Current Affairs General US politics (ie, not POTUS related)

[BlueTX]

This is where I’m at on the issue. As long as the primary form of acceptable ID is your drivers license, which isn’t free to get, I don’t see how these measures don’t qualify as a poll tax, which is expressly forbidden. Stop charging fees for getting a DL, and I’m all for universal voter ID as it could kill two birds with one stone for me. Republicans would have to stop bitching about voter fraud, and I’d save $25 every few years when I have to renew my license.

Yeah, there was a multi-year legal battle over this and eventually, the State won. From what I recall, essentially the court said that because the ID itself is offered for free there's no violation of the law. Never mind that supporting documentation in order to obtain the "free" license is likely to have a cost as does the requirement the citizen report in person at the State offices for driver's licenses.

 

[ChesterBlue]

Is it just me that finds the GOP’s MAGA crowd calling Biden of all people “radical left” absurd? The guy’s a pretty avid centrist to the point of conceding way too much ground in negotiations with the GOP

 

[TN Toffee]

Yeah, there was a multi-year legal battle over this and eventually, the State won. From what I recall, essentially the court said that because the ID itself is offered for free there's no violation of the law. Never mind that supporting documentation in order to obtain the "free" license is likely to have a cost as does the requirement the citizen report in person at the State offices for driver's licenses.

The cost of actually travelling to the location to renew, in both money and time, is one thing I never think about. In TN our counties are relatively small, and here in Knox Co. we have multiple Clerks Offices so nobody is ever really more than a 15 minute drive from one. I imagine things are somewhat different in a state as geographically vast as TX.

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[carolinablue232]

Is it just me that finds the GOP’s MAGA crowd calling Biden of all people “radical left” absurd? The guy’s a pretty avid centrist to the point of conceding way too much ground in negotiations with the GOP

I think the bolded is really all you need. Many of them are just parrots seeing which of them can squawk the loudest. I say the same about the actual far radical leftist crowd.

 

[TheBigIguana]

The electoral college ensures the US never actually has a free and fair election. We never have done. African Americans and women were either expressly prohibited or impeded significantly until 1965 and 1920 respectively and by 1965 the electoral votes had gotten so unbalanced that voters in less populous states had more power. So not free and then not fair. We act like what is happening now goes against our principles but really it is who we've always been.

 

[emir]

Is it just me that finds the GOP’s MAGA crowd calling Biden of all people “radical left” absurd? The guy’s a pretty avid centrist to the point of conceding way too much ground in negotiations with the GOP

What irks me the most about Biden is that he claims to be a "devout Christian" yet everything he does, goes against his faith such as promoting pride/LGBTQ or supporting these heinous abortion laws. I have no issue if somebody wants to approve of those things, but it does me dirty by him saying how his faith is everything to him.

 

[emir]

Oh there are plenty of places that detail voter ID laws disproportional impact on POC, including as @BlueTX mentioned multiple court cases, aclu just happened to have some of the most easily available figures. Are you disputing their data eg for instance the “up to 25% of African-American citizens of voting age lack government-issued photo ID, compared to only 8% of whites”

Most of the people I know would have the necessary paperwork too but not only do I live in California where we have made a lot of efforts to make votong easier for everyone but most of the people I know have a car - that doesn’t mean I think that the same conditions apply to everyone. As you yourself point out elderly rural people, particularly the poor, would be far less likely to have access to that form of ID.

I don’t recall requiring an ID to vote when I lived in the UK in the 90s and yet despite that it was generally considered a civilized democracy at that time.

Fwiw I don’t have a great issue with voter ID as a concept although I think the ”voter fraud” issue is small to non existent. The issue I have is that some states have clearly been using it to exclude certain segments of the populous from exercising their constitutional right to vote.

For me, the most important thing is to make sure full integrity of our democracy is preserved, rather than catering to certain demographics. Requiring voter ID isn't suppressing African-Americans, considering it's fairly easy to obtain ID in most states. If certain people cannot be bothered to go through these bureaucratic steps to vote, then they clearly don't have the political conviction for the candidate.

 

[emir]

That was 35 years ago

And the GOP is even farther right today than that

And people are more educated now

And the country is not as white as then.

Etc

Etc

So while yes, Reagan's policies gave birth to what we see in today's GOP, it was not as far right as today

What exactly are you talking about?

Bro, the reason why the GOP is more "far right" is because the left have become more left. It's tit for tat.

In the 80s, you didn't have things like transgender athletes competing in women's sports and being applauded for it. Or things like gender identity/sexuality being shoved down everyone's throats, especially at schools. I'm not saying I condone the right for becoming what they have become but at the same time, there's a reaction to everything.

 

[LinekersLegs]

For me, the most important thing is to make sure full integrity of our democracy is preserved, rather than catering to certain demographics. Requiring voter ID isn't suppressing African-Americans, considering it's fairly easy to obtain ID in most states. If certain people cannot be bothered to go through these bureaucratic steps to vote, then they clearly don't have the political conviction for the candidate.

It isn’t though, that is one of several things where we disagree on. And the burdens that a Voter ID places are disproportionately skewed to POC and the poor so if you don’t put in measures to alleviate that then you are (often deliberately) making it harder for those people to vote.

And I’ll also disagree on your first bit - for me it is more important that people can exercise their constitutional right to vote. Voter fraud is very small to minuscule and there are already multiple ways to catch it if it happens.

 

[Prevenger17]

It isn’t though, that is one of several things where we disagree on. And the burdens that a Voter ID places are disproportionately skewed to POC and the poor so if you don’t put in measures to alleviate that then you are (often deliberately) making it harder for those people to vote.

And I’ll also disagree on your first bit - for me it is more important that people can exercise their constitutional right to vote. Voter fraud is very small to minuscule and there are already multiple ways to catch it if it happens.

Legs, he's a wum. Stick him on ignore and stop wasting your valuable time

 

[BlueTX]

What irks me the most about Biden is that he claims to be a "devout Christian" yet everything he does, goes against his faith such as promoting pride/LGBTQ or supporting these heinous abortion laws. I have no issue if somebody wants to approve of those things, but it does me dirty by him saying how his faith is everything to him.

It's not a giant leap for most human beings to separate personal religious belief and secular law.

That's actual religious freedom.

 

[emir]

It's not a giant leap for most human beings to separate personal religious belief and secular law.

That's actual religious freedom.

If it's personal, then why are his beliefs coming out of his mouth so often?

Being secular is one thing but broadcasting your faith and citing how important it is, is another thing. There's zero congruence between his words and his actions. Biden's reaction to Florida's "don't say gay" bill told me everything about Biden and when he called it "hateful", I lost all respect for him.

 

[Pittsburgh Footy]

Bro, the reason why the GOP is more "far right" is because the left have become more left. It's tit for tat.

In the 80s, you didn't have things like transgender athletes competing in women's sports and being applauded for it. Or things like gender identity/sexuality being shoved down everyone's throats, especially at schools. I'm not saying I condone the right for becoming what they have become but at the same time, there's a reaction to everything.

OK bro

You sure got me

 

[Pittsburgh Footy]

What irks me the most about Biden is that he claims to be a "devout Christian" yet everything he does, goes against his faith such as promoting pride/LGBTQ or supporting these heinous abortion laws. I have no issue if somebody wants to approve of those things, but it does me dirty by him saying how his faith is everything to him.

JFC