Former Sen. Norm Coleman: We Should ‘Absolutely’ Consider Gutting The Voting Rights Act

[Donnachaidh]

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/03/coleman-voting-rights-act/

As state legislatures gear up for the decennial process of congressional redistricting, one of the few obstacles preventing excessive gerrymandering in a handful of southern states is the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Still, despite the legislation’s massive success in preventing racism, many conservatives are dead set on dismantling the longstanding civil rights law.

In December, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) sounded the rallying cry. During a press conference, Cuccinelli declared that Virginia had “outgrown” institutional racism, and therefore ought to be exempted from the Voting Rights Act. (Virginia is one of nine southern and western states that must get their new redistricting maps pre-approved by the Justice Department in order to prevent discrimination against minority voters.)

Now, one of the architects of the Republican redistricting efforts, former Sen. Norm Coleman, wants to “reconsider” the entire Voting Rights Act. In an interview with ThinkProgress, Coleman argued that it was “absolutely” the right move to loosen the Voting Rights Act’s provisions that prevent legislators from drawing redistricting maps with a clear racial bias:

TP: I know some of the leaders in states like Virginia said they feel like their state has outgrown the racism of the past that led to them being subject to the Voting Rights Act in the first place. Do you think that’s the case, that we don’t really need some states like Virginia and others to be subject to the Voting Rights Act and get pre-clearance for their redistricting plans?

More at the link --

[SharonAnn]

1. Sort of like banks had outgrown the need for Glass-Steagall and other regulations?

Cable TV had outgrown the need for government rate regulation?

How did those, and other like things, work out?

Well? Or not so well?

[Bandit]

9. Or like Bush* saying we have outgrown the FISA Laws...

[justiceischeap]

2. From the news coming out of VA these days, I say they're making the point they NEED the VRA.

They Republican run government seems to be sliding back to pre-civil war days.

[gratuitous]

3. Yep, Normie coulda beat that mean old Al Franken

If it wasn't for those meddling women and minorities!

[WI_DEM]

4. this is their next plan--go back to Jim Crow.

[marmar]

5. Next stop: The 13th amendment.......

The Republican Party wants to relive the 19th century.

[JCMach1]

6. Someone will eventually tell Norm to shut-up as in some Southern States

Republican legislatures have used the minority district laws as just another tool to gerrymander the Democratic party out of power.

Their scam is they will create a gerrymandered minority district with 90%+ minority and democrats and then draw several 55-45 Republican leaning districts.

[Dappleganger]

7. My home state is so embarrassing these days!

[Orsino]

8. Suppressing the votes they can't earn. n/t

[JustAnotherGen]

10. Uh

This is extremely disturbing - if our current Supreme Court gets this as a case I really truly believe that not only would they say it was now unconstitutional but that minorities, women, etc. etc. were never intended to be voters so we have to go back to the 1700's.

Just really really disturbing. . .