I don’t trust republicans. I really don’t trust these House cons that are a disgrace to politics, their families and mankind. That is why this nugget from TheHill.com caught my eye:
"The Voting Rights Act is vital to America’s commitment to never again permit racial prejudices in the electoral process," Sensenbrenner, the second-ranked Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday in a statement.
"This is going to take time and will require members from both sides of the aisle to put partisan politics aside and ensure Americans’ most sacred right is protected.
…"Section 5 of the Act was a bipartisan effort to rectify past injustices and ensure minorities’ ability to participate in elections, but the threat of discrimination still exists," he said.
"I am disappointed by the Court’s ruling," he added, "but my colleagues and I will work in a bipartisan fashion to update Section 4 to ensure Section 5 can be properly implemented to protect voting rights, especially for minorities."
I want to be impressed with this statement but I’m waiting to hear how they'll pretend to support an upgraded VRA while giving the green-light to elevated acts of discrimination. We've seen this movie before.
But then there’s this in the same piece:
“Sensenbrenner's views found support from at least one other member of the GOP on Capitol Hill: Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio, who also serves on the Judiciary Committee.
“I am disappointed that the Court invalidated the Voting Rights Act’s coverage formula, which has been used for decades to help protect the voting rights of millions of Americans," Chabot said.
"However, by leaving Section 5’s pre-clearance requirements intact, the Court has given Congress the opportunity to amend the coverage formula to preserve these important protections. I am hopeful that we will work together to enact an appropriate fix in the same bipartisan manner and spirit that we did when reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act in 2006.”
I’m slightly hopeful but totally suspicious…what am I missing here?