Saturday, July 30, 2016

Voter Suppression Laws Overturned in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Texas ... by gimleteye

Three federal court rulings in recent weeks overturned restrictive state voting laws, mainly affecting African Americans who tend to vote Democrat.

Republican donors, including the Koch Brothers oligarchs and in North Carolina, Art Pope, financed the measures now deemed illegal. For Democrats and candidates this is good news, but only if citizens vote.

For Republicans, this election cycle has already been a fright show.

Every standard bearer for the Republican presidential nomination fell to a showman who craves the spotlight then fills it with erratic statements unworthy of a presidential candidate in the United States. For Democrats, the Trump candidacy opens the possibility of re-taking the Senate. But only if citizens vote.

The Kochs pledged to spend upwards of $900 million this election cycle. Their hostility to Trump means that they will spend very heavily in down-ballot elections to preserve the Republican majority in the Senate. Most Republican insiders confess they are comfortable with a Clinton presidency, especially if a Republican-controlled Senate can enforce gridlock as it did with Obama.

For voters, a Clinton presidency and Republican-controlled Senate means that big money will continue to dominate the American political landscape. But if Democrats regain control of the Senate, campaign finance reform is not a sure thing either.

Thanks to recent court decisions, more Americans will have a choice in November: hope or nope, but only if they vote.

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