@light Sadly...as a native Georgian.. I think that is all just for show. They are also investigating Senator Warnock for his involvement in the New Georgia Project, a voter registration program founded by Stacey Abrams. He resigned from the group last January 2020 and began his campaign for the Senate. What do you want to bet the good ole boys of redder than red have started this in retaliation for their perceived wrongs against the white male status quo? an investigation into the New Georgia Project and other voter registration groups, alleging that they had “sought to register ineligible, out-of-state, or deceased voters. They just initiated this action from what they say are irregularities from 2019. Can you say "Butt hurt much, tit for tat" GOP?
I have watched every minute of the Impeachment hearings.. I knew going in that the GOP would not vote to impeach their "fearless leader" Graham,Cruz and Lee met privately with Trump's lawyers last night... and when asked by NBC new's reporter had he heard/seen anything to change his vote after yesterdays hearings Graham responded with just one word... "NOPE"
Most folks are not even watching or care what he has done. That? is the scariest thing ever.
I agree. Gerrymandering is a serious matter that must be dealt with now, at all costs.
As we know, the problem is that Republicans control many of the states, and thus can draw the districting lines as they chose. In effect, they shrink the Democrats power.
Now, there is a bill that can fix that. It is basically the Voting Rights Act Version II, made to be stronger than the previous bill.
The problem? It will pass the House easily, but will be filibustered and die in the Senate.
So, the Democrats have a problem. They must find a way for the bill to pass via leverage, blow up the filibuster, or allow Republicans to get away with it.
If I were the Democrats, here is what I would do. Under no circumstances can you allow this bill to die in the Senate, because once Republicans gerrymander the districts, it is over. Even when Republicans are barely 39% of the population, they will continue their minority rule over the rest of us. Gender inequality, income inequality, climate change, and everything else will be stopped in its tracks.
So, the time has come to pull out the big guns. First, tell Republicans that they can either pass this bill, or Biden will add more seats to the Supreme Court.
This would be fitting. After all, it was the Supreme Court who blew up the protections in the original Voting Rights Act, so why not add our own protection? Also, Biden would well be within his rights to add seats to the Supreme Court, and it wouldn't put the Democrats in the uncomfortable position to get rid of the filibuster.
So, this gives Democrats a weapon to fire back with. Any gerrymandering cases that comes its way will be overturned in favor of the voters, giving Democrats the ability to circumvent any of the damage that the Republicans do in their gerrymandering.
Republicans may rally for that issue and vote in droves in 2022, but so can we.
So Republicans can either pass the bill and make sure voting is fair, or they can face the consequences of their own refusal to play by the rules. Personally, I hope the Democrats do this. I am tired with Republicans getting away with stuff all the time, and it is past time they are penalized for it.
@journeywithme2 Fulton County's new DA has opened the inquiry, and has sent a warning to T he is not above the law. I have confidence this is not "for show". She was recently elected.
In her letter to state officials, Willis described the Trump investigation as a “high priority” and said the case will go before a grand jury as early as March, with subpoenas to follow shortly thereafter.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/02/trump-raffensperger-election-fraud-criminal-charges.html
Georgia Prosecutor Fani Willis Warns Donald Trump as Investigation Deepens
https://www.newsweek.com/fani-willis-georgia-trump-investigation-maddow-1568832
Winning in 2022 is paramount to protecting our nation. The battle over redistricting/gerrymandering and who gets to control voting districts is real and it's major.
I can say, coming from the heavily Gerrymandered Michigan, districts as unfair as ours have been have the side effect of ticking a LOT of people off - so much so that we overwhelmingly approved a voter initiative that has put redistricting in independent hands. You also ended up with some purple-ish districts that despite being drawn to favor Republicans, Democrats have started winning.
This, however, does not help some of the parts you have brought up already - I am hopeful that Republican behavior the next two years means even some heavily Gerrymandered areas end up being competitive.
@allyn How likely do you think Democrats would do this? It seems to me that they have been cowered and bullied for years and thus emboldened the GOP and their cruel and unlawful acts.
I may be an outsider, but this behavior from a politician would be unheard of in The Netherlands. People get called out and hung to dry for the smallest of transgressions here and there are repercussions. Many a secretary has stepped down and taken responsibility. Hell, our entire government stepped down last month because mistakes were made with a childcare fund.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index according to this list the USA isn't that corrupt, but with everything that is going on I cannot believe the US government is at spot nr. 26. To me it sounds like a bad state of affairs: the acts of the GOP in the senate for example, not just now but it has been going on for years. Obstruction is not democracy, neither is 'my way or the highway'. This is not the America, or the ideal, many Europeans loved before the 00s rolled around.
@light Oh I am well aware of who she is..helped with her campaign. You misunderstood me I believe..and I was not as clear as I could have been in my commentary. The sadly for show comment pertained to the Impeachment proceedings we have been watching since Tuesday... my belief is that the GOP already has shown their hand and will not convict Trump this time either. I have NO DOUBT that DA Willis will follow up to the full extent of the law the investigation and consequent charges she plans to bring. She has already warned all involved that records will be requested and must not be tampered or altered with.
"The launching of the investigation was revealed in a letter from District Attorney Fani Willis to state officials asking them to preserve any documents potentially related to the 2020 general election, "with particular care given to set aside and preserve those that may be evidence of attempts to influence the actions of persons who were administering" it, which would include Trump's Jan. 2 phone call with the secretary. The letter was first reported by the New York Times and obtained by ABC News.
"This investigation includes, but is not limited to, potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election's administration," Willis writes in the letter.
News of Willis' investigation comes just two days after it was revealed that the Georgia secretary of state's office had launched its own investigation into Trump's phone calls to state officials, and in the midst of the U.S. Senate's ongoing impeachment trial as Democrats seek to convict Trump on charges that his efforts to thwart his election loss helped to incite the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol." ABC News
@light, I saw the new Fulton County DA interviewed last night on Rachel Maddow. I really like her. Attached are links to both parts of the interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQz_v2hmtHQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4tpr3brwhE
Regarding predictions that T. might be convicted-all h#ll is breaking loose with McCarthy and Pence and the phone call. I feel like there's even more devastating revelations to follow, and might? maybe? lead to a conviction, not because any rethug really wants to, but because to not do so in the face of such damming evidence could hurt or end their political careers. Not talking about lost causes like Hawley and Cruz and Graham, but maybe others. We'll see.
Nikki Haley completely turned on Trump yesterday. Exquisite timing, in the middle of an impeachment trial. I wonder if she was trying to affect the outcome.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/02/12/politics/nikki-haley-donald-trump-gop/index.html