Supreme Court to hear key voting rights case

The Supreme Court will decide whether or not to scale back the landmark Voting Rights Act, which requires states with a history of discrimination at the polls to get federal permission before making any changes in how they conduct elections. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

Agreeing to hear another important case on race in America, the Supreme Court said Friday it will take up a battle over a key part of the landmark Voting Rights Act. Civil rights groups fear the court will use this case to gut the law.

Passed by Congress in 1965 and renewed four times since then, most recently in 2006, a key provision requires states with a history of discrimination at the polls to get federal permission before making any changes to election procedures -- from redrawing congressional district boundaries to changing the locations of polling places.

The law was at the core of the legal cases this year blocking strict new voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina.

Shelby County, Ala., claims the pre-clearance requirement -- which currently covers nine entire states, 12 cities and 57 counties elsewhere -- is unconstitutional. Under the law, those states and areas are presumed to be acting improperly whenever they seek election changes and "must either go hat in hand to Justice Department officialdom to seek approval, or embark on expensive litigation in a remote judicial venue," says the lawyer for the county.

The areas covered by the law, Shelby County says, include some localities that have made substantial reforms while missing other parts of the country that have failed to root out discrimination at the polls.  "Florida has been forced into pre-clearance litigation to prove that reducing early voting from 14 days to 8 is not discriminatory, when states such as Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania have no early voting at all," the county says.

But the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund says the current map is a close enough fit to cover the areas of greatest concern.  "Congress is not a surgeon with a scalpel when it acts to legislate across the 50 states. But it can reasonably attack discrimination where it finds it," the group says.

Three years ago, the Supreme Court narrowly rejected a challenge to the pre-clearance  requirement but strongly suggested that several justices had doubts about its constitutionality, given recent electoral reforms. "Things have changed in the South," the court said in 2009.  "Blatantly discriminatory evasions of federal decrees are rare."

Last month, the Supreme Court heard another racially charged case, re-examining whether the nation's colleges can use affirmative action in admissions.

 

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The elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about in the south is purely white racism. Like it or not, that is the truth. The Republican Party was founded in 1854 on abolitionism, but after the civil war and the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, the Republican Party thought it no longer had any responsibility for the freed slaves. The Democrat Party, however, remained fiercely racist. Slowly the parties began to change their positions. President Lyndon Johnson led the Republic towards civil rights reform in the 1960s, but he lost a lot of Democrats along the way. By 1968, Richard Nixon applied his Southern strategy to recruit white racists away from the Democrats and into the Republican Party. Nixon didn't want them necessarily, but he needed them to win the election. Since then there has been a gradual movement of white racists from the Democrat Party to the Republican. Then, in 2008 with the advent of a black, presidential candidate in the Democrat Party, we saw the vast number of southern white racists in the Democrat Party move to the Republican. All one has to do is to look at the voting statistics, particularly in southern states in 2008 and 2012 and one will see the total numbers of votes for the presidential candidates was overwhelmingly Republican. Not only that, but the southern white racists put Republicans in almost every other office in southern state as well. That means the historically southern, white racists in the Democrat Party shifted their support to the Republican candidate. Everyone in the south knows it! It's the elephant in the room no one talks about in southern politics.

  • 3 votes
Reply#159 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 6:59 PM EST

I agree with you, TJefferson.........those Southern Democrats hijacked the Republican Party. They dislike the moderate Republicans. There is a definite tension between the two types of Republicans.

You provided a clear, concise bit of history for us.

  • 2 votes
#159.1 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:07 PM EST

you all have thoughtful comments: The situation inside the Republican Party is serious. The poorly educated, far right wing, extremist, fanatics in the Party are moving toward demanding the states' rights doctrine of "Nullification." They argue the Constitution reads that any given state, not the U.S. Supreme Court has the authority to declare a law unconstitutional in any given state. In other words, a state has the constitutional authority to "nullify" a federal law and therefore not obey it within the geographic bounds of that state. It is true that Jefferson and Madison made that argument in their Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, but it is also true those Resolutions never did pass the Congress. The issue was resolved in 1803 when Chief Justice John Marshall and the U. S.Supreme Court ruled in Marbury vs Madison that the Court had that authority.

The poorly educated, far right wing, extreme, fanatics in the Republican Party today are joining together in an organization called the 10th Amendment Society to demand the states adopt the "nullification doctrine." Why? One of the main reasons is to nullify the 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision, the decision that ordered segregation was not constitutional and that the United States would integrate at all deliberate speed. So, if the nullification doctrine were put into place, Arkansas legislature or the Mississippi legislature, or the Alabama legislature could nullify the Brown case and return the state to segregation. Not possible you say? Then, take a look at the voter statistics for those states and see how many whites voted for Obama. Think about that very real possibility and then let your mind run free to all of the other federal laws that could be nullified within the borders of the fifty states. In effect, nullification means that each state is a separate country and that therefore the United States is nothing more than a confederation of united states of america.

  • 1 vote
#159.2 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:40 PM EST

I had no idea that was happening!........the 19th Amendment Society, huh? I will have to read up on that.

I really need your help, TJefferson, to bring me up to speed. I would appreciate your pointing out any other issues about which I need to be informed.

I would also appreciate any links that pertain to this Voting Rights case. I did find the site of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

I hope you will always be present on any future Newsvine article that reports on this case so that you can educate all of us on topics relevant to the case.

    #159.3 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:10 PM EST

    Correction--the 10th Amendment Society

      #159.4 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:14 PM EST

      I'll be glad to do what I can. I hope you'll reciprocate.

      • 1 vote
      #159.5 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:29 PM EST

      I hope you'll reciprocate.

      That is a kind, modest thing for you to say. I think you are way ahead of me!

      • 2 votes
      #159.6 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:41 PM EST

      A state nullification of a federal law. That would never happen.

      Whoops, yes it did.

      The states that have legalized the use and selling of marijuana.

      What should be done to those states for their transgressions? Or would it be treason?

        #159.7 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:54 PM EST

        I suppose it would be impossible to think that perhaps they voted not for Obama because they did not like what he wanted to do? It HAD to be racism?

        Hmmm........

        • 1 vote
        #159.8 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:05 PM EST

        You would be a racist to think any other way.

        And if that "NC" stands for North Carolina you are a racist.

        "The Tarheel State", even your state motto is racist. Wanting to have the black man under the heel of your boot. Shameful.

        • 1 vote
        #159.9 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:10 PM EST

        kpm58

        A state nullification of a federal law. That would never happen.

        Whoops, yes it did.

        The states that have legalized the use and selling of marijuana.

        What should be done to those states for their transgressions? Or would it be treason?

        You have a very shallow and distorted comprehension of the concept of nullification. Please take the time to inform yourself and then you will be able to join into the discussion with some relevancy.

        • 2 votes
        #159.11 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:26 PM EST

        I suppose it would be impossible to think that perhaps they voted not for Obama because they did not like what he wanted to do? It HAD to be racism?

        No, it didn't HAVE to be. Unfortunately, however, in the vast majority of instances, it WAS.

        • 1 vote
        #159.12 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:27 PM EST
        Reply

        Starting now today any person who needs an ID should be able to get one. If you move to another state you should be able to get a new ID. If you are a college student but are from another state you should be able to get a ID card and not a license and it can be used along with you college ID. If you are a senior and do not drive you should be able to get an ID card and use it along with you senior card. This is just crazy. Some people move to another state and are not aware of the law in that state. Example: you live in New York City and you move to Virginia, You need a new ID card and nobody should stop you from getting one. Most NYC do not drive so they don't have a license. They do have other ID. Each state needs Id information give to new home owners and renters. It will be up to them to get the ID after living there fr 6 months or more. Do it for every state and their is not problem, don't wait 2 weeks before election day and make it a law. Thats how you lose playing dirty, it comes back to haunt you.

        • 1 vote
        Reply#160 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:15 PM EST

        Openvisions, and yet Texas tried something that would have made it difficult for some potential voters to cast their ballot---The Voting Rights Act helped in preventing this from occurring.

        Using the Voting Rights Act, groups were able to prevent unfair statutes from going into effect this year.

        For instance--

        For example, on August 30, in Texas v. Holder, a three-judge court unanimously blocked Texas' new voter identification statute, the most stringent in the nation, finding that the statute would inevitably disenfranchise low-income Texas citizens, who are disproportionately African American and Hispanic. The court explained that, unlike Indiana, whose voter identification law was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2008,

        .

        Texas had gone to great lengths to suppress the vote in poor and minority communities, strictly limiting the types of photo identifications available -- a license to carry a concealed firearm is a valid ID under the law, but not a student or Medicare ID card

        -- and making it costly to obtain a so-called "free" election ID for use at the polls. For those without one of the five permitted photo identifications, the court found that the law was tantamount to a poll tax, "imposing an implicit fee for the privilege of casting a ballot."

        .

        The "very point" of the Voting Rights Act, the court explained, was to deny "states an end-run around the Fifteenth Amendment's prohibition on racial discrimination in voting."

        [Doug Kendall- HuffPost]

        • 3 votes
        #160.1 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:24 PM EST
        Reply

        Well they couldn't win by cheating so now the 1% conservatives will call on the Supreme Court 5 to give them a win. Wonder how much the Supreme Court 5 will charge them considering how much they paid to try and buy the 2012 election. Make it worth your while SC5 I know your souls don't come cheap.

        • 4 votes
        Reply#161 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:54 PM EST

        Is there anybody wondering why all of these measures to limit access to ID's, voting, etc., are the idea of Republicans?

        Gee! I wonder why??!!

        • 5 votes
        Reply#162 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:34 PM EST

        Hmm. Could it be they are trying to steal elections they have no chance of winning any more.

        • 5 votes
        #162.1 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:20 PM EST
        Reply

        "Things have changed in the South," the court said in 2009. "Blatantly discriminatory evasions of federal decrees are rare."

        But the more subtle attempts at voter suppression by GOP legislators continue “Voter ID, which is going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania: done,” Republican House Majority Mike Turzai said. Not even too subtle about the new law. This idiot didnt even try to say it would stop nonexistent voter fraud. He SAID it will allow Romney to win Pennsylvania.

        • 3 votes
        Reply#163 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:15 PM EST

        I know I do not want the right wing Supreme Court deciding anything about voting rights. In the South and now even in the North there are republicans who will do everything they can to win an election. That includes many illegal tactics they will devise. Our first priority is to always have fair and just elections. Florida cut the number of early voting days from 14 to 8 and the FL Congress added very long legalize amendments that caused a lot of reading/time for voters. Taking four days to come to a conclusion is pathetic for Florida when other states are so prompt. It was a close election in Florida but they had only one voting site in each county and really seemed to want to cause these problems for voters.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#164 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:35 PM EST

        When does all this toxic, tea billy, right wing disturbing crap come to an end??? What the hell??? and this human garbage calls their behavior "Christian".

        • 2 votes
        Reply#165 - Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:53 PM EST

        the real racism here: 94% of "blacks" voted for obama. "whites" split pretty evenly. who is racist? why do we even refer to brown people as black or peach people as white?! am i the only one whose eyes actually work?!

        • 2 votes
        Reply#167 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:47 AM EST

        @Roy So 94% of African Americans recognized the racist policies of Romney and the Republicans. Since we have been historically been the victims of racism that alibity to see racism has become a survival tool and is not a surprise that 94% of African American used it. 2. Half of whites saw that racism and the other half said it doesn't matter. Pretty obvious which half you fell in, Your comment about brown and peach people identifies you as white

        • 3 votes
        #167.1 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:02 AM EST

        Why? Because so many people feel the need to reduce people to binary categories. A continuum makes them think too much.

        • 1 vote
        #167.2 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:32 PM EST
        Reply

        voter fraud is real and I thing that both party's are guilty of it. It is a slap in the face of our great country and the men and women who have fought to give us this rights. now stop me if I am wrong but is getting a photo id really all that hard I mean come on now. we as a country use ides for just about everything now hell when you sign up for selective service you get a card a cheep one with no picture on it but you get one all the same it would not be that hard to give a photo id card to voters for free we have ben making free photo ides for years. photo ides are used to prevent crimes to give an example. I used to work at a gas station and we required a photo id to get beer hell there was even a sign showing what id's we could accept. in the 6 months that I worked there was only 1 time I asked for id that the guy could not show it and that mas was sent in by the cops to try to trick me. lets make a fare voter id card to be given out like a Social security card (which is needed to get a job by the way) and eliminate at least one kind of fraud. and to make it fare and non discriminatory have the federal government give out and not the states.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#168 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:22 AM EST

        Election is a waste of money with no real change for the country..

          Reply#169 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 3:32 AM EST

          Supreme Court should extend same scrutiny to ALL states, not just Southern states "with baggage." Look what Republican dominated legislature in Pennsylvania tried to do this year in a blatant attempt (and so stated by one legislator) to steal the election for Romney.

            Reply#170 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 5:58 AM EST

            Interesting that The Project for Fair Representation is providing the counsel and resources for Shelby County to challenge the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

            The Project for Fair Representation (a not-for-profit foundation based in Virginia) also is providing help in the Fisher v. Univ. of Texas Affirmative Action case that is NOW before the Supreme Court.

            The Project for Fair Representation was also behind the Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District #1 v. Holder case that challenged the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

            Edward Blum, director of the Project on Fair Representation, said, "Congress reauthorized the VRA in 2006 based upon the black voter disenfranchisement in the Deep South that existed in 1965, but those conditions measurably don't exist anymore."

            In 2009, the Supreme Court avoided the question of the statute's constitutionality in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. One v. Holder, but signaled that Sections 4(b) and 5 of the Act may impose "current burdens and must be justified by current needs."

            • 2 votes
            Reply#171 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:01 AM EST

            The Supreme Court takes up Fisher vs. The University of Texas at Austin today, in a potentially landmark case that could limit or eliminate affirmative action practices in colleges' and universities' admissions departments across the country.

            [Posted Oct 10, 2012 by HuffPost]

            .

            also--click links below-

            Supreme Court hears landmark affirmative action case |

            University of Texas, the Supreme Court may limit or ban affirmative action at universities. ... to hear arguments on Fisher V. University of Texas at Austin

            complete Supreme Court transcript--

            Complete transcript: Supreme Court arguments on Univ Texas reverse discrimination case

            • 2 votes
            #171.1 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:12 AM EST

            Good research skills, YAHTC.

              #171.2 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:34 PM EST

              Thanks, DOCJT :-)

                #171.3 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:37 PM EST
                Reply

                serfdom101

                So,...that means the final tally was 332 to 206. That is a difference of 126 electoral votes,...a VERY BIG MARGIN.

                Mitt didn't even get 2/3 the electoral votes of Obama. That says something,..loud and clear.

                Two words,...."Referendum",...on failed trickle down GOP policies, and,..

                "Mandate",...for the GOP to stop obstructing the president and finally follow

                "Referendum" You guys throw that word around like it means something, ha , so, yeah rt----->

                weeeeell, here you go obamabots: my list to you prks------------>

                13,500+ Layoffs Nationwide, projected pink slips as of 11/11/2012, will hit post box on/or before 12-31- 2012 (none b4 Christmas)

                Let me, ha hem, break it down for ya'all "actual no. may vary 4ward"

                347 in Va. 1048 in Ga. 746 in Atlanta alone, New york 726, 536 of which with Obama bumperstickers or yard signage, Illinois 1007, 832 with Obama signage, 3 in Roselle Ill. alone, 3 in Lexington, Ky. 6 in Dallas Tx 42 in Houston 273 in Wis. 123 in Min. 1672 in Cleavland, Columbus, Cincinnati Ohio, 76 in Denver Co. 1 in Kansas, 1 in Ok. 12 in Mo. 734 in Pa. 2 in Maine, 68 in Massachusetts, Maryland 234, 1600 in the district of Columbia "not at all a coincidence" did I say Fla. 2003 state wide, 666in Miami Dade co. New Mexico 423, Iowa 377 corn cobs burned, Michigan 27, 67 in West Virgina, 27 in N.Carolina 200+ S. Carolina, Tennessee 33 Volunteers for early retirement, Connecticut zero, New hampshire zero, Arkansas zero, Alabama zero, Mississippi Zero, Louisiana zero, Montana Zero, Wyoming zero, Idaho zero, Utah zero, Vermont zero,Delaware zero, Nevada to be determined Many gone in California #'s n/a yet? Washington & Oregon Maybe as many as 1000+?

                If I left any one out I apologize, my Human resources dept. will not.

                Sorry, in advance for your decisions to fk-ploy yourselves... I, guess it could not be helped???

                Reason for Layoffs: {$&sense, fiscally , just business not personal} Not Available/nofyfbiz/acaregs/bic/vote2014 foaeslibfks

                Good News:> Alaska,South Dakota, Arizona, Nebraska, North Dakota, Indiana, Australia,Brazil & Canada training 3500+ new employees none of which are 4warders.....

                  Reply#172 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 10:17 AM EST

                  The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights has played a central role in seeking to ensure that Section 5 continues to protect minority voters against discriminatory voting changes. In 2005, the Lawyers' Committee established the National Commission on the Voting Rights Act to determine whether serious and widespread discrimination in voting has continued in the jurisdictions covered by Section 5. In February 2006, the Commission issued a detailed report on its findings, and Congress then relied on the Commission's report when it concluded, later that year, that Section 5 should again be reauthorized.

                  Section 5 was originally enacted in 1965, and has proved itself to be one of the important provisions of what often has been called the most effective civil rights law enacted by Congress. Section 5 requires that certain states and local jurisdictions, located mainly in the South and Southwest, obtain federal preclearance before implementing any change in a voting practice or procedure (such as redistricting plans). Congress initially provided that Section 5 was to terminate after five years, however, Congress repeatedly has renewed Section 5, after finding that there is a continuing need for its protections.

                  The Lawyers' Committee also intervened to defend the constitutionality of the 2006 reauthorization in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder. The Supreme Court ultimately decided not to resolve the issue in that case, because the Court determined that the plaintiff in that case - a municipal utility district in Texas - might be able to "bail out" from Section 5 coverage. 129 S. Ct. 2504 (2009).

                  Following is a link to this committee's opposition to Shelby County's suit opinion--

                  Our opposition to that request can be found here.

                  click the word "here" just above.

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#173 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:36 AM EST

                  With regard to African Americans, the following facts are relevant:

                  • In 2000, African Americans made up 11.9 percent of the VAP nationally, and 11.7 percent of all citizens who reported voting in the presidential election. Fifty- five percent of African Americans lived in the South.

                  The gap in reported voter turnout between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites (“Anglos”) in 2000 was 6.9 percentage points, down from 12.2 in 1964. In 1964, most of the difference in black-white turnout was due to the severely depressed voter registration rates among southern blacks, which in turn resulted largely from disfranchising tests and devices the Act outlawed a year later.

                  Because of continuing racially polarized voting, it is harder for African Americans to win office in majority- Anglo venues than in majority-minority ones. Black candidates have a harder time winning statewide offices such as governor or U.S. Senator than they do winning congressional and state legislative seats, because in these latter cases the Voting Rights Act has been effectively used to create majority-minority districts. Data presented in Chapter 7 indicate that the continuing under-representation of blacks in majority-Anglo jurisdictions and districts is in large measure the result of racially polarized voting.

                  .

                  Some of the salient facts regarding Latinos related to voting are:

                  • Latinos vote at a much lower rate than Anglos (non-Hispanic whites)—in 2000, for example, only 45 percent of Latino voting-age citizens reported voting, compared to 62 percent of Anglos.

                  • Latino candidates have had to contend with racially polarized voting and numerous vote dilution schemes employed by Anglos.

                  • Latino candidates are much more likely to win election from venues that are majority-minority.

                  • Latinos continue to face problems when trying to register and vote, sometimes because they cannot get the language assistance the law requires, sometimes because of impediments imposed by statutes or election administrators.

                  .

                  Report of the National Commission on the Voting Rights Act 9 Concerning Native Americans, these facts are noteworthy:

                  • In 2000, Native Americans represented a very small proportion of the nation’s population (0.9 percent), but in some counties of various states, they are a significant proportion. In Arizona, for example, Native Americans composed 6 percent of the state’s population and 78 percent of the population in Apache County. In South Dakota, they made up 8 percent of the population, but 94 and 86 percent, respectively, in Shannon and Todd Counties.

                  • In the aggregate, Native Americans suffer high rates of poverty and disease, much of it resulting from the violence and discrimination they have historically suffered at the hands of whites.

                  • Until recently, the Act was enforced on behalf of Native Americans infrequently. However, beginning in the 1990s, they have filed and won several important suits that have drawn attention to disfranchising efforts and vote dilution against Native Americans.

                  • The Voting Rights Act has contributed substantially to Native Americans’ ability to participate in the electoral process and elect candidates of their choice.

                  .

                  The following facts are germane in describing Asian Americans:

                  • In 2000, this group comprised 4 percent of the nation’s population, and 49 percent lived in three states: California, New York, and Hawaii. Their population is quite diverse, embracing over 25 nationality groups.

                  • The Asian American population has grown rapidly, from 1.5 million in 1970 to 12 million in 2000. Much of the growth is the result of immigration. Voter turnout is relatively low for this group. Only 43 percent of Asian VAP citizens reported voting in November 2000, as compared to 62 percent of Anglo citizens.

                  • Like the other groups described above, Asian Americans have long experienced discrimination by whites, and considerable hostility towards them exists today, as detailed in reports compiled in recent elections.

                  • The number of Asian American elected officials (AEOs) remains small. It increased modestly from 120 in 1978 to 346 in 2004, in spite of an eight-fold increase in Asian American population between 1970 and 2000.

                  The above is from a report entitled The Voting Rights Act at Work 1982-2005 by The National Commission on the Voting Rights Act ...[This Commission was created by The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights]

                  To read the complete report click> protecting minority voters - The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights

                    #173.1 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:15 PM EST
                    Reply

                    It is time to end "affirmative action" once and for all in the United States. Every individual has the same opportunities as everyone else. I think it is a slap to the face of minorities that some, for political reasons only, think that minorities need a hand up to achieve success.

                    Civil Rights Act was passed in 1965 and those claiming affirmative action is needed for minorities that weren't even born yet is just BS. With out using affirmative action, voting rights, and special programs the people in the ACLU, Jesse Jackson, Rev Al Sharpton and others who make a living off of the racial issues would have to find real jobs. It is only the political African-Americans and other minorities that want to keep racial divide alive. According to the so called "political experts" Obama won because of the minority vote, so why do they, the minorities, still need special government benefits?

                      Reply#174 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:16 PM EST

                      It is time to end "affirmative action" once and for all in the United States. Every individual has the same opportunities as everyone else.

                      Are you agoraphobic? It doesn't appear that you have much contact with the rest of society on any regular and consistent basis.

                      • 1 vote
                      #174.1 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:36 PM EST

                      DOCJT - Are you stupid. How long are the minorities, especially African-Americans, going to keep using the race card? Minorities that weren't even born during the fight for civil rights are still trying to use race as a crutch. What about white or Asians (especially Chinese, Koreans and Japanese) who come from poor families and backgrounds, why aren't they given advantages similar to Blacks and Hispanics?

                      For you information I grew up in a mixed racial neighborhood in the 40s and 50s, in California. I spent 20 years in the military, so I have had much more contact with society and you have.

                      There was a purpose for affirmative action and civil rights legislation, especially in the South, in the 60s and even into the 80s, but like a lot of government policies there comes a time that they have to cease, especially when they become divisive.

                      Where is the fairness when a minority and a white apply to go to a school or a job and both come from the same town, state, K-12 schools, etc., that the minority is given priority based on skin color? My children are bi-racial and were told, when applying for college, not to mention they were part Asian because it would count against them more than help them.

                      So now you tell me, when does it end? If you and the other liberals that believe in affirmative action in schooling and jobs then give a minority your job or your child's seat in a college or university and quit asking others to do it.

                        #174.2 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:12 PM EST

                        Where is the fairness when a minority and a white apply to go to a school ......that the minority is given priority based on skin color?

                        It is very fair and also healthy for the college or university.

                        The institutions of higher learning should reflect the make-up of our diverse society always. Ethnic diversity enhances each student's experience which in turn benefits society as a whole.

                        If anything should be addressed.........it is the acceptance of star athletes who have poor grades below the level required to be accepted. Also, what about "privileged" applicants who do not meet acceptance standards and yet are accepted because of "family name" or because their relatives are big donors to the college?

                          #174.3 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:34 PM EST
                          Reply

                          It is very simple America. The GOP/RNC have gone out of their way to violate the Voter Rights Act Of 1965. The Tea Beggers need to be investigated by the US Justice Department. The Tea Beggers are guilty of voter suppression on a grand scale. It will be interesting to see how this "Crazy Conservative Court" rules on this very important issue.

                          • 2 votes
                          Reply#175 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:36 PM EST

                          As I watched the election day and evening news, I was sort of shocked that there were long lines of voters waiting hours to vote. Where I live, you walked in, maybe waited at most ten minutes and then voted. I noticed that most of the people in most of the lines were Black or Latino, not all, but most. Late on Tues. night as all the exit polling was completed, what were the results of the question: How long did you wait to vote? Over 90% of the persons reporting waits of an hour or more were minorities. Since they comprised only a quarter of the potential voters at most, something else seems to be going on here. Racism! Vote suppression! Election rigging! Would Southern Whites and racists in the North do such a thing? You 'betcha!

                          These Republicans have no soul and no morals. Though they wrap themselves in God and the flag, and talk about their own patriotism, they are Fascist pigs.

                            Reply#176 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:42 PM EST

                            Has anyone considered a cause of the long lines being that many of the voters took 20-30 min. to complete their vote.

                              #176.1 - Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:52 AM EST
                              Reply

                              So,...now with Florida's 29 electoral votes that means the final tally was 332 for Obama and 206 for Romney. That is a difference of 126 electoral votes,...a VERY BIG MARGIN.

                              Mitt didn't even get 2/3 the electoral votes of Obama. That says something,..loud and clear.

                              Two words,...."Referendum",...on failed trickle down GOP policies, and,..

                              "Mandate",...for the GOP to stop obstructing the president and finally follow

                              the will of the people and work on behalf of the MIDDLE class.

                              Thank you president Obama for fighting for the "people" of our country. You have shown the GOP what a president is supposed to do.

                              We all must stay vigilant in our fight against corruption and financial influence on our political process.

                              That was close,...we almost became "The Corporate States of America".

                              They will try again in 2016, and probably every election after that.

                              We need to fight those who are attempting to bu our country AT EVERY TURN,....not just at elections, not just at THIS election,...not just for our very excellent first minority president.

                              The struggle is now "We the People" vs "Corrupt Corporate Super Pacs" whose purpose is to undermine government on behalf of the people in favor of pandering to corporations and the rich.

                              Talk to friends and neighbors,...and reinforce just how important it was that the people stuck together.

                              This election marked a "generational shift". Despite the enormous money that wealthy GOP Super PACs contributed to the Romney campaign >>>> MITT ROMNEY lost. Awesome,...that has shown us what we can do.

                              President Obama's huge elcetoral win was clearly a REFERRENDUM on the failed trickle down policies of the last generation. There is now a MANDATE from the people for the right to stand down and work with OUR DULY ELECTED PRESIDENT to get things done on behalf of the people.

                              If we work together, this will be the beginning of a progressive wave that will last for the next decade, insuring the future of the middle class.

                              Congratulations president Obama and vice president Biden,...and THANK YOU for everything you are doing.

                              " Fight the far right,...99% unite" !!!

                              Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton 2016,...and 2020 !!!! Let's make up our minds to keep this going now,...while the importance of this election is still fresh in our minds. The GOP won't truly "change",...they will just lay back and wait to strike again.

                              Vote democrat and vote often !!!

                                Reply#177 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:48 PM EST

                                Yep, yer last comment says it all. The lib motto is "Vote Democrat and vote often." That's the only way to win. The Chicago machine won again, this time by buying the vote of every tiny special interest group our taxpayer dollars could reach. Then play on the greed and self-interest of the have nots. But it won't last. You may win every presidential election for hundreds of years, but what will the wins mean? Nothing. Because the country will be ruined. You will be presiding over a has-been country, with people who've earned nothing, fighting over who gets the dregs of what was once the greatest society known to man. Feel proud. You've earned it.

                                • 1 vote
                                #177.1 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:34 PM EST
                                Reply

                                I dont think that the Court should have taken this case, especially when we saw the blatant attempts to suppress minority voters, the discriminating voter ID laws, purging of voter lists etc. BUT, if they do take the case, it's clear that the Act is still critically needed and should be upheld 9-0! It will be VERY telling if the margin is different.

                                Clearly, the GOP wants to roll back voting rights of the minorities in this country! Indeed, they are trying to do, and already HAVE DONE, many things that are patently un-American! The job of the last election remains unfinished. If we are to effectively address this voter right issue, the GOP-created debt issue, this constant kowtowing to the money and corporate elite while giving Joe America the finger, then we have to repudiate this version of the GOP!! That is the goal of 2014 and beyond.

                                It is important to remember that this country did not have serious budget, deficit and debt issues, and deliberate disregard for American traditions, UNTIL the election of Raygun!

                                • 2 votes
                                Reply#178 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:50 PM EST
                                LooLoo.serDeleted

                                Yes, to a lib, asking for proof of eligibility to vote is a blatant attempt to supress minority votes. Like asking a driver for his license, right? Yer a moroon. It's actually only considered supression when required in a relatively conservative state. Here in uberlib Colorado everyone shows ID. Why haven't you libs sued our state? Because there aren't enough illegal votes to be gained. It's okay, you will all taste the fruits of your misconduct - eventually. Unless, of course, you forget to take off your lib-colored glasses.

                                • 1 vote
                                #178.2 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:26 PM EST

                                catlover. do you realize that most of the voter ID laws were declared illegal?? It isnt about showing IDs-- it was about suppressing the vote! YOU make this that's OK, I do not, and neither did the courts!

                                LooLOO, it's not about revenge, it's about cutting out the cancer that is this version of the gop. They endangered this country's national security with their 30 year campaign to run up so much debt that it would force privatizing SS and Medicare-- 2 programs that added NOT ONE DIME to the deficits and debt.

                                If the last 3 GOP presidents had NOT signed TWENTY deficit riddled budgets AND saddled Obama with a $1.3T deficit, we wouldnt HAVE A DEBT CRISIS!

                                At a time of crisis, with the country’s entire financial system near collapse, with the economy collapsing, with the stock market collapsing, with unemployment skyrocketing, with people losing their jobs and retirement money, the GOP announced that THEIR #1 PRIORITY was to assure that Pres. Obama was a 1 term president---- even BEFORE he was sworn in!!!

                                Do you REALLY think the Republican Party give a FIG about you and me??? Nah!! THEY worship at the altar of the moneyed and corporate elite while giving Joe America the finger. We need to throw the rest of them out to even begin to save this country!

                                • 2 votes
                                #178.3 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:35 PM EST

                                Tom, Tell us, please, why showing ID suppresses any vote. Everyone is required to show ID to drive, cash a check, get a job, get on an airplane, go into a courthouse, drink beer, etc, etc, etc, etc. Tell us, please, why voting should be any different. Only if the machine is worried about not getting enough illegal votes. If you all will take off the lib-colored glasses, you will all eventually understand how the lib machine is ruining America, only for the votes. It's a real shame.

                                • 1 vote
                                #178.4 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:41 PM EST

                                catlover589--did you read this post above?

                                Using the Voting Rights Act, groups were able to prevent unfair statutes from going into effect this year.

                                For example, on August 30, in Texas v. Holder, a three-judge court unanimously blocked Texas' new voter identification statute, the most stringent in the nation, finding that the statute would inevitably disenfranchise low-income Texas citizens, who are disproportionately African American and Hispanic. The court explained that, unlike Indiana, whose voter identification law was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2008, Texas had gone to great lengths to suppress the vote in poor and minority communities, strictly limiting the types of photo identifications available -- a license to carry a concealed firearm is a valid ID under the law, but not a student or Medicare ID card and making it costly to obtain a so-called "free" election ID for use at the polls. For those without one of the five permitted photo identifications, the court found that the law was tantamount to a poll tax, "imposing an implicit fee for the privilege of casting a ballot."

                                The "very point" of the Voting Rights Act, the court explained, was to deny "states an end-run around the Fifteenth Amendment's prohibition on racial discrimination in voting."

                                [by Doug Kendall- HuffPost]

                                .

                                The Bill that Texas had wanted to enact but was blocked by the 3-judge court was the following---

                                Senate Bill 14, enacted in 2011, is more stringent than existing Texas law. If implemented, SB 14 will require in-person voters to identify themselves at the polls using one of five forms of government-issued photo identification, two state and three federal: (1) a driver’s license or personal ID card issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS); (2) a license to carry a concealed handgun, also issued by DPS; (3) a U.S. military ID card; (4) a U.S. citizenship certificate with photograph; or (5) a U.S. passport. Tex. Elec. Code § 63.0101

                                  #178.5 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:55 PM EST
                                  LooLoo.serDeleted
                                  LooLoo.serDeleted

                                  As I understand it--Texas was required to stick to its old policy which is

                                  Texas’s current election code recognizes eight broad categories of documents as “acceptable” voter ID. These include birth certificates, expired and non-expired driver’s licenses, U.S. passports, U.S. citizenship papers, utility bills, “official mail addressed to the person . . . from a governmental entity,” any “form of identification containing the person’s photograph that establishes the person’s identity,” and “any other form of identification prescribed by the secretary of state.”

                                    #178.8 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:09 PM EST
                                    Reply

                                    So showing an ID somehow discriminates against certain segments?? I've shown IDs every time I've voted, in every state I've lived in. No one here in Colorado thinks it is a burden. Why can the uberliberal states require ID, but when a reletively conservative state like Texas requires proof of voter eligibility it is somehow discriminatory. Are you libs saying the minorities in Texas are for some reason even more stupid than the minorities in Colorado? Or is it simply that you libs need more illegal votes in places like Texas?

                                    • 1 vote
                                    Reply#179 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:18 PM EST

                                    The only reason states are challenging the voting rights act is that these Southern states are still fighting the Civil War.

                                    The Civil War is over.

                                    The United States of America won.

                                    Get over it!

                                    • 3 votes
                                    Reply#180 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:34 PM EST

                                    You win the dick head award of the day. Go forth and show the people the power of your stupidity and racism

                                      #180.1 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:55 PM EST
                                      Reply

                                      With the blatant attempts to surpress the vote before the Nov elections, e.g., voter ID, shorter early voting hours, purges of the rolls with little time to appeal, it is evident that systematic action by the GOP to reduce the opportunity to vote is alive and well. Though mostly affecting seniors, blacks and Latinos, it also affected many whites. While not overtly racist, is is overtly unAmerican.

                                      • 4 votes
                                      Reply#181 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:55 PM EST

                                      And the runner up for the award is?????

                                        #181.1 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 8:57 PM EST

                                        With the blatant attempts to surpress the vote before the Nov elections, e.g., voter ID, shorter early voting hours, purges of the rolls with little time to appeal

                                        These situations need to be corrected. Thanks for pointing them out, woodbutcher.

                                        • 1 vote
                                        #181.2 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 9:09 PM EST
                                        Reply

                                        This is the United States of America Voting Laws In 2003 The Federal Voting Standards and Procedures Act.

                                        (1) Requires states to streamline registration.

                                        (2) Requires states to streamline voting.

                                        (3) Requires states to streamline all other election procedures.

                                        Americans have the Right to vote! Political Power of the Republican Party is clearly under the Corporate Control.

                                        • 1 vote
                                        Reply#182 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 9:53 PM EST

                                        Well, here we go again, fighting for our rights, even though people from all walks of life, different faiths and creeds have died to protect the right to vote, and now it looks like we will have to establish a new civil rights movement to thwart the efforts of racists to repeal the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Bill. To be sure, states like Ohio should be added to the list based on all the voter suppression legislation spear-headed by the 'outed' A.L.E.C.(Koch brothers). While people in other countries are dying trying to get the opportunity to vote, in this country too many people are sitting by not raising their collective voices against voter suppression. Don't these people realize that at some point they WILL be next???

                                        • 1 vote
                                        Reply#183 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 10:09 PM EST

                                        What the Republicans are doing is treason by another name.

                                          #183.1 - Mon Nov 12, 2012 12:31 PM EST
                                          Reply

                                          1) Voter ID Should Be A One Time Affair -- Register One Time -- At Age 18 Or Older -- Similar To A Drivers License -- If You Move -- Then Re-Register & Update Your Place Of Residence -- A Simple Mail In Process -- On A National Basis -- Not A Local One -- The National Lists Passed On To The Local Districts!

                                          2) Purges Of Voter Rolls -- If And When Needed -- On A National Level Since Registration Should Be On A National Level -- Not Local!

                                          3) Access Should Be Equalized And Based On Voter Population Density -- To Give Equal Access Time -- Higher Densities Areas Can Be Adjust By Having Extended Voter Days, Hours And More Voting Places -- It Took My 93 Year Old Mother And I Approximately 20 Minutes to Vote Not 2 Or More Hours Let Alone 8 Or 10 Hours -- Forms In Many Cases Can Be Pre-distributed To Cut Down On The Time to Vote! Without Equal Access -- Time Or Otherwise -- There Is A Form Of Denial & Suppression To All Voter! Strong Federal Guidelines Are Need Here!

                                          • 1 vote
                                          Reply#184 - Sun Nov 11, 2012 10:22 PM EST
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