Nathan Newman:
> There are active legislative campaigns and litigation against felon
> disenfranchisement (including at my policy shop), many of which are
making
> real advances.
> Under Clinton, naturalization procedures were speeded up, while they have
> slowed to a crawl under Bush, so there are demonstrable differences from
> party control in immigration naturalization.
-Nathan, while I agree with most of what you are posting to this list, I -think this one is a flop. Let's be real - who gives a shit about criminals -and immigrants? These are not the issue that are likely to impress public -imagination.
Depends on which public. Being pro-immigrant is very popular in the expanding immigrant population in the country. It may be a short-term vote loser but it's a long term vote winner and the children of immigrants, who were denied the vote, automatically gain citizenship and are mobilized. That is happening every day as we speak. It's also a matter of justice that attracts many people who recognize the injustice of long-term disenfranchisement of the population. I admit that it's a volatile issue but it's one worth fighting for where the short-term costs are lower than the long-term gains.
As for felon disenfranchisement, there is a large part of the population that believes in "paying for debt to society" and redemption. That is what most of these campagins play on and has been successful in many surprising areas. It's tough but a doable argument.
-Electoral college, otoh, is anti-democratic on its face and can be addressed -as an integument of "real" democracy, popular will, vox populi and kindred -catch phrases that form the core of the US belief system. All I am saying is -that championing the rights of these groups -to advance democratic reforms in this country does not look like a winning -strategy. It looks more like a retreat from more ambitious goals.
I'm not a big fan of the electoral college but the reality is that the results there have rarely diverged much from the popular vote-- 2000 was an unusual example -- and even when there is a divergence, it's far less significant than the voting outrates of other voting rights issues. Gerrymandering is a far greater evil than the electoral college. It de facto makes 97% of Congressional races a foregone conclusion, making our Congressional votes a joke. Instituting proportional representation for Congress or even a simple reform of requiring independent commissions to draw up Congressional boundaries -- as is done in Iowa -- would make far more difference in improving our political life.
Nathan Newman
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