Montana Had A Really Great Idea Until This Happened

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Mount Gould in Glacier National Park, Montana

by David P. Greenberg

Yes! Montana had a really great idea. You see, Montana is a huge state and they don’t have a lot of polling places. Montanans might find themselves driving large distances to go vote. So, they came up with this idea. Let’s just mail the ballots to all the registered voters, and allow them to mail them back.

It would have saved the state a fortune in costs, and it would have enabled a larger voter turnout. Win, win all around, right? Wrong. The state legislature shot down the idea. But, here’s why: they didn’t say it would result in a security issue. They didn’t say it could lead to massive voter fraud. They said – candidly and unapologetically – “It would allow too many Democrats voting access.”

Alabama – AKA Darwin’s Waiting Room – was the only state in the Union that had a process in place, where voters could place a pre-election vote on Sundays. Just yesterday, they repealed that process. The reason they gave? Again, candidly and unapologetically, “Most of the voters who took advantage of that policy are Democrats.” They said this. In public. In print. Without quarter. We are willing to change the law to make it more difficult for Democrats to vote.

Republicans have been actively, and overtly, gerrymandering districts and engaging in voter suppression since Reagan. When propaganda, outright lies, muckraking, and slander aren’t enough to guarantee election victories, they have no problem moving to outright rigging and manipulation.

But why? That’s the real question. Is it simply for power? Is it for profit? Lord knows there’s money to be made in government. Is it for “Gawd.” Do Republicans believe that the Creator of the Universe needs their dirty tactics to help maintain his deistic hegemony?

Last week, Mitch McConnell – world’s oldest living tortoise – was on Hugh Hewitt’s show on MSNBC. Now, even though MSNBC is the treasonous embodiment of “Fake News,” and home to a cadre of sniveling Snowflakes and – dare I say it – D…D… Democrats, Hugh Hewitt is an established Conservative. So McConnell sees no need to lie to him.

At one point in the interview, McConnell started actually bragging about how he held up Obama’s pick for SCOTUS judge. It was a point of pride for him, and yes, McConnell – a man who makes a coma patient appear active, by comparison – was visibly elated by his own subterfuge.

But here’s the nut. He said, “We didn’t just block his Supreme Court nominee, we successfully blocked some 80 lower court justices that Obama was supporting. We are now in a position to change the face of the American Judiciary for the first time in 50 years.” That’s a direct quote. I almost fell off my chair.

This is McConnell’s goal. This is what he wants. I don’t think regular Republicans even understand this – or the gravity of it. We have three co-equal branches of Government. Of those, only one affords lifetime appointment. If the Republicans can seize control of the Judiciary, they will indeed be able to RULE for generations to come. And they will be able to overturn or repeal every progressive act, every liberty, every forward step we’ve made as a nation, since 1968. they will truly be able to turn back the clock, not just 50 years, but rather, 150 years. Rights for Women. Rights for Blacks and other minorities. Rights of freedom from religion. Rights of personal privacy and safety. Consumer rights. Patient’s rights.

You might not believe this, but both the Census and almost all polls show  Conservatives are in the minority in America. Arch-Conservatives and Radical Right-wingnuts are in the extreme minority. But that minority is incredibly active. They vote in all elections. They run for local office. They write letters and make phone calls. We sit around and smoke pot. If Democrats mobilized with even 10% of the energy Republicans have already mobilized with, we’d kick them all to the curb in a matter of hours. As I have said before, only 13.5M Americans make up the Right-wing base. We outnumber them by about 15:1. That means that for every 15 random people you line up, only ONE will be a Right-wing nut-bag.

I’ll continue to write hard, but I need you to read hard. And I need you to think hard. I need you to mobilize. I need you to stop McConnell from reshaping our Judiciary. That’s his plan. That’s his goal. That’s his life’s work. And last week, he tipped his hand. Last week he told us why the Republicans have spent the past half-century manipulating the electorate.

Don’t let this happen.

About Post Author

Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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Bobbie Peel
6 years ago

Voter suppression is a national disgrace. Republicans come right out and tell you their motive is to deter the Democrat vote. Yet, it’s barely news.

6 years ago

Several of the comments I got on FaceBook started out with the tired old “Yeah… but Hillary…” I think we need to stop fighting the “Hillary Wars,” and find a way to coalesce around this common enemy. The Republicans are loving the new divided “Democrat Party.”

6 years ago

Those Republicans have no moral compass and care nothing about anything except elevating more republicans.

Reply to  Rachael
6 years ago

Exactly right Rachael

Reply to  Professor Mike
6 years ago

Here’s the “new face of the American Judiciary.” The Breitbart Blogger who’s never tried a court case, the Burger-Czar who never finished Highschool, and the Evangelical heiress who believes the Earth is 6000 years old. I know I certainly don’t want THESE morons deciding my future.

Carolyn
Reply to  BitcoDavid
6 years ago

And these idiots are being confirmed?

Reply to  Carolyn
6 years ago

So far, yes. All along party lines of course. But, the Republicans now rely on a thing they call “Reconciliation.” That allows them to pass legislation and confirm nominees, without the 60% requirement of the traditional “Regular Order.” Also, They’ve been keeping all the hot-button shit, like “Tax Reform” on the front burner. So, while you and I are arguing over Roy Moore’s sexual proclivities, they’re sneaking these morons and incompetents in, under the wire.

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