Here We Go Again: Bob McDonnell Angers Black Leaders, Civil Rights Groups on Voting Rights

What's next? (0.00 / 0)

Is McDonnell going to reinstate the "voucher system" & "literacy test"? How about a poll tax?

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by: TheGreenMiles @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 15:45:15 PM UTC

Don't give him any ideas (0.00 / 0)

n/t

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by: lowkell @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 15:59:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

once again (0.00 / 0)

The republicans strategy is to marginalize non republicans.
A strategy doomed to failure. Even if they win in 2010, Obama is a lock to be reelected in 2012

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by: pvogel @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 15:48:20 PM UTC

Please Join us to Protest McDonnell on Monday (4.00 / 2)

The College Democrats at George Mason University have organized an event on campus to protest the intolerance of the McDonnell administration.  Click on the link below to find out more:
http://gmudemocrats.com/?p=121

As yet another barrier to getting my rights restored is imposed, this gives us yet another reason to speak out in opposition to an administration that clearly does not care about minorities, the poor, the uninsured and the disenfranchised.

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by: frankoanderson @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 15:54:33 PM UTC

Good idea, look forward to hearing (0.00 / 0)

how it goes!

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by: lowkell @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 16:01:41 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Wow... (0.00 / 0)

From the losers of the Civil War to the losers of Civil Rights, McDonnell sure knows how to pick'em.

Aside from the implications of bringing back Jim Crow, what happens if the person were just released and have yet to amass "contributions".?

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by: Kevin H @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 16:16:11 PM UTC

There's already a waiting period (0.00 / 0)

to apply for restoration after the sentence is completed.  3 years for nonviolent felons, 5 years for violent felons.

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by: frankoanderson @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 17:32:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thank you for that head's up... (0.00 / 0)

I read about your situation last year. I didn't realize at the time that VA's reinstatement was so onerous.

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by: Kevin H @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 20:07:41 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Disheartening (4.00 / 1)

When I read this, it was very disheartening.  Not surprising, but disheartening.  Especially since we have just gone through two Democratic administrations who might have made real and lasting change on this issue.

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by: GretchenLaskas @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 16:38:45 PM UTC

It's one more plank in (0.00 / 0)

his party's vote suppression de-facto platform. He'd make the GOP of the George Allen for Gov (2006) days proud.  

BTW, for years, Bradblog has chronicled vote suppression and real vote fraud in the US (and its not by Dems, either).

The whole point of the take-down of Acorn was 1) kill voter registration efforts by Dems and 2) take down any organization working to bring economic justice to the disadvanted.  

There's nothing in the middle of the road except yellow stripes and dead armadillos (Jim Hightower). PS I'm on Twitter here.

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by: KathyinBlacksburg @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 16:52:36 PM UTC

Where is our DPVS Chair on this ? Silent ? Jim Webb ? (0.00 / 0)

I don't seriously expect any "leadership" statement from Cranwell, given his lack of same last year. But I gotta believe and expect a response from Webb. This one is right down Webb's alley with his major push on prison reform, including this important element.

Please, someone who has a close connection and good rapport with Webb (not just a senior staffer) ask him to go very public with a statement and repetitive follow-up on this. I see no reason that Webb couldn't arrange a meeting with McDonnell to discuss this privately so Webb could convince him of the error of his ways both politically and morally, help him write his mea culpa admission of error and correction based on sheer logic that Webb is so skilled at, then have a joint press event billing this as an example of one conservative (Jim Webb the Dem.) and another conservative (Bob McDonnell the Republican) reaching across the aisle to each other for a bi-partisan decision that both could take credit for. A Win-Win for both if they handle it right, with the more intelligent and better (professional) writer making sure that the resulting wording makes both of them look good to their respective bases.  

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by: Tom @ Sat Apr 10, 2010 at 20:42:30 PM UTC

You know, sometimes you hear something . . . (4.00 / 1)

. . . that is so goddam insane, all you can do it slam your head into the desk over and over and over.

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by: Old Redneck @ Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 00:05:50 AM UTC

Just another way to do voter suppression (0.00 / 0)

"Can McDonnell, Cooch et al. go even one day without angering someone or stirring up yet another controversy?"

Democrats worry about angering people, even people who aren't likely to vote for us, because we imagine that election to public office means that you are supposed to make as many people as possible, even the ones who didn't vote for you, happy.  You can't secure the public good without doing all the public good.

That's not the Republican perspective.  Sure, some people are going to be unhappy with them over this.  But the nature of what they're doing here, is to make it less likely that these people will ever be able to express that unhappiness in the only way they care about, by voting against them.  Where's the downside for them?  That they won't be universally loved?

They've taken Macchiavelli's advice.  It's better for a Prince to be feared than loved.

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by: Glen Tomkins @ Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:55:15 AM UTC

Would Webb really benefit from helping McDonnell? (0.00 / 0)

At first thought, the notion Tom has described is a good one. Get at the problem through Jim Webb mediating a fair, balanced and modern solution. But on the other hand, it's not a bad thing for folks to see Bob McDonnell at his worst, groveling with old fashioned social issues that should have been settled years ago. Requiring felons to write anything when many don't have a 3rd grade education is sooo socially discriminatory-- it's a relic of McDonnell's 19th century thinking. I don't want to see this guy suceed--in fact I want to see his utterly outdated values and phony moderation exposed and wrapped around his neck.

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by: Shenandoah Democrat @ Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 14:22:16 PM UTC