Stop Voter Suppresion

While debating the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election,  many of us overlooked the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder that gutted the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act.  The high court struck down a key provision of the law that required states with a history of voter suppression, such as poll taxes or literacy tests, to get Federal approval before making changes to their election laws.  As a result, state after state enacted voter ID restrictions or measures like Georgia's "exact match," which dilute voter participation among minority groups and the elderly,  who usually vote Democrat.  To prevent a similar occurrence in 2020, Democrats, or anyone who cares about democracy, must get involved.

In 2008, Americans captivated the world with a ground game that elected the first black president.  We walked from door to door registering voters, staged unbelievable rallies, used the internet to our advantage, and carried supporters to the polls.  Today, we are required to take it a step further due to an unprecedented attack on American democracy in the post-Civil Rights era.

Democrats and moderates must enhance their representation at the State and local level, where decisions regarding voter rights or the opportunity to vote are made.  The party in power decides how elections will be governed or who will be the next Supreme Court justice.  Yes, it is great to win the presidency. However, we cannot overlook that governorships, secretary of state positions, and control of state legislatures cannot be overstated in the fight for voting rights, since the modern Republican Party sees it as a hindrance. 

Voters should also be informed of changes to voting laws in their state, no matter how trivial or ridiculous they seem, even if it means going from door to door again, lobbying college campuses, or transit stations.  If voter IDs are required or if  "exact-match" is the new normal,  those desiring to vote should be well prepared ahead of time and not caught off guard at the last minute or misinformed.  This will make elections run smoother.

When all else fails,  Democrats and others who value a democratic society should take their message to the courts, where Bush and Obama-era judges, as the president calls them, can render the final verdict.  Archaic measures like "exact-match" must be appealed to the Federal bench, and those elections that are not carried out fairly, the losing candidate should be allowed to seek redress or declare that the outcome be thrown out and a new race declared, as was the case in a recent Congressional election in North Carolina.  This would shake up the system and prompt conservatives to think twice before engaging in dirty tricks in the future.

Republicans think they cannot win fair and square elections due to shifting demographics.  Thus, they engage in the tactics of the old Confederacy instead of reaching out to broaden their base. True Patriots must block their path in the New Jim Crow.

Atlanta Housing Woes

In the not so distant past, Atlanta prided itself as a city where everyone could find a decent place to live, regardless of income or socioeconomic status. 

One could transition from one end of town to the next without giving it thought.  Baby boomers and Generation Xers rented apartments or bought homes wherever they pleased, even if it meant leaving the inner city behind.

With today's sky-high rent and rising mortgages, Atlanta has become less accessible, especially for the poor and middle class. Some blame a housing boom fueled by the upwardly mobile and a desire of many suburbanites, who hate being stuck in traffic, to return to the city they once fled because of school desegregation and rising crime. Neighborhoods are being redeveloped, but not in the interest of those struggling to make it.

So, what must Atlanta and other growing cities do to fix their housing problem? Since every American deserves to live in a home they can afford, the private sector must be pressured to build communities within their price range. Georgians, regardless of background, need a place to call their own.  It's the right thing to do.

The government could also partner with businesses to help shoulder the cost of building affordable housing. The mayor of Atlanta, for instance, has linked up with companies to create mixed-income properties for seniors and low-income residents. Where public housing once stood are loving communities for everyone to enjoy. Tax-credit apartment buildings are also on the rise in the city. Those who qualify pay rent below the market rate, with the federal government picking up the rest. This is a win-win for all involved.

Atlanta still has a long way to go in solving its housing crisis. Because most public housing has been demolished in the city, many of the poor have been pushed out to surrounding areas, which may no longer be feasible since these communities have suffered a similar fate in recent years.  Added to the equation are poor elderly homeowners who are being priced out due to rising property taxes the mayor and council must deal with.  With these and other pressing issues on their plate, local governments have their work cut out for them.

Voter Suppression in Georgia

Since becoming Secretary of State of Georgia, Republican Brian Kemp has been accused of making it hard to vote, and has been labeled the "master of voter suppression." 

While running for governor, things haven't changed for Georgia's secretary of state; his efforts to block or circumvent the right to vote, especially for minorities, continue full speed ahead.

Kemp's most potent weapon used to purge voting rolls has been the "exact match" rule. After it was banned by the courts, the Republican majority found a unique way to push it through the Georgia General Assembly with startling results.

According to "exact match," the voter's residence and other identifying information on a voter registration form must be identical to that on a driver's license or other government-issued documents, including something as simple as a hyphen or junior in one's name. As a result, at least 53,000 voter registration forms have been targeted or on hold in Georgia, 90 percent of which belong to minorities. Stacy Abrams, an African American and the Democratic candidate for governor, and civil liberties groups have filed a lawsuit, claiming it amounts to a modern-day poll tax and unfairly targets the poor and elderly.

Kemp has also targeted voter registration groups around the state to combat perceived illegal voting. Get-out-the-vote rallies led by Abrams and others have netted over half a million new Asian, black, and Hispanic voters, with Kemp questioning their methods and goals. The Secretary of State's office has not discovered a hint of wrongdoing by Abrams's group or other voting rights organizations, which amounts to a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars.

Kemp's attempt to suppress the vote is based on fear, according to a secret recording obtained by the New York Times. In it he claimed "Democrats are working hard registering all these minority voters that are out there and others that are on the sidelines.

"If they can do that, they can win these elections in November," thus stopping the Republican agenda.

In his much-criticized role as secretary of state, Kemp has also fostered an environment of voter intimidation across Georgia. For instance, four hundred absentee ballots have been rejected in Gwinnett County, one of Georgia's largest and most diverse counties, over simple errors or insufficient information regarding signatures and home addresses since the start of the election, according to the Atlanta Constitution.  Civil liberties groups have filed suit demanding that they be counted by election day. Other suspected cases of voter suppression during Kemp's tenure have included attempts to close polling places in rural, predominately black counties and assaults on early voting. 

Although a Georgia judge recently ruled against the "exact match" law,  the secretary of state has appealed to a higher court with just days to go before the election. The saga continues in Georgia over the right to vote. 

Sources:  The Washington Post and the Atlanta Constitution.

Obamacare on the Line

Republicans have sought to kill the Affordable Care Act on many occasions and failed. It suffered a blow when the president signed the 2017 Republican-led tax bill. The bill eliminated the individual mandate, which required all Americans to be covered by health insurance or pay a tax. 

Despite its critics, recent polls suggest that most Americans like the Affordable Care Act or what Obama did to make health insurance accessible to all. As a result, Republicans have jumped on board, claiming they backed pre-existing conditions, the hallmark of the Federal health care law, all along. Nothing could be further from the truth. By voting to abolish the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, it would effectively end protection for millions in this country suffering from a previous health crisis, something all the GOP have fought diligently to do since its passage, despite voicing their support at rallies and on T.V.  The president, GOP members of Congress and Republican lawmakers running for office across America are dispensing such nonsense to poor, unsuspecting voters who will be stabbed in the back come January.  

Democrats, who passed the beloved ACA, must fight to set the record straight. They must call out the hypocrisy on the right or make it known that the GOP hates Obamacare, including the part that relates to pre-existing conditions, and would gut it like a fish. If progressives don't fight back, Republicans will succeed again on a phony claim like in 2002 when they bolstered support for the war in Iraq.

Sadly, Republicans will do anything to stay in power, lie, steal, and cheat instead of stating the facts or standing up for what is right.

Georgia Governor's Race Update

The race for governor heats up in Georgia as Democrats and Republicans clash over the right of all Georgians to vote with three weeks to go before election day.

Brian Kemp, the Republican nominee, recently flagged 53,000 voter registration forms, 90 percent of whom belong to minorities, in his official capacity as Secretary of State. Kemp claims they violate the "exact-match" policy put forth by him and the Republican majority in the General Assembly.  For instance, if the name or address listed on the form doesn't coincide with identifying information on a driver's license or another official document, which can be something as simple as a missing hyphen or misspelling, it will be targeted or put on hold with the voter allowed to cast a provisional ballot, which may or may not be counted.   

Kemp's opponent, Democrat Stacy Abrams, the first African American woman to be nominated by a major party for governor, and civil rights groups have not only filed suit against Kemp but are demanding that he recuse himself or step down from his current position until the election is over. They claim "exact-match" not only amounts to a modern-day poll tax but unfairly targets the poor and the elderly, who may find it difficult to obtain documents verifying their status. Kemp's opponents also assert that his refusal to leave office while running for governor is like the fox guarding the henhouse or an umpire playing on the opposing team, which stacks the deck against the Democrats.   

The Secretary of State of Georgia's actions conjure memories of the 1964 Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party.  When African Americans in the Mississippi could not participate in the political process, they elected their own delegates to the Democratic National Convention but were denied seating.  If 53,000 or more minorities cannot vote on November 6 or are intimidated at polling places, the country will suffer a similar faith with the fraudulently elected taking office. 

 Kemp made a shocking statement recently when he referred to his opponents as outside agitators. This is reminiscent of the 1960s in the Deep South instead of a State moving forward, which could negatively impact Georgia's growing economy. That may be why so many in the State oppose his candidacy. 

Democrats Making Headway in Georgia

The 2018 governor race in Georgia has tightened, with the Democratic and Republican candidates running neck and neck in the polls. Republicans, who have won every governor's election in the state since 2002, may see their luck run out. 

The tightness of the race could be due to a desire for Medicaid expansion in the State, shifting demographics, or an aversion to Trump.  Whatever the reason,  Georgia could be on the hills of electing its first African American female governor.

Stacy Abrams, the African American Democratic nominee, has been running a race Georgians can be proud of.  She supports expanding Medicaid to help save rural hospitals and wants to lure jobs to isolated areas that have not benefited from the economic recovery.  In addition, she favors criminal justice reform to help rehabilitate non-violent offenders and not throw away the key.

Abrams' focus on families has also captured the hearts of Georgians. In addition to Medicaid expansion, she intends to reach out to juvenile offenders with programs to help keep them off the streets. Abrams also plans to expand Pre-K, reduce welfare rolls by providing jobs in hard-hit areas, and chip away at the high school dropout rate, especially among African American boys and rural youth. She believes it will improve the family unit and lead to safer neighborhoods. 

But above all, the campaign represents a breath of fresh air or an alternative to the old boy network.  She speaks candidly about the issues and doesn't rely on business, as usual, to get things done.  She has worked across the aisle with the GOP to save scholarships for deserving youth and improve transportation in crucial areas. She is also a young woman who embodies the Twenty-First Century or the emerging new Georgia that is business/tech-savvy and cares nothing about the State's segregationist past.

Maybe with the backing from Georgians of all walks of life, she can defeat her Republican challenger, Brian Kemp, who is seen as a throwback to Georgia's ugly past.