MotherJones: The GOP Plan for Minority Rule Marches On

[Lyubov]

The GOP: The party of minority rule.

"states rights" code word for minority rule

"respect the constitution" code word for respect outdated laws that allow us to have minority rule

Mother Jones bellow explains how a party that represents outdated ideology held by a minority of citizens manages to compete with a majority.

Quote

In 2018, Democrats swept every statewide race in Wisconsin, ending nearly a decade of Republican rule. “The voters spoke,” Democrat Tony Evers said after defeating incumbent Gov. Scott Walker. “A change is coming, Wisconsin!”

Not so fast. A month later, the GOP-controlled legislature convened an unprecedented lame-duck session to strip the incoming governor of key administrative and appointment powers and shorten the early voting period to dampen future Democratic turnout. Though their opponents had won more votes, Republicans believed only they were entitled to exercise power. “If you took Madison and Milwaukee out of the state election formula,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said of the state’s two largest and most Democratic cities, home to 850,000 people, “we would have a clear majority.”

In fact, they still did. Even though Democrats won 54 percent of votes cast for the state Assembly, Republican control of the last redistricting process in 2011 allowed the GOP to keep almost two-thirds of seats. The legislature set to work nullifying Evers’ agenda. Republicans refused to confirm members of his Cabinet and cut his budget for priorities like health care, schools, and roads. They thwarted his efforts to fight COVID-19, persuading the courts to block his stay-at-home order and his attempt to push back the state’s presidential primary.

source: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/01/the-insurrection-was-put-down-the-gop-plan-for-minority-rule-marches-on/

Edited January 22, 2021 by Lyubov

[Preety_India]

They're basically sabotaging an entire political party. 

It seems like they've too much internal interference in all the affairs. 

They are like termites burrowing holes in the furniture. 

[Lyubov]

this issue runs deeper than current politics. it is sort of an issue with the very fabric of the US government. the constitution allots two senators to each state. this is one of the reasons why the GOP works "standing for the constitution" into their propaganda and ideology so much. Because it helps them keep a plurality as a minority party. Their current demographics are favored under the constitution. It isn't an equal system so to speak where a senator in a small state is worth as much as a senator in a huge state. Higher stage thinkers know a fixed supreme law needs to be made adaptable and fluid when it comes to governing an ever-change society, especially over centuries.  

Edited January 22, 2021 by Lyubov

[NatureB]

What reforms would change this?

The only ones I know in this general ballpark are Ranked Choice Voting and Term Limits.

[DocWatts]

1 hour ago, Lyubov said:

this issue runs deeper than current politics. it is sort of an issue with the very fabric of the US government. the constitution allots two senators to each state. this is one of the reasons why the GOP works "standing for the constitution" into their propaganda and ideology so much. Because it helps them keep a plurality as a minority party. Their current demographics are favored under the constitution. It isn't an equal system so to speak where a senator in a small state is worth as much as a senator in a huge state. Higher stage thinkers know a fixed supreme law needs to be made adaptable and fluid when it comes to governing an ever-change society, especially over centuries.  

Correctomundo; this is a structural issue built into the very foundation of our legislative system. As such, it's going to be very hard to change this without radically restructuring our entire legislative system. It's something we will probably just have to live with, as our time and energy would be more fruitfully spent on more achievable goals like abolishing the electoral college and restoring the Voting Rights Act.

[Preety_India]

@DocWatts a lot of black votes are turned down, is it true? 

[DocWatts]

1 minute ago, Preety_India said:

@DocWatts a lot of black votes are turned down, is it true? 

The Republican Party has a long history of using Voter Suppression tactics as part of its political strategy for the last half century (when more people turn out to vote, Republicans tend to lose elections). This is almost always done in a targeted way towards poorer districts that are disproportionately black, and who reliably vote Democrat.

 Voter Suppression is primarily done through gerrymandering, and through creating obstacles that make it harder to Vote. This will include closing Voting locations, restrictive voter ID laws, and limiting the ability to vote by mail. The idea is to place obstacles thay will dissuade people from Voting in a targeted way. These obstacles aren't nearly as hard to overcome if you're an affluent person, but were chosen to be especially difficult for poor people to navigate.

The reason why this has been increasing as of late is a 2013 Supreme Court decision overturning parts of the Voting Rights Act, legislation that was drafted to prevent just these sorts of Voter Suppression tactics.

[Forestluv]

2 hours ago, DocWatts said:

Voter Suppression is primarily done through gerrymandering, and through creating obstacles that make it harder to Vote. This will include closing Voting locations, restrictive voter ID laws, and limiting the ability to vote by mail. The idea is to place obstacles thay will dissuade people from Voting in a targeted way. These obstacles aren't nearly as hard to overcome if you're an affluent person, but were chosen to be especially difficult for poor people to navigate.

Also voter intimidation. Last election there were Robocalls in Detroit saying there would be background checks on voters. 

[Preety_India]

49 minutes ago, Forestluv said:

Also voter intimidation. Last election there were Robocalls in Detroit saying there would be background checks on voters. 

Omigod.