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Tag Archives: Voting rights

Your personal mileage may vary

14 Friday Jan 2022

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

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Tags

2nd Congressional District, Ann Wagner, Corona virus, COVID-19, pandemic, right wingnut, social media, Twitter, Voting rights

“…The choice is not between order and liberty. It is between liberty with order and anarchy without either. There is danger that, if the Court does not temper its doctrinaire logic with a little practical wisdom, it will convert the constitutional Bill of Rights into a suicide pact.” – MR. JUSTICE JACKSON, dissenting. Terminiello v. Chicago, 337 U.S. 1 (1949)

This morning:

Ann Wagner @AnnLWagner
I’ll always fight to protect your constitutional rights.
8:10 AM · Jan 14, 2022

Some of the responses:

***if you are a white, straight, cis, Christian
****and if my pharmaceutical and Edward Jones lobbyist let me

I wish we had the right to be safe from airborne viruses in the workplace. Maybe you could come up with legislation to require vaccination or regular tests.

You Ann know exactly how elections are run. As Director in STL county the checks, double checks, the audit that go into certification. Your no vote yesterday was direct opposite of protection of my constitutional rights.

Which rights in particular. Or are you gonna fight for all of them even if you don’t agree with them

Lmao, since when?

*Offer limited to the 2nd Amendment only. Terms and conditions apply. Gold and Platinum Constitutional Support levels can be unlocked with further donations.”

ALL of them?

“Protect your Constitutional Rights*”

* exceptions include, voting rights, reprorductive freedom, the separation of church and state, the 13/14/15th Anendments, the Supremacy Clause, 4th Amendment rights

you’re really getting in the way of my pursuit of happiness, ann

Ms Wagner, please stop. We know better.
Due process and reproductive health.
You just voted against the Freedom to Vote act yesterday.
Labor laws, relief aid, combating racial discrimination- either silent when your constituents rights are on the line or openly vote against them.

What about Right to Assemble?
Right to Vote?
Right to Free and Fair Elections?
Right to our own reproductive health decisions?

Not voting rights! What are you scared of Ann???
[….]

Only the ones you agree with.

This is simply not true

It helps when you buy a SCOTUS to define constitutional

Then why don’t you support the right to vote without obstruction?

I’m truly embarrassed you are my ‘representative’.

Why would you use “your” in here? Do you think constitutional rights are subject to conditions? Only apply to some? Define “your”

Constitutional rights according to *your* interpretation, Ann.

Is that a joke

Ann…. God doesn’t like liars.

How about you just focus on your oath? How about next time you hold seditionists like Steve Bannon in contempt, rather than in high regard?

Well.. if the past is any indication of the future, I would say that’s a big fat whopper of a lie Ann.

Nobody believes your lies

You lie with such sleaze. It’s almost like second nature to you like breathing. [….]

Meaningless platitudes are worthless, Ann.

Why make voting harder? Why make the pandemic worse? Why only care about spending during D presidencies?

Because you only care about what you can do for money.

You’re Prolife for a fetal heartbeat but not the one beating in my chest. You opposed healthcare for us with pre-existing conditions (cue the squeal). You’re anti mitigation to protect vulnerable from Covid. You oppose Medicaid expansion causing hospitals to close. Try again.

Why do Republicans want to destroy American democracy?

Ann, in order to fight to protect our constitutional rights, you first have to commit to protecting the constitution. In the 2020 election, you failed to do this.

Your tweet is thus disingenuous at best and an outright lie at worst.

And on and on.

Roy Blunt (r) would prefer that you didn’t vote…ever

22 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Roy Blunt, social media, US Senate

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Tags

chutzpah, cloture, filibuster, Hypocrisy, missouri, Roy Blunt, S. 1, social media, Twitter, Voting rights

S.1 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)
Introduced in Senate (03/17/2021)
For the People Act of 2021

This bill addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government.

Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls.

The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting.

Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems.

Further, the bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices.

The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House.

The bill requires the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to disclose 10 years of tax returns.

Roy Blunt (r) [2016 file photo].

This evening:

Senator Roy Blunt @RoyBlunt
S.1 was written by one party acting alone.

S.1 was steered through Congress by one party acting alone.

The danger of such extreme changes being made by such tiny, partisan congressional majorities should be clear to everyone.
4:27 PM · Jun 22, 2021

There is much hilarity in the responses:

I wonder if you will remember this tweet when MO Republicans gerrymander US Congressional districts by dividing up Kansas City and leaving only one Democratic district in St. Louis.

Yes, the will of the majority in a democracy would just be absolutely tragic, huh?

WRONG!!! The real danger is the GQP enacting voter suppression bills all across the nation where the states are held by the GQP!! If this is truly a nation of government for and by the people, then voting is a right for ALL the people, not just who the GQP wants to vote!!!

Excuuuuusse me! When I cheat, it’s unacceptable for anyone to hold me accountable unless _I_ lead the charge in making sure I follow the rules!

-Roy Blunt

Things like stacking the Supreme Court? Actions have consequences

It is hard not to see this as disingenuous when you have never once spoken out against Republican partisan voting rights led legislation that were down by one party acting alone

S.1 was written by one party alone because the other party refused to even talk about such a thing. Don’t put the blame for that on the Democrats, but on the Republicans, where it belongs.

The fact that you hate it. Proves it’s good for the country.

What? Yeah man they’re trying to protect the elections from YOU, why do you think you’re owed a say in that protection?

Republicans represent a minority of Americans. Majority rules.

The changes are not extreme. They are trying to protect America from turning into a failed state like Missouri.

Because the other party won’t give up trying to prevent people from voting. That’s your party, senator.

Stop tweeting this shit

Well, gee Roy. Maybe if you voted to bring it to debate you could have fixed some of that. /s

We all know who’s playing partisan games, Roy.

Choosing not to participate was the partisan part, Roy. That’s on you.

Why don’t you want all Americans to be able to vote?
Our Vote is our Voice.

I think your referring to the Republican agenda

Thank God you are not running for re-election.

Probably should have voted to debate it then

You refused to even debate it.

That would be too much work.

Are you still there?

Now do Supreme Court Justices!

Debate your points on the floor then. What are you afraid of?

I don’t think Republicans have a lot of credibility on this particular topic. Your dark-of-night, hidden session partisan bills are legendary.

All of the GOP voter suppression laws in the many states were written by the GOP acting alone. The GOP supported insurrection acting alone. The GOP refused to convict a rouge President – acting alone. The GOP packed the courts – acting alone.

no Republican wanted to participate in the process of ensuring that all voters’ rights are protected, and you think this is a negative of the legislation and not your party?

They’re funny that way.

I didn’t realize you were comatose for the Trump tax package and the failed Obamacare repeal.

That’s funny. Tiny majority. I guess you only like progress if it’s YOUR progress. Would be cool if you weren’t a sore loser. I mean if you had the heart to accept the will of the people and the will of a majority vote. What’s the danger?

C’mon Roy. You’re full of it and you know it.

Yeah, like Republican efforts to suppress voters isn’t partisan. If you can’t win on the issues, you gotta cheat, right? That’s the Republican way.

Tiny, partisan congressional minorities? You mean like leader McConnell refusing to give a sitting Presidents SC nominee a fair hearing? Or ramming thru another nominee 3 weeks prior to an election? Wow. The audacity of your statement is stunning.

Chutzpah.

Baloney. Republicans have had the opportunity to contribute through it all. And they have steadfastly refused to vote on anything even after negotiations. You know that. Why lie, Roy?

It’s in his nature.

Like the 2017 Tax cuts? Did you object then?

The GOP is acting alone in suppressing voters’ rights across the country. Did you object then?

That only the Democrats care about voters’ rights is an indictment on you, not them.

The GOP REFUSES to work on making access to voting easier for Americans.

Doesn’t that say more about the Republican Party than anything else?

You’re intentionally mischaracterizing the situation. Stop it.

You don’t get to complain after voting against the Jan. 6 commission. Take a seat Roy.

Somebody might take you seriously if they forgot that the only reason the party exists is to stop the Democrats. As if the GOP has acted in good faith bipartisan negotiations this century…

If your position is so strong, why won’t you engage in debate and prove it to the country?

The fact that you won’t even engage in debate implies that your case is not that strong, and perhaps the danger is not as large as you state.

S1 is a bill to make sure everyone who is legally able to vote is able to cast that vote. Why are you against making voting accessible to as many people as possible. Why do make a Democracy worse? Why are you content with diminishing the role of minorities in voting?

Either you believe in democracy or you don’t. Looks like we know what side you fall on. Missourians deserve better.

You’re too damned afraid to even debate it on the senate floor. Don’t spew your lies on Twitter. It’s bipartisan when YOU take part. You voted NO. Because you don’t want to be bipartisan. We got your number Roy.

AGAIN, Lying. The Democrats have been trying to reach across the aisle. Your party has blocked any attempt at bipartisanship. You are actively trying to slice up voter rolls and gerrymander minority rule. Don’t tell me this is harmful to democracy when you want pick your voters.

Roy Blunt (r) doesn’t care.

Warrensburg, Missouri – Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment – August 18, 2020

19 Wednesday Aug 2020

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

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19th Amendment, Democrats, Johnson County, missouri, rally, Voting rights, Warrensburg

The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote, was ratified on August 18, 1920.

Yesterday, on the Johnson County Courthouse lawn in downtown Warrensburg, area Democrats held a rally to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the amendment.

Approximately twenty-five individuals attended, wearing masks and keeping social distance.

Lindsey Simmons, the Democratic Party candidate in the 4th Congressional District.

Throughout the rally occasional passersby, clued in by the large banners, would rev their vehicle engine, shout occasionally audible 19th century sentiments, and in one case, peeled out down the street. Welcome to Missouri in the 21st century.

“Donald Trump!” – the hand holding a cigarette out the passenger side window is a nice touch.

Lindsey Simmons, the Democratic Party candidate in the 4th Congressional District.

HB 508: restoring voting rights

15 Tuesday Jan 2019

Posted by Michael Bersin in Missouri General Assembly, Missouri House

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Bruce Franks, General Assembly, HB 508, Voting rights

Representative Bruce Franks, Jr. (D) [2019 file photo].

Representative Bruce Franks, Jr. (D) introduced HB 508 which restores voting rights to individuals on probation for a felony by removing that voting prohibition in statute.

The bill as introduced:

FIRST REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 508 [pdf]
100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE FRANKS JR. 0276H.01I DANA RADEMAN MILLER, Chief Clerk

AN ACT

To repeal section 115.133, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to voter qualification.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:

Section A. Section 115.133, RSMo, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu 2 thereof, to be known as section 115.133, to read as follows: 115.133.

1. Except as provided in subsection 2 of this section, any citizen of the United States who is a resident of the state of Missouri and seventeen years and six months of age or older shall be entitled to register and to vote in any election which is held on or after his eighteenth birthday.

2. No person who is adjudged incapacitated shall be entitled to register or vote. No person shall be entitled to vote:
(1) While confined under a sentence of imprisonment; or
(2) After conviction of a felony or misdemeanor connected with the right of suffrage.

3. Except as provided in federal law or federal elections and in section 115.277, no person shall be entitled to vote if the person has not registered to vote in the jurisdiction of his or her residence prior to the deadline to register to vote.

The text of the removed provision [in bold]:

“…No person who is adjudged incapacitated shall be entitled to register or vote. No person shall be entitled to vote: While on probation or parole after conviction of a felony, until finally discharged from such probation or parole…”

Letters redux – righteous version

05 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Emanuel Cleaver, Lacy Clay, missouri, Russ Carnahan, Voting rights

Missourians have been busy signing letters today – and at least some of Missouri’s Democratic pols are doing so in a good cause – protesting the new, reconfigured, better-than-ever, poll tax proxies that constitute the latest salvos in the newly energized GOP war on voting:

House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) and Ranking Member of the House Administration Committee Robert Brady (PA-01) led a letter sent to Secretaries of State today urging them to oppose new state measures adopted over the last year that would make it harder for eligible voters to register or vote. The letter was signed by 196 House Democrats, including Hoyer and Brady.

Adding their names to the letter were all three of Missouri’s Democratic House members, Emanuel Cleaver (05), Russ Carnahan (03), and Lacy Clay (01).  Republicans signing the letter: zero, zip, nada. I guess they were just too scared by the ghost of Acorn or some other fictional agent of non-existent voter fraud. Or maybe they’re just afraid of their own constituents?  

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