Nevada republicans introduce bill designed to intimidate voters

Nevada's financial situation is so dire, UNLV is considering bankruptcy and a judge fears Governor Brian Sandoval's budget would be a threat to public safety.

Good thing we have republicans to tell us what's really important: intimidating voters of color and the poor.

Senate Bill 178: "a country clerk, field registrar, employee of a voter registration agency or person assisting a voter...shall not register a person to vote unless the person submits proof of citizenship to the county clerk."

State after state, republicans do what they can to disenfranchise people.

Last year Talking Points Memo took a look at the issue:

Just in time for the new year and new legislative sessions, the voter identification and proof-of-citizenship trains have restarted their engines and are chugging down the state tracks once again.

It being an election year wouldn't have anything to do with it, would it?

For as we know the voters who are far and away more likely to be disenfranchised by these nonsensical, ineffective measures are lower income, young people, minorities, the elderly, new Americans and voters with disabilities. The research that it is these categories of citizens that are blocked from voting because of these rules at this point in the debate is voluminous, and the evidence of fraud at the polling place of the type an ID would prevent or catch continues to be nonexistent. This includes the lack of any known charges involving anyone impersonating another voter at the polls in the huge turnout 2008 election. Proof-of-citizenship bills may be even more pernicious, as we witnessed thousands of eligible citizens have their registration applications rejected when Arizona passed such a measure a few years back.

This is key:

It has been evident for many years now that the claims about fraud are a fraud themselves and the motives behind passage of ID and proof-of-citizenship bills are usually not one of true concern for the integrity of the voting system. If the sponsors and supporters of these bills were concerned about electoral integrity, they would be concerned about the millions of people who are prevented from voting because of our badly flawed voter registration system.

I wonder how many jobs this bill will create. How much money it will save.

Share your opinion of SB178 here

Find your state senator's contact information here

And your assemblyperson

Contact the bill sponsors:

Senate
Don Gustavson
775-684-1480
dgustavson@sen.state.nv.us

Joe Hardy
775-684-1462
jhardy@sen.state.nv.us

Mike McGinness
775-684-1442
dparks@sen.state.nv.us

Michael Roberson
775-684-1481
mroberson@sen.state.nv.us

James Settelmeyer
775-684-1470
jsettelmeyer@sen.state.nv.us

Assembly
Ira Hansen
775-684-8851
ihansen@asm.state.nv.us

John Ellison
775-684-8831
jellison@asm.state.nv.us

Ed Goedhart
775-684-8805
egoedhart@asm.state.nv.us

Pete Goicoechea
775-237-7383
pgoicoechea@asm.state.nv.us

John Hambrick
775-684-8827
jhambrick@asm.state.nv.us

Randy Kirner
775-684-8848
rkirner@asm.state.nv.us

Richard McArthur
775-684-8829
rmcarthur@asm.state.nv.us

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Laura
laurakmmartin@gmail.com

Obama, Vick and journalists with nothing better to do

This morning Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein tweeted his disapproval of President Obama's phone call to the Philadelphia Eagle's owner. For background, check my post on This Week in Blackness.


It's hard to tell what Klein is upset about. His tweets and blog aren't too clear. Most of the anger directed at him was due to his garbled logic and lame defense. Klein seems to think that President Obama called the Eagle's owner to talk about Michael Vick, and the White House is lying when they say the president called to talk about the Eagle's move toward a clean energy stadium.

Candidate Obama promised innovation when it came to energy and the environment, but he's had a tough time building up Congressional support for his Cap and Trade energy proposal. President Obama has found an ally in Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie, and Lincoln Financial Field will be energy efficient by fall 2011; when Obama's re-election campaign comes to life. He'd be a fool not to reach out.

What evidence does Ezra have that he feels comfortable calling President Obama and the White House liars? It's a mystery he will never answer, but he managed to Google a few charts and is now thinking Obama should have fought to pass legislation to give felons a second chance.

Village Groupie (I can't remember who came up with that but *golf clap*) Ana Marie Cox weighed in on the faux controversy and provided an "anybody but Vick" argument. She claims that Vick isn't the best example to use for a rehabilitated criminal. Really? He's one of the most high profile dog fighters who has served his time and is successfully completing his process of rehabilitation. He's the perfect person to be made an example of.

Then Ana breaks off into a weird direction, claiming essentially that Black people love Michael Vick. Then gets a little wobbly, says Michael Vick's story means different things to different communities (translation: white people hate Vick, Black people love him. I hate when Obama reminds us that he's Black). Then she just gives up on the conversation.

Finally, Yunji de Nies of ABC News provides this banal report. She says the president "is a big believer in (Michael Vick's) comeback". She has no evidence that that claim is true. She reported President Obama has long been a supporter of giving felons (not just Michael Vick) second chances. Obama condemned the crimes Vick committed but praised the Eagles owner for allowing a felon to contribute to society again, despite his heinous crimes. It was an effort on her part to gin up controversy on an otherwise newsless holiday with the president in Hawaii.


ETA: How did I miss this dumbass tweet?



So now she's got a problem with people who don't have shelter dogs? Excuse Obama for seeking out a breed that won't cause his child to have an asthma attack. What is this bullshit? Is this real life? In the words of Obama "That's just how white folks will do ya"

The cultural arrogance is staggering.

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Laura
laurakmmartin@gmail.com