Where money is needed in politics…
The Supreme Court (SC) has made some anti-democratic (note the small “d”) and fascist-leaning decisions in recent years (you should recall that German corporations helped bring Hitler to power—some of those still exist!). It’s forced a money-race that is tantamount to the rich elites and their toadies buying elections. Both Dems and the GOP now play the latter game. Hillary not only leads the small pack of Dem candidates (not that small, but certainly smaller than the GOP clown-contingent), but she also has the biggest “war chest,” AKA financial backing. Yet she’s still wooing George Soros.
As bad as big money’s presence in American politics has become, thanks to the SC, we don’t need an anti-Citizens United amendment to stop that (it would be nice, but amendments are hard to come by). We can redirect the money. Mr. Soros, for example, has put up $5 million to mount legal action against laws restricting voter participation. You see, the GOP knows they can’t win in a fair fight if everyone votes—demographics aren’t on their side—so they try to make sure all the uncool people, most of them poor and middle class folks, can’t vote against them. You saw it in Selma and it continues, only it’s more subtle. In fact, I can say it’s not racial anymore: You’re uncool simply if you vote Democratic. You’re uncool if you think the rich elites have too much control. You’re uncool if you think people deserve a safety net when they’re down and out. You’re uncool if you think that people deserve reasonably priced but quality healthcare.
Of course, it’s the GOP that’s uncool. In almost every state with a legislature dominated by the GOP, you can see atrocities committed. Florida’s legislature passed the controversial Stand-Your-Ground law that allows you to blow away anyone you think is threatening you. They also voted down a Medicaid proposal that would have helped thousands in dire need. The atrocities happen in the U.S. Congress too, more so now with the GOP dominating both houses. They don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about what most of the country thinks. They think they know it all, they have the power, and they’ll make sure it stays that way—Koch brothers be praised.
That’s why I don’t particularly care whether Soros contributes to Hillary’s PAC. He can send some of his spare change to the Democratic Party, no candidate specified, because you know from history that almost anyone the Dems choose will be orders of magnitude better than the anointed Republican super-bozo among all the GOP clowns who are candidates or want to be. But I’d prefer that Soros and other wealthy but well-meaning individuals donate to the cause of putting our American democracy in order—in other words, pay for legal attacks against all legislation designed to keep voters away from the polls. Here’s where reforms are needed:
Ambiguous and/or discriminatory voter requirements. It’s all over the South, and always has been, but don’t think it’s just a Southern problem. Again, where there are Republican governors and/or GOP-controlled legislatures, for example, places like Ohio, Wisconsin, and other states in the Midwest, you’ll see these tactics tried. Some of them are already law and are being challenged in the legal system (federal judges in the lower courts tend to be less fascistic than the SC majority). Challenges require money, though. Yeah, it goes to enrich lawyers and law firms, but some lawyers are concerned citizens and not just interested in getting rich. Let’s pay those who do something for American democracy.
Limiting early, off-hours, and absentee voting. We saw this in Ohio, especially in response to all those “uncool people” in Cleveland and other large cities (how dare they vote Democratic!). The standard mantra? “We’re reducing the chances for voter fraud.” Even heard it from NJ Gov. Christie, the bloviating Bridgegate bumpkin. BS! The GOP is reducing the chances that the Dems will win. Period. Rural Ohio is like many other rural areas, NJ and NY included—all too often super conservative, right-wing, racist, and bigoted. These people hate that all those minorities in the big cities can swing elections, so they try to do everything they can to stop it. Tyranny by the minority is their goal.
Reduction of voting hours and infrastructure problems. The above is about voting not on the day of election, but egregious examples have occurred to limit participation on Election Day too. There should be a standard fourteen-hour period—6 a.m. to 8 p.m., say—and the polls should be continuously open during that period. No excuses like “We didn’t print enough ballots” or “We had hanging chads” or “We don’t have enough volunteers” should be allowed to prevent voting or to corrupt the count of the votes. Paper records should be kept if possible, even when the voting is electronic, or, in any case, several electronic backups should be archived—the election official who doesn’t ensure that should be forced to resign and spend a few years in jail at least—and it should be a federal crime, not state, even for local elections.
Increasing caps for appearing on a ballot. I don’t care what the party is, I’m upset when a candidate runs unopposed. While that often happens because of gerrymandering (see below), I’m doubly upset when I learn that it occurs because they’ve increased the number of signatures required for a candidate to appear on the ballot. This goes for propositions too. I’d move towards California’s number of ballot measures rather than towards nothing at all. Citizen’s initiatives are often useful in curtailing the abuses stemming from a one-party legislature or exuberant governor or a bigoted minority.
Gerrymandering. This is the bane of the congressional elections. Both parties do it. Party X takes over the state legislature and starts changing the districts to benefit their candidates and isolate the opposition. I’d work in every state for an amendment that would force congressional districts to respect already existing geopolitical divisions—counties, districts, whatever the tradition. Whatever their history (between these two rivers, the ocean, and that range of hills, for example), they usually make more sense than the oddly shaped districts we now have because of gerrymandering and probably would be a fairer mix of voting proclivities.
Electoral College. Unfortunately, getting rid of it would also require an amendment. You can argue whether an anti-Citizens United amendment or this amendment would be more feasible, but this amendment would still require all of the above. Doing away with it would make it even more tempting for the GOP to add restrictions on voting. Nevertheless, donations to attack the Electoral College concept and add a new amendment are always welcome in mounting a legal attack against this anachronism!
That’s about it. You might be able to think of other instances where legal action is necessary for stopping the corrupt attack on our democracy by the GOP. The bottom line: These issues are more important than any particular candidate because they are critical to the preservation of the democratic process in America. A famous quote is appropriate here from Irishman Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Considering the SC’s right-wing members, I’ll paraphrase the Marine motto: We need a few good, rich men to step forward and invest in our democracy. ‘Nough said.
And so it goes….
