Posted on 04/28/2008 10:56:58 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Press Releases Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami 202-226-7616 For Immediate Release 04/28/2008 Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Decision on Voter ID
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision today on Indiana’s voter identification case:
“The Supreme Court’s decision is disappointing. The Court’s decision today places obstacles to the fundamental rights of American citizens—especially the poor, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities—to participate in the electoral process. Requiring American citizens pay for underlying documents needed for an identification card and travel to distant motor vehicle locations for processing hinders—and diminishes—their right to vote.
“The right to vote is a foundation of our democracy. American citizens who wish to vote must be able to do so.”
Maybe you would be interested in doing some reading.
Snip... The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly guarantee a right to vote, and our federal courts currently read the document not to include it. ...end snip
From "You have no right to vote", http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/09/21/no_right_to_vote/
Snip... Most Americans believe that the "legal right to vote" in our democracy is explicit (not just implicit) in our Constitution and laws. However, our Constitution only provides for non-discrimination in voting on the basis of race, sex, and age in the 15th, 19th and 26th Amendments respectively.
The U.S. Constitution contains no explicit affirmative individual right to vote! ...end snip
From "FIGHTING FOR A RIGHT TO VOTE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT" from The Center for Voting and Democracy. http://www.fairvote.org/articles/jessejr.htm
If the Constitution already has a "right to vote" guarantee in it, why would HJ Res 28, a proposal to amend the Constitution to add a "right to vote" be needed?
Would you like more?
From "ReclaimDemocracy.org", Why we need a Constitutional right to vote...
snip... As thousands of civil rights advocates celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in Atlanta last weekend, most media coverage conveyed the Act's importance in protecting minorities' political rights. Yet many of those same stories helped perpetuate a dangerous illusion by asserting that a right to vote is guaranteed by the 15th Amendment.
The trouble is the Supreme Court doesn't see it that way.
In its 2000 ruling, Alexander v Mineta, the Court decided the 600,000 or so (mostly black) residents of Washington D.C. have no legal recourse for their complete lack of voting representation in Congress (they have one “representative” in the House who can speak, but cannot vote). The Court affirmed the district court's interpretation that our Constitution "does not protect the right of all citizens to vote, but rather the right of all qualified citizens to vote.” And it's state legislatures that wield the power to decide who is “qualified.”
As a result, voting is not a right, but a privilege granted or withheld at the discretion of local and state governments. ...end snip
Here is your link... http://www.reclaimdemocracy.org/political_reform/right_to_vote.html
Shall I continue?
From "The Nation"...
snip... "The vote" is a human right. It is seen as an American right. In a democracy there is nothing more fundamental than having the right to vote.
And yet the right to vote is not a fundamental right in our Constitution." ...end snip
Here is your link, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060206/jackson
Nice try Nancy. My brother is mentally-challenged and he has a state Id. In fact, he looked at it last year and saw that it was about to expire and TOLD US (his siblings). He was happy to go and renew it and someone in the family drove him. Seeeeee Nancy, no need for government intervention. (And my brother doesn’t like being treated like he’s incapable, so watch it Libs!)
It's the same article that gives enemy combatants the rights to a trial and illegals the right to health care, food stamps and free education....at least thats Pelosi's position!
In a sense that is correct, since we only vote for electors in the state, and the state determines how the vote shall take place. Those amendments apply to the states, I think.
Care to guess where Souter stood on this one?
You got it!
Further, if a state constitution allowed, a state could pass a law saying the electors of the state would vote for president based on the outcome of a coin flip and no citizen would cast a single vote. And there isn't a damn thing the citizens of that state could do about it.
“Hey Nancy! What about my right to not have my vote cancelled out by some dead guy or by a Democrat operative who spends all election day going from precinct to precinct, voting as many times as he can?”
Honest voters who vote once are the ones who’ve been disenfranchised by the examples you gave and the inner city precincts with 120% turnout. Those people are not only not smart enough to vote, they aren’t even smart enough to cheat.
But then how smart do you have to be, if no one ever challenges you?
Anyone over 18 has the RIGHT to vote.
It is a PRIVLEGE because if you are convicted of a felony you lose that RIGHT.
It is a RESPONSIBILITY because we must all do our part.
Well, I can honestly say that the Speaker hasn't disappointed me, yet. She's holding course; running hot, straight, and true...
Fixed it.
They must be feeling nervous right now. Very nervous.
There, Nancy. Took the spin out and fixed it for ya.
LOL - you and I were editing at about the same time.
I noticed that too. ;o)
“Where to begin..”
I think you nailed it pretty good in 4 succinct points.
Your post is very instructional.
If you have more, please share. It is most interesting.
The rats are worried about nothing but remaining in power. You would think they would welcome a legitimate clean-up of the election process....they would, if they weren’t looking for easy ways to scam the system.
Boo Hoo! All those illegal alien votes going down the drain!
Can't you see what this cruel and senseless Supreme Court ruling means? It will now be possible to restrict many members of federally protected minority groups to just 1 vote apiece. How is that fair, when many members of one or more of these groups were enslaved by the white heteronormative hegemonic eurocentric Christian patriarchs of this country for over 400 years?
These people must, must I tell you, be allowed to make up for the many hundreds of millions of votes denied to their people throughout this tragic period in our tragic history of tragic oppression. And pray tell me, members of the VRWC and your rigged Supreme Court, how are the dead supposed to get their picture taken?
These faithful voters don't ask for much, you know. They just want to join us in spirit on election day, which even hard-hearted capitalist oppressors of the poor have surely noticed is rather close to Hall'o'we'en y el día de los muertos.
A faithful bloc for us has been the "Clandestine Migrant" community. Where in the cruel deserts surrounding our virtual border fence are they supposed to get picture ID? Thank goodness for Affirmative Action which has placed many of their compadres at the DMV of many states, to minimize this bureaucratic high hurdle in front of the voting booth. And also thank goodness for the hundreds of "virtual voters," and the "virtual families," living at "virtual addresses," qualifying for absentee ballots. (Please don't argue. They are absent, are they not?) We are completing a full range of composite "virtual ID photographs" for them right now. Yes, it is a terrible expense, but well worth it.
I am not worried. For every evil there is a Democrat Party remedy. I do not anticipate our most faithful and frequent voters in our four multiple voter categories:
As Andrew Jackson once said, "The Supreme Court has ruled. Now let them enforce it."
CC:
The Very Reverend Jeremiah Wright
Nancy Pelosi (D, CA)
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