Senate vs House - Voting Rights Act 1965

CNN - Politics: Reports that Senate Democrats want to pass a new section 4 for the 1965 Voting Rights, but as the article notes, " Republicans – many of whom have expressed opposition to the pre-clearance provision in the Voting Rights Act - control the House of Representatives. With the formula deemed unconstitutional by the court, it appears unlikely the House would pass any measure that re-allows the federal government to oversee local voting laws.  ".

Lets Get Real:

The elite media will blame the Republican folks, but lets get real here, its 2013 not 1965, the South is not the racist South of the 1960s, last time this blog looked, there is a African - American President and Attorney General, the Democrats and African - American political groups have to move with the times, yes there is racism, but there is racism everywhere, not just in the Southern States, and its the Southern States that have to cap in hand to the US Government to change even minor aspects of electoral law, thing change folks.  This blog has had concerns for some time that some African - American groups are more interested in the past and not the future, one would think that these groups would want more African - Americans to get good jobs, for the African - American family to be more stable, for there to be less African - Americans in prison, these are the issues that should be tackled, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s was needed, and it WON, as it should, but this NOW, if you live in the past you get buried in the past, US voters , what ever their ethnic background want a good life, good economy, good jobs, those are the pressing concerns, not an Act that did it job, it was successful, it should not be used as a political weapon by the Democrats and the elite media, you can see the race card being used folks, if you think the US Supreme Court was right, you are racist, have no understanding of African Americans, you can not have a different view and be right and white, its the truth folks, and this blog is tired of the BS, you judge people by their character and the content of that character, lets allow the US to be ONE people, let colour no longer be a issue or even a subject worthy of discussion. 

Obama and the 1965 Voting Rights Act - Civil Rights

The White House: Has released the following statement by POTUS on the revoking of section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, " I am deeply disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision today.  For nearly 50 years, the Voting Rights Act – enacted and repeatedly renewed by wide bipartisan majorities in Congress – has helped secure the right to vote for millions of Americans.  Today’s decision invalidating one of its core provisions upsets decades of well-established practices that help make sure voting is fair, especially in places where voting discrimination has been historically prevalent.  As a nation, we’ve made a great deal of progress towards guaranteeing every American the right to vote.  But, as the Supreme Court recognized, voting discrimination still exists.    And while today’s decision is a setback, it doesn’t represent the end of our efforts to end voting discrimination.  I am calling on Congress to pass legislation to ensure every American has equal access to the polls.  My Administration will continue to do everything in its power to ensure a fair and equal voting process. ".

Lets Get Real:

This is tricky for President Obama, he is the 1st African - American President, and one of the major Acts of the 1960s Civil Rights movement has been gutted, section 4 set out the conditions for section 5 that stated that on the whole Southern States would need Federal okay to change voting rules, by revoking section 4 the US Supreme Court has in effect revoked section 5, there is not great pressure on Republicans to give Democrats anything, the South of 21th Century is not the racist South of the 1960s, how ever much the Democrats want to go on about the subject, in fact in some States more African Americans are registered to vote that whites, thus in many respects the Act is dated, and the US Supreme Court has had the courage to revoke an out of date Act.   Lets see the political results if any, this blog has reservations, but lets see what happens, the South is not suddenly going to go back to being racist, things change folks, those that live in the past do not see future and in many respects do not want to see, they are blind by their own negative background. 

Reagan and the 1965 Voting Rights Act - Reagan Era

Lets see what President Reagan thought of Section 4 of the 1965 Act, in a letter to his Attorney General in 1981 the President stated the following, " I am sensitive to the controversy which has attached itself to some of the Act's provisions, in particular those provisions which impose burdens unequally upon different parts of the nation. But I am sensitive also to the fact that the spirit of the Act marks this nation's commitment to full equality for all Americans, regardless of race, color, or national origin. Because my Administration intends to maintain that commitment, the question before us in the months ahead will not be whether the rights which the Act seeks to protect are worthy of protection, but whether the Act continues to be the most appropriate means of guaranteeing those rights. ".*  Thus the above can be read two ways, 1.  Reagan would not have approved the move by the US Supreme Court to revoke section 4, 2. Reagan would have understood with the passing of time the context of the US had changed, the Act did not take that in to account, when the Act was granted an extension in 1982 the President stated the following in a Statement, " Voting is one of the most cherished of our birthrights as American citizens. When practiced, it enriches our democracy; when threatened, it must be protected. Today's responsible action by the Senate sends a strong, bipartisan message: No American's vote shall be defiled, diluted, or denied. The Voting Rights Act, and the amendments added to it in 1975, have significantly contributed to the achievement of full constitutional and political equality for black Americans, and for other minorities, especially Mexican Americans. I strongly believe there has also been a good-faith effort by the great majority of our people, in all regions, to ensure the provisions of this act are fully respected. ".**  One can postulate folks that President Reagan would have had moral and political reservations by this move by the US Supreme Court, but its guess folks, what do you think folks. 

* " Letter to the Attorney General Directing an Assessment of the Voting Rights Act June 15, 1981 ".The Public Papers of President Ronald W. Reagan.  Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

** " Statement on Senate Approval of the Extension of the Voting Rights Act June 18, 1982 ".The Public Papers of President Ronald W. Reagan.  Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.