John Conyers On The 40th Anniversary Of The Voting Rights Act

August 6 is also the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Here's a bit from Representative John Conyers to mark the occasion:

Today is the 40th Anniversary of the landmark Voting Rights Act, which was signed by LBJ on this date in 1965. This was one of the first major pieces of legislation I was involved with as a freshman Member of the House Judiciary Committee. While its importance cannot be understated, there is no doubt that much, much more remains to be done so that all Americans' voting rights are respected. My most recent public comments on the perilous state of voting rights in this nation were captured in a forum hosted by Harpers Magazine that I participated in on July 21. The audio feed can be accessed through the media clips associated with this blog.

A number of op-eds noted the anniversary. I read with particular interest Bob Dole's entry in the Washington Post, entitled "Grand Old Legacy" (registration required). Senator Dole makes an effort to highlight the important role Republicans played in the passage and reauthorization of the Act. While this is true, we should be careful not to sugarcoat matters, as my friend Senator Dole does in my judgment. For example, in 1982, many members of the GOP were our allies in extending the law (including current Judiciary Chairman Sensenbrenner), however my recollection is that Senator Dole and President Reagan required considerable prodding to support and sign this legislation, which is not at all apparent from reading the op-ed.

Senator Dole also notes that "while unlawful discrimination persists in America, shame now attaches to those who engage in it and are exposed. Most Americans believe that racial discrimination is wrong and should be punished. " I'd like to believe that Republicans like Senator Dole really believe this, but if that were the case, wouldn't some Republican have spoken out when Georgia recently passed a law requiring photo ID's to vote, even though we know this will have a discriminatory impact on African Americans? I complained about this more than three months ago, and wrote to the Justice Department asking if they agreed it violated the Voting Rights Act, but as of yet, we have not received a response. Also, where were the courageous Republicans to complain about the recent Mississippi and Texas redistricting cases, where districts were clearly drawn to disenfranchise Blacks, and the political heavies at the Department reportedly overruled career staff in accepting these discriminatory plans? Finally, Senator Dole neglects to mention that he was the lead sponsor of the infamous Dole-Canady bill, introduced and pushed in the mid and late 90's, which would have ended affirmative action as we know it -- even the type of outreach which has worked so sucessfully in our military. So, it will take more than a few words by RNC Chair Ken Mehlman or some rhetoric about the importance of the Voting Rights Act to erase the racist legacy of Nixon's Southern Strategy, Bush Sr.'s Willie Horton ads, and his son's demagoguery at Bob Jones University.