Why We Need the For the People Act--What It Does

Please contact your Senators this week and ask them to support, vote for the For the People Act.

Today's Republican Party, Disenfranchising Millions of Taxpaying American Citizens

We must stop and not allow, no way allow Republican Party vote suppression in any state in our Union. It's un-American. It's un-democratic. It's anti-democracy.

Please contact your Senators in Washington, DC. Tell them to vote FOR the For the People Act so we end gerrymandering by any and all poltical parties and get the dark money out of politics and get ethics back into our government.

America, Your Vote and Voting Rights Are Being Devoured

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. America, the Republicans and their Republican Party know they're so deeply umpopular with Americans across the nation, they have to make it tougher to the point of impossible for us, fellow taxpaying American citizens to vote.

This cannot stand. We cannot allow this. It's un-American and un-democratic. We must stop it, all of it, state to state across the nation. Vote them all out. Push to have Congress end the filibuster and pass the For the People Act so NO POLITICAL PARtY can gerrymander voting districts any longer. Please contact your Senators.Let's do this.

What We Need In Washington

Two things, immediately, we especially need in and from Washington, besides the American Jobs Plan. The two things we need: First we must end the fillibuster at long last so minorities in Congress can't and don't block what most of the nation needs and wants. Second, we must follow that by passing the For the People Act. It would end any political party's ability to gerrymander voting districts for their own benefit, ends dark money in our elections and increases, adds ethics rules to our government. This is good for all and important for the nation. We must. Please sontact your Senators and tell them to vote for SR1 in the Senate. Thanks, in advance.

What the Democrats Must Do

Yes, what, exactly, the Democrats must do, at long last, to break the logjam that is the Republican Party in Congress currently. Then, once that's ended, we must pass the For the People Act so we end gerrymandering, get the dark money out of our elections and put ethics back in government. We must.

The For the People Act!

Know this, Americans. HR1 in the House of Representatives and S1, in our US Senate, are both the For the People Act. Here's what it is and what it means.

We have GOT to stop having or letting political parties gerrymander voting districts across our states and across the nation so results go their way instead of for us, the peole. We need to get the big, "dark money" out of our government and elections that's coming from who knows where. We need to get ethics back into our Federal Government. These bills go a long, long way to doing just that. Please phone your Senators and tell them to please support these very important bills. Thank you in advance.

Support the For the People Act

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. America, by all means, support the For the People Act. It's good for Americans and America.

Besides ending gerrymandering of political parties--carving out voting districts that support their political party, it would also expand voting rights, strengthen ethics rules and limit the influence of private donor money in politics. In the House of Representatives, it's HR1. In the Senate, it's S1. Contact your members of Congress now. Thank you. It really is For the People.

Republicans Are Actively Working Against Democracy

Yes sir, Mr. and Mrs. America, Republicans are decidedly against Democracy. How else do you explain their work in now 47 states to have fewer, FEWER, Americans able to vote? Stop vote suppression. End gerrymandering. End dark money in our politics and government. Support the For the People Act. Call your Congressional representatives. It really is for the people.

Two Important Pieces of Legislation Congress Should Pass

Presently, there are two big and important pieces of legislation we, America, should pass. First, President Biden's American Jobs Plan Next up, the For the People Act. So important and great for Americans and America. Contact your Congressional representatives, folks! Tell them to support these 2 important pieces of legislation! Thank you in advance!

Sure Sounds Like a Modern Day Republican

From Corey "The Buttercream Dream" Forrester. Not for the squeamish, maybe. Very close to the truth, sadly, for even them but especially for Americans and America.

Senator Hawley Has Outdone Himself Today

I couldn't believe Missouri's own Senator Josh Hawley and his Twitter post today: "MLB & the giant woke corporations keep telling Biden’s big lie about Georgia & election integrity. They want to run this country. They’ve been coddled by government for too long. We need to bust them up. Starting next week, I’ll introduce a trust busting agenda for 21st century."

Yes, corporations want to run America, all right. It's why they give Republicans hundreds of millions of dollars to put them in office. It's why and how we got the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, opening up our elections to yet more big, big money. Suddenly, the GOP is threatened because--whaddya' know?--Americans poured out to vote and their Orange Man lost the 2020 election. So now, those same Republicans in Georgia and 42 other states are trying to put into place laws to keep us, Americans, citizens, from voting. They and their ideas and policies are so unpopular, Republicans have found they can't get elected or re-elected unless or until they have fewer of us voting. So Jim Crow and more, here we go. Fortunately, some few corporate leaders have stood up and said they won't tolerate it. Consequently, suddenly Josh Hawley and the Republicans are against those corporations.

What's In the For the People Act?

Know this, everyone! What the For the People Act does:

--Expands voting rights, --Limits partisan gerrymandering, --Strengthens ethics rules, and --Limits the influence of private donor money in politics. It's only bad for Republicans and the Republican Party. It is patently good to great for Americans and America. Please contact your Senators now and tell them to support it.

Republicans, Crushing American Votes

From The New Yorker today. Their cartoon.

If only it were funny. If only it were only funny.

We Must Outlaw Gerrymandering and Voter ID Laws

Republicans don't feel they've gerrymandered enough or put into place enough voter ID laws and disenfranchised enough Americans. They want to do it still more, after this last election they lost. We must stop them. We must not allow it. It's un-American.

Quote of the Day -- Right Wing, Republican Party Racist Vote Suppression Edition

"When the history of this era is written, it will be remembered as shameful for many reasons, but none will stand out as starkly as the Republican Party’s complete abandonment of voting rights and commitment to free and fair elections." --Marc E. Elias @marceelias

Republicans Lost In This Election -- So What Are They Doing?

America needs to know and note just what Republicans are doing right now, across much of the nation, state by state, to change our elections and votes. It's going on now.

'Downright Scary': In 2021 Alone, GOP Introduces 100+ Voter Suppression Bills in 28 States

They are trying to disenfranchise as many American votes and voters as they can. 

That is, ladies and gentlemen, they, Republicans, are trying to make sure that fewer and fewer of us can and do vote. They are trying to take away our vote.  It's the only way they can get into office and then stay there. The fewer of us that can vote, the more likely Republicans can gain and keep office. Most usually, this is done by disenfranchising the votes of minorities, Blacks and Hispanics and Latinx citizens and voters.

Already this year, 106 bills have been introduced in 28 states—including 17 under complete GOP control, where passage is more likely—to undermine access to the franchise. According to the Brennan Center's report, "These proposals primarily seek to: (1) limit mail voting access; (2) impose stricter voter ID requirements; (3) limit successful pro-voter registration policies; and (4) enable more aggressive voter roll purges."

"These bills," the report argues, "are an unmistakable response to the unfounded and dangerous lies about fraud that followed the 2020 election."

...The GOP has been trying to undercut efforts to expand voting access for years. "A decade ago," Berman wrote, "Republicans passed new voter ID laws and other efforts to curtail voting rights when they took power in the states following [former President] Barack Obama's election."

But now, he added, "Republicans are taking their assault on voting rights to the next level." Like the Brennan Center, Berman attributed the surge in anti-democracy legislation to Trump's failed bid to subvert the will of the people in last year's election.

According to Berman, the GOP is "trying to accomplish through legislation what Trump couldn't with litigation. All in all, these efforts amount to the most concerted attempts to roll back voting rights since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965."

Our path forward this moment:

"Democrats have a clear choice. They can get rid of the filibuster to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act to stop GOP voter suppression, or they can allow the GOP to undermine democracy for the next decade."

We have to stop this. We have to stop them. We can't let them take our vote, our votes. We can't let them disenfranchise Americans. We can't let them steal elections any more than any other political party should be able to.

Additional link:

The Plot Against America: The GOP’s Plan to Suppress the Vote and Sabotage the Election

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Outlaw Gerrymandering and End Voter ID Laws

Our Next National Hurdles Once Trump Is Gone

This is what I've said for some time. 

From The New Yorker yesterday.

The Next Big Challenge: 

Trump-Proofing the Presidency

Along with cleaning up so very many messes after this President and his presidency, we need to make sure that nothing, nothing even remotely close to Donald J Trump ever, ever happens again in America. And the way we do it is by, first, overturning Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court and then ending campaign contributions entirely in our nation. After that, also outlawing gerrymandering and voter ID laws that disenfranchise fellow American citizens from voting. Finally we need to bring back the Fairness Doctrine in our government and media.

I'm not hopeful. We could do it, we could it all but no, I'm not hopeful.

Links:

Get the Big, Ugly Money Out of Our Election System and Government

Outlaw Gerrymandering and End Voter ID Laws

Bring back the Fairness Doctrine

Great Time to Point Out What We Need To Do As a Nation

Three things, three big and important things, at minimum, we need to do to and with our government given the new administration that will be comind in. Next year couldn't be soon enough. First up--

Get the Big, Ugly Money Out of Our Election System and Government

We need to do this and badly. We need to first overturn Citizens United and then end the legalized bribery we call "campaign contributions." We could easily do this if we but have the will, too. We should do what the UK did long ago and make our elections only, say, a month or 3 months long. This would have many benefits besides killing the need for our government legislators to beg for and raise and have so much money for their political campaigns. It would also end the nearly constant campaign cycles we have now. Those two right there are huge benefits.

Next up--

Outlaw Gerrymandering and End Voter ID Laws

We need to do this so, of course, no political party even can let alone does gerrymander any political district so they can win reelection in perpetuity. It needs to be illegal for both political parties, everywhere, period. This only make sense.

And yes, end voter ID laws since they only disenfranchise fellow taxpaying American citizens and are frequently racist, too.

Then, third--

Bring back the Fairness Doctrine

Finally, we need to get the division and ugliness out of our media, out of what is still called "news" but which, because of ending the Fairness Doctrine, has become the likes of Fox "news" and Breitbart and so much Right Wing, even literally hate radio and media. It needs to be illegal, again, to not show at least 2 sides of any issue or story and not just one. Lying on the news should be illegal.

So there you are. With a new Presidential administration coming in soon, these are 3 things, at minimum we need and need so sorely. I doubt we do them but there is talk of changing things and now is the time. We are long, long overdue on these.

Links:

Amend the Constitution to Prevent Another Trump

Debunking the Voter Fraud Myth | Brennan Center for Justice

The Myth of Voter Fraud | Brennan Center for Justice

Opinion | American Democracy Is Drowning in Money

The Fairness Doctrine: How We Lost It and Why We Need It Back

GOP Rigs Elections: Gerrymandering, Voter-ID Laws

Taking Disenfranchisement to a Whole New Level

Breaking today. 

Judge denies GOP lawsuit to halt certification of Detroit election results

Gerrymandering wasn't enough for Republicans

So they added "voter ID" laws.

That wasn't enough. Republicans felt they didn't disenfranchise enough Americans, taxpaying, voting American citizens.

So now they want to completely ignore or disavow our vote, our votes, our election. They've taken it all to a whole very new, ugly, higher level with this most recent Presidential election. Very, very, very un-American.

Thanks, Mr. President!
Thanks, Republicans!

Links:

Top 10 Reasons Why Gerrymandering Is Bad

Exposed: Partisan Gerrymandering Based on Race

North Carolina judges slam GOP gerrymandering

Companies Had to Form an Organization to Counter This President's and His Political Party's Efforts Against Our Voting

 This is what this has all come down to.

This Republican Party President and that political party have been working so hard against we Americans, we citizens and taxpayers voting and for so long, they had to form an organization to work for helping us vote. Check it out.

Civic Alliance

From their website:

We are the Civic Alliance,

a non-partisan group of businesses

working together to build a future

where everyone participates in

shaping our country.

Participation is fundamental to a healthy, functioning democracy.
Yet, in recent U.S. elections, nearly half of eligible voters didn’t participate.

In 2020, a global pandemic, growing civil unrest, and polarizing politics are challenging our democracy in new ways.

As a growing coalition of businesses, we strengthen our democracy by supporting safe, healthy and trusted elections, and by inspiring our employees and customers to participate in civic life.

We aspire for historic voter turnout in 2020 and beyond, with a goal to achieve 80% voter turnout by 2028.

We have a ways to go, but by working together, we will create a culture where civics matter and every vote counts.

Each of our companies has unique values. Yet, we are united by these shared beliefs: 

• Every American has a voice in our democracy. 
• Voting should be safe and accessible to all. 
• Elections must be fair and transparent.

As business leaders, we’re committed to strengthening our democracy by encouraging nonpartisan voter participation. Here are unique ways each of us is activating our companies and communities.

Hundreds of Companies Will Pay Employees to Volunteer as Election Workers

More than 60 Civic Alliance member companies – including Starbucks, Target, Old Navy, Salesforce, Microsoft, Expedia, Twitter, Uber, Lyft, and Warby Parker – are taking concrete steps to encourage their employees or consumers to serve as poll workers.

How cool is that, that they would do this but ladies and gentlemen, how sick is it that this is necessary? How sick is it that the Republicans could, would and are fighting our voting, what with their gerrymandering and then voter ID laws and so much, how sick is it that this is necessary?

Anyway, I was so glad to see their full, double-page ad in Sunday's New York Times. Very cool. Great on these companies. I'm going to do what I can to support them. Hoping you will, too.

Membership is free – join today!

Additional links:

Trump And The Republicans Are Doing Everything They Can To Confuse Voters Before The Election

Trump And Republicans Voter Suppression In 2020

What Is Voter Suppression? Republican Strategy Explained

The racist anti-vote effort by Florida Republicans