoeja]

49. Has disenfranchising ex-convects ever been challenged in higher courts?

I thought Florida 2000 would have finally blown the lid off that particular scheme.

Enforce laws aggressively against minorities while larging ignoring the same crimes in White neighborhoods. Convict minorities of felonies while mostly charging Whites with misdemeanors. Make it illegal for felons to vote. Then share the felon lists with other states so a felony by a guy with the same name in another state gets you un-registered.

So much was made about the relatively small problems in that election : recount, chads, butterfly ballots. While ignoring the 80000+ people, mostly minorities, illegally disenfranchised.

[mother earth]

50. Good. K & R nt

[peace frog]

51. Kick and Rec

[FreeBillClinton]

52. Will we see as many prosecutions as we got against Wall Street? (zero)

[hue]

53. DoJ WELCOME TO WISCONSIN!! We've lots to investigate!! n/t

[Major Hogwash]

54. We have to show ID to vote now. And they restrict same day registration.

In Idaho.
Can you believe that??
What the hell are they afraid of?
63% of Idaho voters voted for McCain in 2008, and they clamp down on voting rights!!
Why?
Because that old senile fucker didn't get 100% of the votes?

Christ, it is ridiculous.
And yet these same assholes who are making it harder to vote here now, say stupid shit about freedom all of the time.

[oldhippydude]

64. your a better man than I,, Hogwash

i moved from the Gem state in the 70's.. keep up the fight

[BigD_95]

55. about time

hopefully its not too late

[RaleighNCDUer]

56. Great. First step - fire Holder, so we can have an AG who will actually

DO something about it, instead of concentrate of gun running and busting pot clinics.

[Puglover]

61. No kidding.

Good Lord.

[PragmaticLiberal]

71. Assuming President Obama gets a 2nd term.....

I doubt you'll have to worry about Mr. Holder.

[RaleighNCDUer]

74. He doesn't need to wait till his second term. He can fire him today.

In fact, firing Holder now would be an aid to getting a second term.

[chill_wind]

57. This is the right thing to do.

K & R.

[bread_and_roses]

59. this is good news (n/t)

[russspeakeasy]

60. We have a justice department ???

[pam4water]

62. How about doing something about them. Not just another goes no where investigation!

[gateley]

65. Thank God! I was unsure if the DOJ could intervene in States' affairs.

This scares me more than anything regarding the upcoming election. If we were seeing this in a movie we'd get it; I just don't think most people are even aware this is occurring.

Rip 'em to shreds, DOJ!

[burrowowl]

66. YESSS!

Investigate, indict and prosecute!

[kestrel91316]

68. Well that's wonderful just as long as "investigations" don't just turn out to be

window dressing to garner votes.

[UrbScotty]

70. Yes yes yes yes YES!!!!!

[Hubert Flottz]

72. And I hope it's not just a fake "Investigation"

[SalviaBlue]

73. Great news!

[Bluenorthwest]

75. It is about bloody time

but will Eric take any action? There are no sick people to harass, no gay people to frame along slanderous right wing lines, so I'm to sure he will listen.

[Tarheel_Dem]

76. This is welcome news, despite the protestations of the "cynics" among us.

:hi:

[orpupilofnature57]

78. Cynics

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/04/09/03_hard.html

[FrenchieCat]

81. Thank you for that one.....

So applicable! :hi:

[seacaves]

77. Thanks Obama.