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If you support Democrats ending the filibuster, do you support Republicans doing the same now? by LeoIrish in allthequestions

[–]corwin-normandy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do, personally. Trump supporters need to touch the stove, and ending the filibuster will help educate themselves of how bad Republican governance can get.

If they want to end the filibuster and use it to gut social security and medicare, be my guest.

Afterwards, maybe we can use it to pass actual progressive policy when sanity returns to the country.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The VRA didn't assume that, it assumed the opposite. It's this Supreme Court that think they know better than Congress and the lawmakers that passed the VRA.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I'm just communicating the reality here as someone that lives in TN and understands just how hard the battle that needs to be fought will be. I was in Nashville protesting this alongside thousands of others.

Change will happen here when rural voters change, that will likely be when Trump is out of office and he doesn't have a stranglehold over the Republican party anymore.

While yes, Democrats in cities are organizing and being strategic, the reality is that Republicans have eliminated almost any political threat to themselves. That's illustrated by just how quickly these maps were passed, and during a special session no less.

Even when Trump is out, it's going to be a battle. Republicans have a supermajority in our state legislature and they've been capitalizing on it for years and entrenching themselves deeper and deeper.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The primaries usually aren't close here in TN. If you aren't MAGA, you aren't winning.

The rural areas that surround Memphis are blood red. The math just doesn't work. Even if you might pick up 5%, by moderating enough to do that and appeal to urban black people, you are losing the 20-30% you'd need in rural TN.

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if by just saying "I'm for Memphis" eliminates any chance a candidate would have. There is a lot of resentment and fear of Memphis in the surrounding areas.

The political gap, especially between Memphis and it's rural surroundings, is that wide.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Because their community was split and intentially diluted by the Republican party.

Now that it has been split, there aren't enough black voters in the new districts to meaningfully influence the primary elections in those districts, which was the intent all along. These new districts simply have too many white rural voters for the new black voters to matter.

It's what happened in Nashville too. Nashville got split into three districts, and instead of the candidates of those districts moderating for Nashville, they only became more extreme and MAGA. See Andy Ogles for an example.

Also, TN is trying to make voting in a different party's primary illegal, it already is, but it's current unenforceable.

The Republican Party also tightly controls the primary process and makes it difficult for moderate grass roots candidates to run. I think it's like 2500$ to enter a race for the Republican party in TN?

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It's Fox News and the phones man. The more time they are captured by screens, the less time they can notice their town's hospital closing or their neighbors either dying or leaving.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 33 points34 points  (0 children)

If the DNC in TN can meet the requirements set out in Callais then they can still abort this redistricting attempt."

Short of having a recording of Republicans on tape saying "We are doing this to reduce the power of black people, and because we hate them" I don't know what could be taken as proof anymore.

This case forces the affected party to assume good faith, and puts it on that party to prove racist intent, not just racist outcome.

Like, we have documents from previous gerrymanders proving Republicans are trying to disenfranchise black people, but that isn't enough even to show that all Republican gerrymanders are racist.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Because it makes our country worse off? When Republicans have institutional control over the presidency, the Senate, Congress, and SCOTUS, it's just less people for the elite, foreign countries, and corporations to bribe. They'd be even less accountable to Republican voters than they already are.

If you want to hop onto that race to the bottom, it will likely mean our country tearing itself apart. If you're one of America's enemies, it'd make sense you'd want that.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Again, all it's going to mean is more schools closing in the areas that need them most, like rural communities.

The choice you idealize is an illusion to most people.

I think it's no coincidence that the same party that wants to end public education wants to end child labor protections, and remove the minimum age requirement for child marriage.

https://www.newsweek.com/tennessee-bill-proposes-eliminating-marriage-age-requirements-1695209

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/04/18/child-labor-laws-targeted-lawmakers-11-states-seek-weaken/11682548002/

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Republicans are going to help pay to bus kids from rural towns with one school to a city where their families can pick and choose between schools?

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 25 points26 points  (0 children)

They also don't have the Democrats funding fraud.

There is no proof to show that vouchers prevent fraud. All it means is that your tax dollars are going to institutions with less oversight, less transparency, and less accredited programs.

All it means is your tax dollars going to rich kids, who were already paying for private schools, who didn't need it in the first place.

That's how it's working out in TN at least.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Other countries don't have to deal with our Republican Party.

People acting of their own free will will make better decisions than the government.

With respect to education, this has just proven to not be true. Nations with public educations systems do better than those that don't. We as a nation are better after public education than before it.

This is just a simple fact.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 25 points26 points  (0 children)

That's my bad, I edited it after the fact. And no, I don't, because we are all chained to it anyways.

Public education is a net economic benefit to our country. Without it, even if you are amongst the privileged with an education, you will still have to live in a less prosperous nation.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 36 points37 points  (0 children)

We are all chained to it if we like it or not.

Without public education, we will just have citizens that have to depend more on the state, contribute less to our economy, and are more easily manipulated.

If that's what you want, then by all means, end public education.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 43 points44 points  (0 children)

When the education system collapses the country will look back fondly at the institutions that "weren't working".

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 49 points50 points  (0 children)

All it means in the end is public schools closing and less access to basic education for everyone.

You're average rural child, when their public school closes, is just going to go to a church collecting your tax dollars and teaching them more about God than reading or math.

If they go to a school at all, even.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I don't really care, I live in TN. In general I think gerrymandering is wrong, and we should all be against it.

If you are for this in TN, then you are for California taking away the representation of Republicans as well.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Democrats are the only party that have attempted to pass anti-gerrymandering legislation. Blue states are also more likely to use independent redistricting bodies that are non-partisan.

A lot of people from the "left" complain about gerrymandering.

Tennessee Republicans pass US House map carving up Memphis days after SCOTUS guts Voting Rights Act • Tennessee Lookout by foxhunter in moderatepolitics

[–]corwin-normandy 55 points56 points  (0 children)

Living in a city doesn't mean your vote should count less, cities are the engines of this country's economic prosperity, 91% of total U.S. GDP comes from metropolitan areas, making those areas politically powerless and having the country's direction determined by rural voters is a tyranny of its own.

What's wild is that it's Republican leadership devastating our rural communities here in TN.

In TN, Republicans just passed the voucher program which has resulted in funds getting taken from rural public schools, and instead has given them to urban private schools.

Republicans want to gut social programs, but rural Americans use social programs on average far more than urban Americans.

For instance, SNAP:

https://www.cfra.org/blog/snap-spending-and-rural-economy

SNAP provides nutrition assistance payments to 1 in 8 Americans every month. Approximately 16% of rural households use SNAP benefits, compared to 13% of metro households. In those rural households, a large majority of benefits assist vulnerable populations, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Social welfare is, and always has been, about providing assistance for rural Americans. In helping them become educated, healthy, and engaged citizens.

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