America has a long history of passing voter suppression laws. On the latest Reality Check, John Avlon speaks with historian Kate Masur and the Brennan Center’s Michael Waldman about the significance of the 15th Amendment and how recent moves from the Supreme Court have reduced the power of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Chapters
00:00-02:04 The Fight to Vote Continues Today
02:05-04:42 Suppressing the Vote Using Legal Means
04:43-7:17 Why Federal Action was Needed to Intervene
07:18-10:13 The 2013 Gutting of the Voting Rights Act
10:14-13:55 Moving Forward Together
Voting rights fight shifts back to statehouses as Senate Democrats fail to advance national protections
Senate Democrats vow they'll pass voting rights legislation with or without Republicans. Here's what their proposals would do
The first test of new state voting laws is not going well
Here's why voting rights legislation isn't going anywhere this year
Voting should use blockchain technologies, specifically a distributed ledger system to make voting more secure with verifiable results.
@Jeffrey Coe Or you could just get universal healthcare. That’s what the UK uses.
@sammyshott23 the uk uses the Healthcare system to vote?
@Joe Biden is Your President!!!!! Get Over it!!!!! The data doesn’t have to be attached to your body. Your ID is saved on the blockchain and only you can access that using your pass phrase which is about 20 random words. More secure than a password that uses symbols and caps and lowercase.
@Deborah Freedman then you don’t understand the blockchain.
@Bruce Clausen Obviously history is not your forte. If you typed that comment with a straight face then you are a political operative.
What about Economic Democracy? Shouldn’t every citizen get a vote on how their tax is spent?
You have that power thru the people you vote into power.
I pay proportional for what I get. Republicans mostly are bosses. They make hundreds of times more money than they pay us, the workers. How do you expect people to pay like them?
Oh wait. Rich don’t pay. I would like to pay like them.
@turtle & cat Good comment. What happens in that those of us at the low end of the wealth scale live a *LOT* closer to the bone than the truly wealthy do. That’s why progressive taxes are the most fair. When you have 200,000 in income paying in less a third of that still leaves with with well over 100,000. If you make 30,000 then your head is barely above water as is, so your taxes are much lower by comparison.
Those that have touted a “flat tax” are those with plenty of disposable income, and they have the gall to tell us “live within your means” when we can barely cover shelter, food, clothing, and utilities at our level, much less the luxuries they think they can’t live without and we want to “steal” from them. Yet we are the direct contributors to the prosperity of any enterprise. Without us, they don’t prosper at all. Hence, unions are important for wage earners, and that’s why Republicans hate unions.
You’ll be surprised to know that Federal tax dollars don’t pay for government spending. The government is the only entity that can create legal tender and spend currency into the economy via its Treasury and Federal Reserve. The money we earn to pay taxes originally comes from government spending into the economy. Taxes are required for several reasons, including controlling inflation. But essentially, the Federal taxes we pay get canceled in the Fed’s books. This is not the case for state and local taxes.
The only real constraints of Federal spending are resource and labor constraints in the economy. The government could prioritize more spending to fit the needs of the working and middle classes and the poor, but it doesn’t. It spends public dollars that primarily benefit the wealthy. And the wealthy grab most of the money and wealth spent into the economy. Watch videos featuring Stephanie Kelton to learn more.
@MacAutomationTips Ok so you sound authoritarian on this matter however it just really isn’t correct on all counts. If your presumption is that the only money we have is what the government spends well… that’s just not reality. international trade is also a factor, and if what you propose here were true then there’d be neither a national debt, nor as happened under the Clinton administration, a treasury surplus. I do understand how international money markets work, and how the comparative value of a nations currency can be manipulated by just injecting more money INTO an economy, but that’s not the same thing as saying the government just prints all the money we get from whole cloth. It *is* a closed system, just one that can be inflated, or even deflated, by government action.
You make some sound points regarding how, in too many ways, public * policy* rather than dollars benefit the wealthy far more than the working class, and yes the wealthy are in their financial positions, in the majority of cases, because they’ve found ways to leach more of the money in the economy into their private coffers. There is spending that helps the needy more so than the working class, I suppose, via programs like SNAP and WIC. I would say the working class has lost leverage, due primarily to the assault on collective bargaining, and of course replacement of first line workers by technology and machinery has dented our power as well.
I like what Jon Stewart said about corporations in general after the Citizens United decision that made corporations “people.” He noted that “so now corporations are people, just sociopathic ones.” Even Henry Ford, who was quite the bastard himself, acknowledged that if Americans didn’t have a worthwhile income, they couldn’t afford to buy his cars. Today corporations make workers commodities, not people. I will check out the message of Ms. Kelton though on your recommendation.
The premise is wrong…the US is a constitutional republic, not a democracy.
America’s CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC is under attack by Democrats that want to turn it into a mob-rule Monarch Democracy, as they have shown by wanting to get rid of the Electoral College, and their push to strip control of elections away from the State’s.
@Mark Mark!!! You got it buddy. Admiration from Detroit my friend. A constitutional Republic, aka a representative democracy. This is important because otherwise– YOU COULD BREED YOUR WAY INTO POWER!!!…. MOB RULES GOVT is what a pure democracy is, and we shouldn’t even USE the word democracy honestly…. The constitution and the bill of rights mention the word democracy HOW MANY TIMES???
lol
No not accurate. While it’s not a DIRECT Democracy, it IS a *Representative Democracy.* While some states and localities afford their citizens the right to use these measures to directly enact, change, or repeal laws themselves. which is a localized *direct democracy,* more commonly, we exercise our political power in a different way: by voting in elections to choose our representatives. That’s *representative democracy* by definition. Now, the notion of it also being a republic is true as well, since those elected representatives have the political power given to them by the articles of the office they’ve been elected to. Still we are devoted in principle to majority rule. That means when you get the most votes, either popular in most cases or electoral in the single case of the Presidential election, then you are the choice for that office and it’s inherent political powers.
That said I AM curious how *you* think your notion of a “REPUBLIC” ideologically differs from that system?
@Just Aguy I am curious how you seem to be partial to ” democracy” …lol
How many times does the constitution mention democracy? How many times does the bill of rights mention democracy?
Please answer.
It’s a democratic republic
To be honest all that’s happening now America lost their way and we all just have to look inside ourselves and find out how to get back on track again but it’s easier said than done🤔
You my friend should run for office. You have more intelligence in your pinky toe that most politicians in DC.
That’s what it takes. Put aside politics, race. And let’s do this together.
journey. The feeling of loosing one’s way is that of the left … now experiencing buyers remorse. Question. Is .. who really believes the progressives will just throw up their hands and hand back over the party to main stream dems. Enjoy the show Rinos beware !!
@SPIRITUALITY & PARANORMAL omg!!! Why???
America didn’t lose it’s way, it is greedy white Republican men and some being women in political positions that have lost their way, but mainly these men who thurst for holding on to power and lining their own pockets. Everything they try and claim the Democrats have done is actually what they themselves are doing it’s called projection or deflection, the Republicans have no real solutions or policies to bring forth, that is why you never ever hear them talk about any plans they have, they lie and stoke fear into their constituents to keep them in line so that they won’t think for themselves, they have them voting against their own interests, things which can help better themselves and their children lives, they lie and tell them that Democrats are coming for your guns, they use this tactic strongly because they know how much the gun owners love their guns, these patatic men have lost what little morals and values they ever had, all for the sake of enriching themselves, at the expense of those who they deem will believe anything they say without question.
https://youtu.be/GrN7eW2OSWw
How could this be,in a democracy of intelligent people? Is a democracy, suppose to be of intelligent people in control or is it a show of perpetrators.
What is so hard to fathom as an overseas viewer is how the human community has never really caught on with people—anywhere you want to look. There are as many reasons to like someone as to dislike someone, but what could be the reason that someone would go to such effort to have someone else not vote in a democratic republic like The United States, for example? I would like tell what I think is the underlying problem, but first I have to add the disclaimer that I am an artist and have never studied law or politics or business. What I think we need to examine is that with capitalism as the motor under the hood of the sedan we call society, the motivator above anything is money. Sadly, any time money is involved as a life goal, the stronger one is financially, the better one lives in society. It is no wonder that voter suppression ultimately gets down to the fact that if certain people represent particular communities, money will be siphoned off those who have been in the driver’s seat. This unacceptable to those who are in control. It’s not their fault; it’s the fault of the economic system. Money is more addictive and influences us more than anything else in the modern world. So; what I am saying is this: we must retire our ancient and toxic capitalist system with an economic model that makes sure that everyone gets a piece of the pie. It’s not going to be easy, but we can no longer live in a world where the top ten percent of the 1% of people end up having most of the benefits of our economic prosperity. I don’t blame anyone. The simple fact of the matter is—and I only speak for myself—that everyone on the earth should have the same chance at having a good life.
@Dan Wright Absolutely 100%!
As we can easily see, in this revealing short video. Why FOX is America’s choice when it comes to exposing the truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH3E-xy2r0Y
Are we running concealed paid ads for Faux on You Tube now?
Bad news guys, anyone in that 25-54 age group Faux wants to replace its current ancient audience with can see thru your bullshit. And we don’t need catheters yet, so your current advertisers don’t appeal to us. And fucked if I’d ever buy anything off your idiotic Pillow Guy…
@kay armstrong Kay, let me clear this up for you, a constitutional republic is democratic. Look it up and stop with that tired old dog whistle lie.
🆘🆘🆘The Second Appeal of the citizens of Russia to the citizens of the United States of America!☣️⚠️☢️
Dear Citizens of the United States of America. We, the citizens of Great Russia, are appealing to you with our request to stop your politicians from destroying our common world. It is not we who have come to you, it is you who have come to our home from the land which is many thousands of miles away. We, the People of Russia, want the armed forces of the United States of America and the NATO military forces to leave the territory of the former USSR in order to prevent the mutual destruction of our world. We are not interested in a nuclear war, but we will use any means necessary to defend and liberate our homeland USSR and the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, as we have done many times in our history!
Please leave soon, or things will be different. We hate an idea to strike the Nevada nuclear testing site with the intercontinental nuclear missile to convince you even more how serious are our intentions! Don’t make us to do it! Please be reasonable, do not make your situation worse than it is.
Please do it in the name of peace on Earth!🇷🇺🛡️🐻⚔️💂 🚀🎳💥💣 🗽🍿🍔🍟🇺🇸
The citizens of Russia.
Dr Steve Turley Hillary Crimes
You won’t see this on Mainstream media
https://youtu.be/OAHAwkl3qyQ
Yes, cnn knows how to fix it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoSfSl0T4Bw&ab. * * *
This is a great thoughline. History, Issue, Precedent, Long-term solutions. More news like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoSfSl0T4Bw&ab. ** *
it was boring. make it stop.
@kay armstrong Who’s forcing you to watch it?
Hey why aren’t you telling us more about what a great guy Zucker was? I wouldn’t want to bet on long term employment for anyone at CNN right now.
@I AintDoNufn Then why are the reich-wingnuts changing voting laws in EVERY STATE THEY HAVE POWER OVER?
Yet, you call others “learning disabled”. Why aren’t you “dibgdongs” outraged over that?
@Ron Peer If a president had been “spied on” and if that was the subject at hand, we would. But the rhetoric you are hearing, only on the reich-wing propaganda channels, happened when OBAMA was in office. Still outraged? Check the dates on all of that bullshit FAUX is feeding you. Don’t be a mushroom forever.
..The Second Appeal of the citizens of Russia to the citizens of the United States of America!
Dear Citizens of the United States of America. We, the citizens of Great Russia, are appealing to you with our request to stop your politicians from destroying our common world. It is not we who have come to you, it is you who have come to our home from the land which is many thousands of miles away. We, the People of Russia, want the armed forces of the United States of America and the NATO military forces to leave the territory of the former USSR in order to prevent the mutual destruction of our world. We are not interested in a nuclear war, but we will use any means necessary to defend and liberate our homeland USSR and the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, as we have done many times in our history!
Please leave soon, or things will be different. We hate an idea to strike the Nevada nuclear testing site with the intercontinental nuclear missile to convince you even more how serious are our intentions! Don’t make us to do it! Please be reasonable, do not make your situation worse than it is.
Please do it in the name of peace on Earth!
The citizens of Russia.
@espy So the Durham report means nothing to your small, closed mind? LOL
@Randi Bagley-Goodwin So going back to voting as we did BEFORE COVID is a conspiracy?
Take your ID to the voting booth stop complicating things it’s easy.
@Billy Pardew How so numbnuts? I guess it would be against your free choice to vote. Laughing stock of the world. Easier to buy a gun than try to vote.
@Alex Mercedes The Democrats are trying to tell us the same thing you just said, but they’re claiming I.D. is racist! I guess they’re saying it’s black people that can’t figure it out? So why aren’t they able to figure it out?? Are you trying to say unlike a white person, like yourself, they’re not smart enough?? Sounds kind of racist?!
@Elizabeth Because I told them. It’s not that hard, unless of course you come from the USA.
*The right the vote is like the right to drive, we gotta make sure you are cognitive in understanding right from wrong.* you most definitely want an ID like that.
There is no right to drive. You’re license can be pulled for driving drunk. There is no law guaranteeing everyone a driver’s license.
so….what is your idea of “cognitive in understanding?” how many jelly beans in a jar?
you are spot on!!! that would be bad news for joe
In our experimental democracy we continue to see different rights depending on the color of Ur skin and what Ur income is.
So how is this not Jim Crow 2.0 when the ultimate intention is the same even if the methodology is more refined?
I just watched OutFront. It’s Erin Burnett’s best reporting since I started watching CNN. I’m only commenting here because I don’t know if they’ll upload an Erin Burnett video and I’m in the middle of a 7-day suspension on Twitter.
Did she talk about Trump?
CNN is a one trick pony. lol
Voter ID is a must In-order to protect our democracy.
“This is extremely dangerous to our democracy”
sound familiar?
So is BLM ANTIFA FBI CIA DOJ AND ALL NEED TO BE PURGED AND HORIZONTAL NOW.
@Lesgo Brandon “purged”. Can you go into further detail. That word cant be just used loosely.
Why didn’t you talk about the Constitution, @John Avalon, instead of the Declaration of Independence since it’s The Supreme Law of the United States? If We The People were to study it this nation wouldn’t be governed by Unconstitutional Elected Officials because Political Parties aren’t allowed, the election process isn’t nor do Congressman have their constituents to determine their vote on everything they are asked to pass (it isn’t written in it but implied by it). Therefore the nation isn’t “Of, For and By We The People.”
I love how you guys have a picture of MLK as your thumbnail, yet do everything in your power to destroy want he stood for. Hypocrisy at it’s finest.
The Democratic Party and Democracy is NOT the same thing.
You can’t make progress if you’re stuck in the past, learning from it is fine but presenting it like it’s the only way forward is ironically NOT what democracy is about.
Pure democracies fail. Mob rule, and the majority of people are stupid. That’s why Democrats are the majority.
Hints: 當有幾件事或目的之間，有很大的 coupling, e.g. highly coupled, highly dependencies 時，只會使事情變得更差更壞。