The Supreme Court, in its first session after adopting temporary emergency rules, met, deliberated and voted by remote access to order that voters in Wisconsin would not be allowed to vote by mail-in ballot (even though many had ordered mail-in ballots weeks ago and had not received them yet).
They are forcing people to choose between their right to vote, their franchise, and their right to personal safety.
Morever, they are allowing Republicans to target Democratic strongholds such as Milwaukee, which saw its number of polling places reduced from the usual 180 to FIVE, forcing people to wait in long lines for hours, trying to maintain safe levels of “social distance.”
To reach their decision, they overruled the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the more conservative appellate district courts.
I had hoped that John Roberts, who has stood up to partisanship in general, and Trump in particular, in the past, would again rise to the occasion. The fact that he did not engenders great fear for the sanctity of our electoral process in November.
What we’ve witnessed with the Wisconsin Decision is just the first of many decisions by the newly conservative judiciary to strip Americans of their basic rights – progressives have been warning Americans for years, if not decades about the creeping conservationism in our new judges – we have known what plans republicans had for our court system since “Moscow” Mitch McConnell became Senate Majority leader.
The Federalist Society has made no secret of their plans for America, nor has “Moscow” Mitch, their willing toady. And when The conglomerated idiots, imbeciles and morons managed to get the man of their dreams ensconced in the White House, they knew they’d won.
“Moscow” Mitch has even said that once they packed the courts, they could afford to “lose” for two or three ‘cycles’ because they’d have a stranglehold on the American judiciary for at least a generation, and ANYTHING a “liberal” Congress and and White House could invoke, the conservative Judiciary could easly undo – and their starting to prove it.
Did you notice that Texas has very recently banned all abortions, in contravention of U.S. law?
Didn’t Moscow Mitch McConnell make the claim to the effect that making it easier to vote would make it harder, if not impossible, for Republicans to win ANY elections???
The U. S. Supreme Court Justices have made bad decisions. They tend toward protection of existing power structures and prejudices. Years later, their rulings can seem inappropriate or glaringly wrong. And if attempts are made to modify them, powers that benefited put up great resistance.
It seems strange to allow people to remain as justices, sometimes for nearly two generations, during which society has changed greatly. General life expectancy has increased, especially for the pampered elite that the Supremes certainly are. The “refresh rate” has become less frequent, and I think that can be a bad thing in theory.
At confirmation, each justice holds views that are solidified, already somewhat obsolete to the needs of contemporary society. By the time each retires, having applied their views all through their tenure, they may offer irrelevant, even dangerous decisions: Not all justices, but undeniably many of them. Those vegetate and eventually rot.
They claim their task is to interpret the Constitution, but what does that mean? I believe the Constitution is a living document that must be re-visited at appropriate times. Otherwise the world of the eighteenth century intrudes in archaic fashion into the twenty-first: Horse buggies mingle with jetliners; muskets mingle with automatic weapons; slavery sympathies mingle with universal suffrage.
Although ever sensitive to politics and personal prejudices, our present “conservative” justices seem narrowly beholden to selfish agendas of one political party. When that party is dominated without check by a dangerously incompetent person, it’s dangerous. That person is now Donald Trump, whose rule is corrupt, and whose Supreme Court nominees are nakedly politicized to support that corruption.
Likely, there will be no meaningful change until a complete social catastrophe overtakes the nation. This pandemic, or a worse to come, might be the catalysts, but I doubt it. Republic, adieu. We couldn’t keep you.
Republicans HAVE to lie and cheat in any way they can. When people are given a choice of two statements on issues that actually affect their everyday life, one that describes the Republican position and the other the Democrat’s, the Democratic position is chosen by about 80% of Democrats and Independents. No surprise there. The weird part is that just under half of Republicans also choose Democrat positions, unless they are told which position is supported by each party. Then they fall into line and choose the Republican option- 78% of the time. So, it is entirely reasonable for Republicans to lie a lot. The people running the Republican party are in that half of the Republicans who actually believe in Republican positions. They are roughly 25% of the voting public. They have no chance of ever winning a national election unless they keep as many people as possible from voting and keep the rest of them confused enough to vote against their own best interests.
Just curious, where in the Constitution does it guarantee the right to vote?
I see several places where it explains how the right to vote cannot be limited, such as race, religion or gender. But where does it actually guarantee it?
States determine who votes, who cannot and the manner in which the vote is conducted. Always remember that.
This protects us, and it harms us.
Taking over the election process of 56 different states and territories would be a difficult task. But it is also difficult for each individual state or territory to protect itself.
As evidenced by the recent Supreme Court decision regarding Wisconsin the greatest threat to democracy in America is the Federalist Society. Five Supreme Court Justices are members. Twenty six states have Attorney Generals who are members. They make decisions to suit their agenda, and not the voters of America.
When you vote, look for memberships in organizations. Find out if that organization is really something you support. The Federalist Society SOUNDS good, on the surface. Look below the surface. Look at what they DO, not just what they SAY.
I heard both th’rump and mcconnel saying with mail -in voting the republicans could never win, conservatives would never win, toomany people would vote…uh, what th’ hey, what th’
I am old. I’m in the “higher risk” grouping of those susceptible to the corona virus. I have dutifully sheltered in place. I mask and glove before I venture out for my basic necessities. But if my state prohibits absentee ballot voting based on this, I’ll be damned if I will sit home and not vote! I refuse to be written off as unnecessary even if I’m old “and going to die anyway.”
This Court was GONE when Sandra Day O’Connor voted against Al Gore. The ensuing 20 years is just a briefly (Obama) interrupted descent through oligarchy into Fascism. Since 2016, it’s been a plummet. John Roberts showed his true colors ( and his bare behind) at the Senate hearings – when he COULD have done something. There is no authority in this nation which can restrain the Trump Destruction Tour. IF there IS a 2020 “election”, it will resemble Wisconsin’s “primary” this week. Call me a Cassandra – I see no hope for this “last best hope of mankind”.
[part on, part off-topic, the last verse of my several years-old parody of “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun”, after the dread Citizens United decision, titled “You Can’t Buy a Vote With a Vote”]
They’ll spend a few U.S. mints
On TV advertisements
Each attack we will learn by rote
But in my dejection
I’ll sit out this election
’Cause no power can I wield
In this uneven playing field
No, you can’t buy a vote with a vote
[by the way, don’t listen to me, VOTE VOTE VOTE! for, you know, patriotic people, which leaves out the Republicans…….]
Kentucky’s primary, originally scheduled for May 19, was delayed until June 23 because of the coronavirus outbreak. And there wasn’t a PEEP about it from anyone in the State Legislature.
Evers resisted (for several weeks) a legislative solution to move the election date. He also claimed he had no authority to change the date.
Right up to the moment 48 hours before the election when party officials informed him that liberals in Milwaukee and Madison were not returning absentee ballots at the same rate conservatives were in red counties.
All the while the Elections Commission was urging people to obtain absentee ballots. The rule was mutually agreed upon that ballots had to be postmarked by election day (as opposed to received) and would be counted provided they arrived no later than Monday next week. And in fact, more than 1.2 million ballots were mailed out, 5 times the number supplied in 2016.
Evers and the Dems tried an end run at the last minute after balking at a bipartisan solution for weeks. Both the Wisconsin and the Federal Supreme Courts made the correct decision in slapping down Evers and the Dems.
I served as an election official in Madison, Wisconsin yesterday from 6 AM until 9 PM, and was scrupulously non-partisan the entire time, but the day before I sent the following letter to the top 10 daily newspapers in the state:
Let’s be blunt. Republicans hate it when people vote — especially the “wrong kind” of people.
Their loathing for democracy was most clearly stated by right-wing guru Paul Weyrich, who laid out the case for voter suppression back in 1980: “I don’t want everybody to vote. … Our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.”
Acting on his advice, Wisconsin Republicans, in thrall to their corporate overlords and campaign financiers, have done everything in their power to throw roadblocks in the path of voting: blatant gerrymandering to dilute opposing votes; restricting hours of voter registration; limiting the areas where volunteers can register voters or the times when DMV offices can take your picture; moving primary elections from September to August so college students can’t vote; closing or constantly changing polling locations (especially in minority areas), preferably to places without public transportation; and of course the notorious and completely unnecessary photo-ID requirement.
To Republicans the current COVID global pandemic was like manna from heaven. It could be lethally dangerous for strangers to cluster in groups of 10 or more, so they could let nature do their dirty work for them by scaring citizens away from the polls. But only if the election were held as originally scheduled.
That’s why, given a special session of the Legislature during which they could have postponed the election (as 15 other states have done) or adopted a sensible alternative like all-mail-in voting (as Gov. Evers proposed), they literally didn’t give a minute’s consideration to either. “Vote if you dare” was their attitude.
Trump said it himself, if Rethuglicans allowed mail-in voting they’d never win another election. So true, if they weren’t able to suppress the voting rights of millions of potential democratic voters they could never win.
Concretionist about 4 years ago
You ARE a virus: You make them sick when you exercise your power.
DD Wiz Premium Member about 4 years ago
The Supreme Court, in its first session after adopting temporary emergency rules, met, deliberated and voted by remote access to order that voters in Wisconsin would not be allowed to vote by mail-in ballot (even though many had ordered mail-in ballots weeks ago and had not received them yet).
They are forcing people to choose between their right to vote, their franchise, and their right to personal safety.
Morever, they are allowing Republicans to target Democratic strongholds such as Milwaukee, which saw its number of polling places reduced from the usual 180 to FIVE, forcing people to wait in long lines for hours, trying to maintain safe levels of “social distance.”
To reach their decision, they overruled the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the more conservative appellate district courts.
I had hoped that John Roberts, who has stood up to partisanship in general, and Trump in particular, in the past, would again rise to the occasion. The fact that he did not engenders great fear for the sanctity of our electoral process in November.
The hypocrisy astounds.
Pro life? My rear end.
feverjr Premium Member about 4 years ago
Ginni Thomas, Clarence Thomas’ wife, is working to purge the Whitehouse of the disloyal….
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/us/politics/trump-purge-ginni-thomas.html
wellis1947 Premium Member about 4 years ago
What we’ve witnessed with the Wisconsin Decision is just the first of many decisions by the newly conservative judiciary to strip Americans of their basic rights – progressives have been warning Americans for years, if not decades about the creeping conservationism in our new judges – we have known what plans republicans had for our court system since “Moscow” Mitch McConnell became Senate Majority leader.
The Federalist Society has made no secret of their plans for America, nor has “Moscow” Mitch, their willing toady. And when The conglomerated idiots, imbeciles and morons managed to get the man of their dreams ensconced in the White House, they knew they’d won.
“Moscow” Mitch has even said that once they packed the courts, they could afford to “lose” for two or three ‘cycles’ because they’d have a stranglehold on the American judiciary for at least a generation, and ANYTHING a “liberal” Congress and and White House could invoke, the conservative Judiciary could easly undo – and their starting to prove it.
Did you notice that Texas has very recently banned all abortions, in contravention of U.S. law?
sevaar777 about 4 years ago
There is always hope that Brett Kavanagh will die of cirrhosis of the liver.
Masterskrain Premium Member about 4 years ago
Didn’t Moscow Mitch McConnell make the claim to the effect that making it easier to vote would make it harder, if not impossible, for Republicans to win ANY elections???
PraiseofFolly about 4 years ago
The U. S. Supreme Court Justices have made bad decisions. They tend toward protection of existing power structures and prejudices. Years later, their rulings can seem inappropriate or glaringly wrong. And if attempts are made to modify them, powers that benefited put up great resistance.
It seems strange to allow people to remain as justices, sometimes for nearly two generations, during which society has changed greatly. General life expectancy has increased, especially for the pampered elite that the Supremes certainly are. The “refresh rate” has become less frequent, and I think that can be a bad thing in theory.
At confirmation, each justice holds views that are solidified, already somewhat obsolete to the needs of contemporary society. By the time each retires, having applied their views all through their tenure, they may offer irrelevant, even dangerous decisions: Not all justices, but undeniably many of them. Those vegetate and eventually rot.
They claim their task is to interpret the Constitution, but what does that mean? I believe the Constitution is a living document that must be re-visited at appropriate times. Otherwise the world of the eighteenth century intrudes in archaic fashion into the twenty-first: Horse buggies mingle with jetliners; muskets mingle with automatic weapons; slavery sympathies mingle with universal suffrage.
Although ever sensitive to politics and personal prejudices, our present “conservative” justices seem narrowly beholden to selfish agendas of one political party. When that party is dominated without check by a dangerously incompetent person, it’s dangerous. That person is now Donald Trump, whose rule is corrupt, and whose Supreme Court nominees are nakedly politicized to support that corruption.
Likely, there will be no meaningful change until a complete social catastrophe overtakes the nation. This pandemic, or a worse to come, might be the catalysts, but I doubt it. Republic, adieu. We couldn’t keep you.
Zebrastripes about 4 years ago
The bought and paid for SC would rather see people get infected than to change the date…ruthless, power grabbers
s.gottlieb about 4 years ago
They’re not the virus, they’re the CURE!
Alberta Oil Premium Member about 4 years ago
The virus is on the other side.. and continues to infect Americans.
Diane Lee Premium Member about 4 years ago
Republicans HAVE to lie and cheat in any way they can. When people are given a choice of two statements on issues that actually affect their everyday life, one that describes the Republican position and the other the Democrat’s, the Democratic position is chosen by about 80% of Democrats and Independents. No surprise there. The weird part is that just under half of Republicans also choose Democrat positions, unless they are told which position is supported by each party. Then they fall into line and choose the Republican option- 78% of the time. So, it is entirely reasonable for Republicans to lie a lot. The people running the Republican party are in that half of the Republicans who actually believe in Republican positions. They are roughly 25% of the voting public. They have no chance of ever winning a national election unless they keep as many people as possible from voting and keep the rest of them confused enough to vote against their own best interests.
Michael G. about 4 years ago
Any pathogen that threatens the “stability of the republic” must be ruthlessly suppressed! – The Greedy Old Pinpricks
Raging Moderate about 4 years ago
Hopefully Wisconsinites vote the R’s out of office in November.
kv450 about 4 years ago
Did Anthony Kennedy truly not foresee this when he retired? His replacement “Bart O’Kavanaugh” will undo most of his legacy.
Durak Premium Member about 4 years ago
Just curious, where in the Constitution does it guarantee the right to vote?
I see several places where it explains how the right to vote cannot be limited, such as race, religion or gender. But where does it actually guarantee it?
States determine who votes, who cannot and the manner in which the vote is conducted. Always remember that.
This protects us, and it harms us.
Taking over the election process of 56 different states and territories would be a difficult task. But it is also difficult for each individual state or territory to protect itself.
As evidenced by the recent Supreme Court decision regarding Wisconsin the greatest threat to democracy in America is the Federalist Society. Five Supreme Court Justices are members. Twenty six states have Attorney Generals who are members. They make decisions to suit their agenda, and not the voters of America.
When you vote, look for memberships in organizations. Find out if that organization is really something you support. The Federalist Society SOUNDS good, on the surface. Look below the surface. Look at what they DO, not just what they SAY.
Look at Wisconsin.
Cpeckbourlioux about 4 years ago
I heard both th’rump and mcconnel saying with mail -in voting the republicans could never win, conservatives would never win, toomany people would vote…uh, what th’ hey, what th’
chromosome Premium Member about 4 years ago
I hope this goes “viral” https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/politics/wisconsin-robin-vos-protective-gear/index.html
ferddo about 4 years ago
Good thing that COVID-19 is partisan and doesn’t infect the self-righteous…
Bookworm about 4 years ago
I am old. I’m in the “higher risk” grouping of those susceptible to the corona virus. I have dutifully sheltered in place. I mask and glove before I venture out for my basic necessities. But if my state prohibits absentee ballot voting based on this, I’ll be damned if I will sit home and not vote! I refuse to be written off as unnecessary even if I’m old “and going to die anyway.”
Call me Ishmael about 4 years ago
This Court was GONE when Sandra Day O’Connor voted against Al Gore. The ensuing 20 years is just a briefly (Obama) interrupted descent through oligarchy into Fascism. Since 2016, it’s been a plummet. John Roberts showed his true colors ( and his bare behind) at the Senate hearings – when he COULD have done something. There is no authority in this nation which can restrain the Trump Destruction Tour. IF there IS a 2020 “election”, it will resemble Wisconsin’s “primary” this week. Call me a Cassandra – I see no hope for this “last best hope of mankind”.
Godfreydaniel about 4 years ago
[part on, part off-topic, the last verse of my several years-old parody of “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun”, after the dread Citizens United decision, titled “You Can’t Buy a Vote With a Vote”]
They’ll spend a few U.S. mints
On TV advertisements
Each attack we will learn by rote
But in my dejection
I’ll sit out this election
’Cause no power can I wield
In this uneven playing field
No, you can’t buy a vote with a vote
[by the way, don’t listen to me, VOTE VOTE VOTE! for, you know, patriotic people, which leaves out the Republicans…….]
Union Man about 4 years ago
John Roberts is nothing more than a partisan hack!
Masterskrain Premium Member about 4 years ago
President Trump: “I think mail-in voting is horrible, it’s corrupt.”
Reporter: “You voted by mail in Florida’s election last month, didn’t you?”
Trump: “Sure. I can vote by mail”
Reporter: “How do you reconcile with that?”
Trump: “Because I’m allowed to.”
Masterskrain Premium Member about 4 years ago
Kentucky’s primary, originally scheduled for May 19, was delayed until June 23 because of the coronavirus outbreak. And there wasn’t a PEEP about it from anyone in the State Legislature.
Andylit Premium Member about 4 years ago
Evers resisted (for several weeks) a legislative solution to move the election date. He also claimed he had no authority to change the date.
Right up to the moment 48 hours before the election when party officials informed him that liberals in Milwaukee and Madison were not returning absentee ballots at the same rate conservatives were in red counties.
All the while the Elections Commission was urging people to obtain absentee ballots. The rule was mutually agreed upon that ballots had to be postmarked by election day (as opposed to received) and would be counted provided they arrived no later than Monday next week. And in fact, more than 1.2 million ballots were mailed out, 5 times the number supplied in 2016.
Evers and the Dems tried an end run at the last minute after balking at a bipartisan solution for weeks. Both the Wisconsin and the Federal Supreme Courts made the correct decision in slapping down Evers and the Dems.
Richard S Russell Premium Member about 4 years ago
I served as an election official in Madison, Wisconsin yesterday from 6 AM until 9 PM, and was scrupulously non-partisan the entire time, but the day before I sent the following letter to the top 10 daily newspapers in the state:
Let’s be blunt. Republicans hate it when people vote — especially the “wrong kind” of people.
Their loathing for democracy was most clearly stated by right-wing guru Paul Weyrich, who laid out the case for voter suppression back in 1980: “I don’t want everybody to vote. … Our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.”
Acting on his advice, Wisconsin Republicans, in thrall to their corporate overlords and campaign financiers, have done everything in their power to throw roadblocks in the path of voting: blatant gerrymandering to dilute opposing votes; restricting hours of voter registration; limiting the areas where volunteers can register voters or the times when DMV offices can take your picture; moving primary elections from September to August so college students can’t vote; closing or constantly changing polling locations (especially in minority areas), preferably to places without public transportation; and of course the notorious and completely unnecessary photo-ID requirement.
To Republicans the current COVID global pandemic was like manna from heaven. It could be lethally dangerous for strangers to cluster in groups of 10 or more, so they could let nature do their dirty work for them by scaring citizens away from the polls. But only if the election were held as originally scheduled.
That’s why, given a special session of the Legislature during which they could have postponed the election (as 15 other states have done) or adopted a sensible alternative like all-mail-in voting (as Gov. Evers proposed), they literally didn’t give a minute’s consideration to either. “Vote if you dare” was their attitude.
(continued)
wildthing about 4 years ago
Trump said it himself, if Rethuglicans allowed mail-in voting they’d never win another election. So true, if they weren’t able to suppress the voting rights of millions of potential democratic voters they could never win.