(New York) On this day commemorating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., many Republicans unleash their favorite slogan from the symbol of black Americans fighting for their civil rights.
Posted at 6:00 p.m.
“I dream of my four children living in some country where they will be judged by their character, not by their skin color. ⁇
This phrase, taken from a famous sermon delivered by a pastor who was assassinated on the steps of the Lincoln Monument in Washington on August 28, 1963, has long been used by American conservatives to denigrate affirmative action and, more recently, systemic notion. Racism ..
Photo by Robert Ray, Associated Press
Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King
However, on several occasions in the past, MLK’s daughter, Bernice King, has urged these conservatives to stop quoting the ad on occasion or choose another. This year, she presented them with something that was never so timely. It’s about a parliamentary rule that prevents the United States Senate from renewing itself these days Right to vote law In 1965, one of the two major edicts formed as a result of his father’s heroic struggle.
Of “tragedy” Filibuster
The rule in question Filibuster, Joe Biden called for a change last week. She wants a super majority of 60 out of 100 votes in the Senate to pass most bills, which will then be passed by a simple majority. Thereby allowing a minority of 41 senators to block most programs of the majority, which Republicans have not been without for a year.
But go back to that statement that Bernice King wants Republicans and Conservatives to quote on January 17, 2022. The MLK asked John in 1963 whether he was in favor of a national referendum to pass the law. Kennedy, a minority separatist senator on civil rights, had been barred until then.
Photo Archives Press
Martin Luther King en 1963
The tragedy is that we have a Congress with senators that has a minority of misguided senators. Filibuster To prevent the majority of people from voting. They will not allow a majority of senators to vote.
Martin Luther King, Jr. 1963
It was MLK’s nightmare in 1963. Two years later, outraged over Selma’s bloodshed over March, JFK’s Democratic successor, Lyndon Johnson, helped draft a 1965 law banning racism in exercising the right to vote.
However, the Supreme Court overturned that law in 2013 and 2021. Its rulings paved the way for electoral laws passed by many conservative states to restrict access to minority voting and change the way elections are conducted.
Democrat Initiative
To counter these decisions and these laws, they believe they threaten American democracy, with Democrats proposing two bills that were consolidated last week.
This measure provides for the establishment of at least 15 consecutive days of early voting, especially in all states; Allow all voters to request a postal ballot; Create an automatic voter registration program; And turning election day into a national holiday.
It also hopes to restore the most important provisions Right to vote law In 1965, states with a history of discrimination were required to obtain prior approval from the Department of Justice or federal courts before changing their voting rules.
Unexpected consequences
About 50 senators from the Democratic group voted in favor of electoral reform. None of the 50 Republican senators. For Democrats, who enjoy a majority in the Senate due to the decisive vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, the only way to pass the bill is to suspend or remove that rule. Filibuster.
He said it had already failed due to opposition from two Democratic senators, Kirsten Cinema and Joe Manchin, and that a vote on such a proposal should take place this week.
How can these senators justify maintaining the rule used in XXE Block many civil rights bills? Is the rule that Barack Obama calls the “Relic of Jim Crow” a reference to all the separatist laws of the Deep South States?
Their arguments were met with Richard Arenberg, a former collaborator of several Democratic senators and author of Reference Work, published in 2012. Filibuster Defending: The Soul of the Senate. During the telephone interview with Press, Maintained that the next use Filibuster This does not mean that the rule is bad for “abusive and immoral” purposes in the age of civil rights.
According to a man who is now a political scientist at Brown University, his suspension – or his removal – could also have consequences that Democrats should be wary of.
My argument has always been that this disease is a severely biased polarization, and its elimination Filibuster This will not solve the problem, it will only make it worse.
Richard Arenberg, author Filibuster Defending: The Soul of the Senate
Evidence of what happened after the removal of former Senate Majority Leader Democrat Harry Reid Filibuster For federal judicial appointments in 2013 excluding Supreme Court judges. In 2017, his Republican successor, Mitch McConnell, took advantage of this precedent. Filibuster For appointments of Supreme Court judges.
No longer having to overcome the 60-vote hurdle, Donald Trump was able to elect three of the judges, even the most traditional, reactionary to fill the vacancies.
“From a Democrats perspective, impact [du changement de 2013] It’s devastating, “said Richard Arenberg.
MLK, can he now doubt the legacy that was partially destroyed by the new traditional majority of the Supreme Court?
About The Author
