Tornado Alley (PROG)

[fuagf]

Go Dan and the team! That article moved from dark to light as much as any
i've seen. Talk about sunshine bursting from a rancid and revolting old well

"Betting Against the Vote

[...]

Orchestrating this harvest of obstruction and sabotage is Mitch McConnell, who is playing the role of the Grim Reaper in the Senate, wielding his scythe of bad faith rhetoric and false equivalence to proclaim even the compromises offered up by Joe Manchin to be grave injustices to our national purpose (always projecting, that one).

A democracy is rooted in free and fair elections dependent on the vote. Over the course of our history we have been strengthened by the expansion of the franchise to those previously barred from the full rights of citizenship on the basis of their race, class, and gender. The compact under which we are supposed to live is that if a majority of our fellow citizens do not approve of our political leadership we can remove them, peacefully and legally.

[...]

But it’s also led to a laser focus on protecting the vote among a wide coalition of interest groups rallying in opposition to this creeping authoritarianism. It’s led to Democratic senators, across the ideological spectrum, coming out in favor of a generational mandate for voting rights. It’s led to the press covering election laws with increased seriousness. It’s even led to a lawsuit from the Justice Department stating that Georgia’s new election law, enacted by Republican lawmakers, denies equal access to the ballot —particularly for Black voters.

It may be trite to say that any one issue is a battle for the soul and future of the nation. But in this case that may be an understatement. The dangers are real, but they are also provoking a backlash that might not only save the nation but strengthen it as a vibrant democracy. A nation that encourages voting — it’s a hopeful vision and one that terrifies the likes of Mitch McConnell."