Another Donald Trump disaster
As Ukraine battles Putin’s attack on its democracy for a third week, Democrats fight for democracy within the United States, battling ongoing Republican attacks on provisions specifically outlined in our Constitution: The Post Office, voting rights, and the Census.
Democrats just won a crucial battle for the U.S. Postal Service reversing destructive GOP legislation requiring pre-funding of employee benefits. However, our efforts to remove corrupt Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is currently under investigation for felony campaign finance crimes, remains stalled as Biden’s board replacements await approval in a Senate committee.
The 15th Amendment ratified in 1870 expanded the right to vote beyond white male landowners. “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude,” and “The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” Yet, Republicans in Congress refuse to restore the protections under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 gutted by the Supreme Court in 2013.
And now, a Census Bureau post-enumeration survey confirms that Republican tampering with the 2020 Census resulted in a substantial undercount. Even as the 2020 count was hampered by the pandemic, hurricanes, and wildfires, the Trump administration and Wilbur Ross made the census more difficult for our largest minority group to participate. The undercount in the 2020 Census for Hispanics almost tripled, and those who identify as “some other race” more than doubled compared to the 2010 Census.
The consequences may give Republicans the ability to gerrymander more seats in Congress and get more federal funding in red states. The National Urban League called the results a tragedy and warned that any options including litigation are on the table. Analysts suggest exploring new methods to improve accuracy, and to rehabilitate the image of the Census among Hispanics.
A 246-year-old democracy shouldn’t be this easy to destroy, nor should it be this difficult to defend. We must vote Republicans out in the 2022 Midterms.
Chicago native Lorraine Evanoff earned her degree in French from DePaul University then became a Certified Financial Manager. She worked as a finance exec in film production for seven years in Paris, then in Silicon Valley during the dot-com era, and later for various Hollywood production companies, notably as CFO of National Lampoon. She is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband.