Democrats' selective arguments against GOP voter laws
President Biden laid out the most comprehensive Democratic case against state-level Republican voting legislation yet during a speech in Philadelphia. He argued that these bills, like the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, flowed from conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. Only passing the Democrats' preferred election overhaul can rectify this, he claimed.
Then Biden went a little further. "We're facing the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War," he said. "That's not hyperbole, since the Civil War."
"It's not going to produce two more votes for a voting rights bill, but Biden planning to cast the next two elections politically as a critical defense against an authoritarian movement led by his immediate predecessor is kind of a big deal," tweeted NBC News' Benjy Sarlin.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What happened on Jan. 6 was inexcusable and former President Donald Trump's repeated baseless claims about the election have mainstreamed dubious opinions among Republican voters, who already had an exaggerated sense of voter fraud's prevalence. But there are illiberal trends evident across the political spectrum and it is not clear that framing debates over drive-through voting and third-party collection of absentee ballots as a clash between good and evil is actually positive for American democracy.
The Texas Democrats who are being celebrated for protesting a (hastily drafted) Republican voting law are also thwarting the will of the majority in their state and using a procedural maneuver to do so that would itself be described as a relic of Jim Crow if employed by a GOP minority for conservative ends. There is a selectivity to Democratic arguments about when the barest of majorities should prevail lest democracy die and when there might be something to the idea of a numerical minority retaining some leverage.
Democrats no less than Republicans are seeking to tweak voting laws to their advantage in close elections. And of late, even when they have won, they haven't done so by the margins that allowed them to pass the New Deal, the Great Society, and ObamaCare. They want to enact FDR-style change with Jimmy Carter-sized majorities, which is not how the U.S. system is designed to work.
That's not to say everything is copacetic on the right. But Republican kookiness is not best counteracted with Democratic cynicism.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, the former editor of The American Conservative, and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?.
-
Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent – 'striking' political photomontages
The Week Recommends Whitechapel Gallery retrospective showcases half-a-century of the British artist's 'powerful' political works
By The Week UK Published
-
Jay Rayner shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The journalist and food critic picks works by Nora Ephron, Fliss Freeborn and more
By The Week UK Published
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A large explosion, a protesting dog, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US Published
-
Who will win the 2024 presidential election?
In Depth Election year is here. Who are pollsters and experts predicting to win the White House?
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Harris, Biden campaign together at union rally
Speed Read The sitting president and Democratic presidential nominee joined forces in battleground state Pennsylvania
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What are the lessons from Ukraine's Russia incursion?
Talking Points And what do they mean for Putin's red lines?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
RFK Jr.'s Trump endorsement: GOP windfall or minor jolt?
Talking Points Some believe RFK Jr. abandoning his presidential bid could be game-changing — others aren't so sure
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
What did the Democratic National Convention signal about the future of the party?
Today's Big Question The three-day assembly was more than just a coronation for presidential nominee Kamala Harris — it was a statement about the where the Democratic party sees itself going next
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How will Kamala Harris' ban on grocery price gouging work?
Talking Points And can it bring down prices?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'Declines haven't happened in most places'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published