The New,Old, Struggle

I will never figure the Supreme Court out; in one case from Arizona, they vote down a Voter ID law, they vote down DOMA and Prop 8, but basically rip the core out of the Voting Rights Act.

The Court ruled Tuesday that certain states no longer needed to clear themselves before making changes; many states, mostly the same states that the Voting RIghts Act was targeted at, are already passing "Voter ID" laws and trying to redraw districts that may further dillute the votes of minorities.

This decision is likely seen as a victory for reactionary forces in a campaign that dates not back to Roe V Wade but Brown V Topeka. As states like Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina, deal with shifting and darkening demographics, white reactionaries see their power theatened.

Much like reactionaries have done with abortion, they've concentrated on making access harder. Voter ID laws have been compared to the poll taxes that were used to deny minorities, specifically African-American's the right to vote. Today, it's Latino's who are may be the new "brown menace".

So how to fight back? It's going to take a complex effort, tactics like what was seen in Wisconsin and perhaps being duplicated in North Carolina. In Statehouses in Texas, etc, people may need to 'Occupy'. Voter registration will need to be combined with ID drives.

Finally, much like Wendy Davis in Texas for women, voting rights advocates will need to find voices. Creating a new formula for the Voting Rights Act would be a great project for the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and provide yet another progressive rallying point for the 2014 Elections.