Thursday, July 20, 2006
Voting Rights Act (plus bilingual ballots) passes 98 to 0
Thanks to all for doing what you could to fight having American citizens vote in languages other than English. We've lost a fight. Not the war.
|posted by Jim on 5:10 PM|
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Ted Kennedy massages the Congressional Record on the Voting Rights bill; Harry Reid finishes up. Thank Heaven for Dr. Tom Coburn.
You just knew he would be heard from on the Voting Rights bill. Now he is dumping a great deal of stuff into the Congressional Record at the last minute. Why? Kennedy is creating legislative history for judges to use to rule on this bill the way he wants them too.
Kennedy has thus badly damaged those in the GOP who argued that the Senate should simply pass this bad bill and then have judges fix the problem. This "let George do it" strategy didn't exactly work on campaign finance reform.
Senator Tom Coburn R-OK) did try to amend the Voting Rights bill in committee yesterday, after spending the previous day working hard on the Senate floor on an unrelated issue. The Coburn amendment was swatted down on a voice vote. But the effort was made.
Reid just now: "Thankfully we listened to Democrats." What he means is that the legislation the Senate is getting ready to pass is crafted to ensure many more Democrats will be elected, by hook or crook.
Reid now appears to want to add John Lewis as a name of the bill.
Now Leahy has asked for a roll call vote, which would close debate, even though Senator Frist has not been allowed to offer any remarks refuting Kennedy, Reid or anyone else.
Senate Democrats understand hardball and have been playing it for almost thirty years. Someday, Senate Republicans will learn to play that game.
|posted by Jim on 4:10 PM|
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Carper: Spend more money on education
The final vote is set for 4:30 PM. English First will score this vote, as the bill reauthorizes (and expands) bilingual ballot mandates. The Senate has been informed.
|posted by Jim on 4:06 PM|
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Boxer II
Statehood for Washington, D.C., too.
|posted by Jim on 2:56 PM|
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Barbara Boxer
wants Election Day to be a federal holiday.
|posted by Jim on 2:39 PM|
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Ron Wyden demands voting by mail
I received my "Steelers win Super Bowl" February (2006) issue of Sports Illustrated this July in my mailbox. If they think ballots are being lost now . . .
|posted by Jim on 2:33 PM|
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Kerry: Long lines at polling places are "voter intimidation and suppression"
Laugh now, but under the plain language of this legislation:
Any voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure with respect to voting that has the purpose of or will have the effect of diminishing the ability of any citizens of the United States on account of race or color, or in contravention of the guarantees set forth in section 4(f)(2), to elect their preferred candidates of choice denies or abridges the right to vote within the meaning of subsection (a) of this section.
A line at an inner city polling place, even one caused by turnout far in excess of expectations, is now a possible federal matter.
|posted by Jim on 2:28 PM|
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Quota games on the title of the Voting Rights bill
Via Congressional Quarterly:
By voice vote, the [Senate Judiciary Committee] panel also approved an amendment to add the name of Cesar Chavez, the Mexican-American labor leader, to the title of the bill.
Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the committee’s ranking Democrat, said Ken Salazar, D-Colo., first suggested adding the name of a prominent Latino to go along side the names of African-American civil rights figures Coretta Scott King, Fannie Lou [Hamer]and Rosa Parks.
What, no Asian is worthy of inclusion? And why Coretta instead of her husband, Martin Luther King, Jr.?
|posted by Jim on 2:20 PM|
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Lindsey Graham drags in the Senate amnesty bill into Voting Rights
His reasoning seems to be along these lines: people were afraid in the sixties but they really had nothing to fear. Today, people are afraid of the Senate's amnesty bill and they too have nothing to fear. In other words, opposition to the Senate immigration bill is racist. Way to raise the tone in Washington, D.C.
Senator John McCain will undoubtedly approve of Lindsey's remarks and that really is all that matters.
|posted by Jim on 2:08 PM|
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A "25-year" Renewal? Yes and no.
The Voting Rights legislation likely to pass today is supposed to last for 25 years.
One Congress cannot bind a future Congress. If Congress wishes to ban bilingual ballots next year, it can (and should).
|posted by Jim on 2:04 PM|
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Sanctimony Thursday in the Senate
The Voting Rights bill, complete with its expansion of bilingual ballots, is on the Senate floor right now.
Dick Durbin (D-IL) has already complained that he wished he could have marched in Selma but he had to work. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has complained that there are actually lines to vote in inner cities and that their voting machines are the oldest.
Senators are lining up to explain how strongly they support the Voting Rights Act. George Allen seemed to be channeling Hubert Humphrey. "Everyone" agrees the Voting Rights Act was the right thing to do. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Yet many of these same Senators who marvel today that there were actually people who once did not recognize the humanity of African Americans, were foaming at the mouth over President Bush's veto of federal funding of experiments on unborn human beings.
What will those alive in 2047 think of those who proudly made those arguments?
|posted by Jim on 12:23 PM|
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Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Canada may soon have more than two official languages
Via a press release:
Community groups contend that people whose first language is not English face discrimination and are therefore more likely to need Ontario's human rights protection system.
|posted by Jim on 1:25 PM|
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Thursday, July 13, 2006
Congressman Ron Paul on Voting Against H.R. 9
Mr. Speaker, it is shameful that Americans were once routinely denied the ability to vote on account of their skin color. All Americans should celebrate the Voting Rights Act’s role in vindicating the constitutional rights of all citizens to vote free of racial discrimination. Therefore, I was hoping I could support reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. However, I cannot support HR 9 because it extends the unfunded bilingual ballots mandate.
I had joined with my colleague from Iowa, Mr. King, in supporting an amendment to struck the bilingual ballot mandate, which was unfortunately rejected by this House. Mr. Speaker, despite the fact that a person must demonstrate a basic command of the English language before becoming a citizen, Congress is continuing to force states to provide ballots in languages other than English. If a knowledge of English is important enough to be a precondition of citizenship then why should we force states to facilitate voting in languages other than English?
Of course, Mr. Speaker, I have no desire to deny any American citizens the ability to vote. Contrary to the claims of its opponents, Mr. King’s amendment does not deny any American the ability to vote. Under Mr. King’s amendment, Americans will still have a legal right to bring translators to the polls to assist them in voting, and states could still to choose to print bilingual ballots if the King amendment passes. All the King amendment did is repeal a costly federal mandate.
In conclusion, while I recognize the continuing need for protection of voting rights, I cannot support this bill before us since it extends the costly and divisive bilingual ballot mandate.
|posted by Jim on 6:04 PM|
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H.R. 9 passes, 390 - 33
|posted by Jim on 5:44 PM|
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18 More!
The vote on June 28 on defunding bilingual ballots was 167-254. Eighteen votes gained in 15 days.
Now its on to the Senate and let's win there.
|posted by Jim on 5:21 PM|
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King amendment fails, 185 - 238
|posted by Jim on 5:17 PM|
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Mike Pence's problematic approach to bilingual ballots
Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) chairs the Republican Study Committee (a conservative Republican organization) yet is also a cosponsor of the Voting Rights Act expansion bill (H.R. 9) opposed by many of these same House conservatives.
Pence said on the House floor today that the King bilingual ballot ban repeal was inappropriate for the Voting Rights Act bill, which specifically requires bilingual ballots. Instead, Pence suggested, the issue should be reserved for the immigration debate.
Oddly, Pence then went on to explain that under his immigration proposal, "guest workers" would be expected to learn English.
Problem: Non-citizen "guest workers" aren't supposed to be be voting in American elections, period.
So Congressman Pence believes American citizens should vote in foreign languages while "guest workers" who are not even American citizens should vote only in English?
Once Pence's remarks are online, I will post them.
|posted by Jim on 5:02 PM|
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Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA): Crossover voting violates the Voting Rights Act.
Republicans who chose to vote in the Democratic primary to remove Congresswoman McKinney from her throne in 2002 somehow violated the Voting Rights Act. At least that is what she seemed to be saying on the House floor today.
This Georgia Congresswoman is ever so aware of her "rights." Ask any Capitol Hill police officer.
|posted by Jim on 4:28 PM|
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Full Text of WH Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 9: Less progress than I thought
Via the White House web site:
The Administration is strongly committed to renewing the Voting Rights Act, and therefore supports House passage of H.R. 9. The Voting Rights Act is one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in the Nation’s history, and the President has directed the full power and resources of the Justice Department to protect each citizen’s right to vote and to preserve the integrity of the Nation's voting process. The Administration is pleased the House is taking action to renew this important legislation. The Administration supports the legislative intent of H.R. 9 to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2003 decision in Georgia v. Ashcroft and its 2000 decision in Reno v. Bossier Parish School Board.
The best one can say about this document is these folks just don't get it.
|posted by Jim on 4:22 PM|
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Impeached Congressman Hastings on bilingual ballots
Again via AP
Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., opened the debate by calling the conservatives who want to strike the bill's requirements for bilingual ballots present-day "ideological soul mates" of lawmakers who opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Hastings is a former federal judge who was impeached and removed from office for "perjury and conspiracy to obtain a bribe." Now he is a Congressman who thinks he has the right to make false accusations.
|posted by Jim on 2:11 PM|
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White House Policy Statement on Voting Rights Bill (H.R. 9)
Via AP:
The White House weighed in during the debate, saying in a statement that the Bush administration "supports the intent" of the renewal. The statement did not take a position on the proposed changes.
This is actually progress.
|posted by Jim on 2:06 PM|
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House Democrat Leader Pelosi throws down the gauntlet on H.R. 9.
Via CQ:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said [today] that Democrats will vote against a 25-year extension of expiring Voting Rights Act provisions if any of the four amendments made in order by GOP leaders is adopted.
One of those four amendments is repeal of bilingual ballot mandates.
Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) showed big pictures of his being beaten during the '60's on the House floor and said "I've spilled my blood for [this bill].
Yet bilingual ballots were not part of the Voting Rights Act when it was passed in 1965.
The Sanchez sisters both took the floor to demand no amendments to H.R. 9. Both women represent "Hispanic" districts created by the Census counting illegal aliens every ten years. H.R. 9 would only make this problem worse by counting illegal aliens and everyone else who lived someplace for two months and making projections.
The demagoguery is running thick and fast. And Jesse Jackson is sitting in the House Gallery ready to spread gasoline on this particular fire.
|posted by Jim on 1:37 PM|
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Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Waiting for Tomorrow's House Vote on Bilingual Ballots
The House Rules Committee decided this afternoon to allow a vote on Congressman Steve King's amendmnet to repeal H.R. 9's reauthorization and expansion of bilingual ballot requirements.
If you have not already done so, please contact your Congressman here and ask him or her to support the King amendment.
H.R. 9 is a terrible bill for other reasons as well, as I explained in National Review Online yesterday.
I expect I will attempt to do some live blogging of tomorrow's House floor debate in between helping the good guys. Stay tuned.
|posted by Jim on 10:03 PM|
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