Ted Cruz Confirms The GOP's Biggest Fear Is More Americans Voting
Credit: DonkeyHotey
March 21, 2021

Republicans know that the only three ways they can win elections are cheating, voter suppression, and instilling fear in their base. They tried their damndest at all three in November 2020, but Democrats managed to eke out wins in the Senate that finally gave us control of all 3 legislative bodies. But Republicans aren't about to let that happen again, if they can help it. After Trump's pathetic claims of Election Fraud — claims that are still going on to this day — the GOP plans to do everything in their power to suppress the vote of Democrats going forward. Their plans are intense and wide ranging, attacking voter access from all angles.

AP News reports that there was an "invitation-only" call last week with Republican state lawmakers during which Ted Cruz said the quiet part out loud. A participant recorded the call and shared it with the AP. On it, Ted Cruz accused Democrats of trying to expand voting rights to allow “illegal aliens” and “child molesters" to vote.

He went on to say,

“H.R. 1′s only objective is to ensure that Democrats can never again lose another election, that they will win and maintain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate and of the state legislatures for the next century."

Over 250 bills have been drafted in 43 states aimed at one goal - limiting voting access to Democrats. The GOP call it "voting integrity" bills, but in reality it is voter suppression, plain and simple. Because when Democrats vote, Republicans lose.

The Executive Director of Heritage Action told the AP:

“It kind of feels like an all-hands-on-deck moment for the conservative movement, when the movement writ large realizes the sanctity of our elections is paramount and voter distrust is at an all-time high. We’ve had a bit of a battle cry from the grassroots, urging us to pick this fight.”

When they say "sanctity of our election," they really mean the sanctity of white Republican voters. Not Black, brown or Democratic voters. Their votes do not count as much.

Groups are joining forces to push these voter suppression laws. The anti-abortion rights group, the Susan B. Anthony List, has joined forces with the Election Transparency Initiative to work on voter suppression. FreedomWorks has invested $10 million in an effort to tighten voting laws across the United States. It will be run by Cleta Mitchell, a GOP lawyer who was on the now infamous call to the Georgia's Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, when the Former Guy asked for them to "find" votes so they could flip the state. Cleta was forced to resign from the prestigious law firm of Foley & Lardner after her participation in the election overturning scheme was made public. Now she is trying to steal elections the old fashioned way — by keeping those awful Democrats out of the polling places all together! And let's not forget Heritage Action. They have invested $700,000 in a wide ranging ad campaign to back election law changes in Georgia.

So far, 250 bills have been introduced in 43 states. These laws attempt to disenfranchise voters in numerous ways, including limiting mail-in voting, cutting voting hours, and reducing early and weekend voting. These target very specific groups: working class and poorer Democrats, and many Black and brown voters, who typically take advantage of weekend and early voting. Republicans typically show up ON voting day, so these laws will not affect them in any serious way. These new bills are the modern day equivalence of Jim Crow laws.

So what is this big, bad law that the Republicans are COMPLETELY FREAKING OUT about? It is called H.R.1, and, to put it simply, it is a true voter rights law. It would do many things that would benefit all voters, including: requiring states to automatically register eligible voters, as well as offer same-day registration. It also limit states’ ability to purge registered voters from their rolls. It would restore former felons’ voting rights after they complete their sentence. It would also require states to offer 15 days of early voting, and to allow no-excuse absentee balloting.

Put simply, H.R. 1 would allow SIGNIFICANTLY more people to vote, to have access to vote, to jump hurdles that prevent them from voting now, and would make it harder for Republicans to put up roadblocks to voter access.

Ted Cruz is panicking, saying on the call that H.R.1 “says that America would be better off if more murderers were voting, America would be better off if more rapists and child molesters were voting.”

When all Americans have access to voting, Democrats win. It is a proven fact. That is what's scaring Republicans right now. That's why they are vowing to do everything they can to punish the Democrats if they get rid of the filibuster to pass H.R.1. This is why the Democrats MUST get rid of the filibuster. Call their bluff. Get legislation passed.

Can you help us out?

For nearly 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon