Now that the Democrats have recaptured a majority of the House, they're determined to restore humane values to that august body. For starters, they've introduced as their very first measure in the 116th Congress, a bill intended as a joint resolution with the Senate; it's been dubbed the For the People Act, otherwise known as House Resolution 1 (HR 1).
Among its provisions are the following:
---Purging of voter rolls is deemed illegal.
---It requires independent redistricting commissions, doing away with gerrymandering.
---Automatic voter registration becomes standard and universal.
Additionally, there are campaign spending limits, and a mandate requiring disclosure of campaign donors. Oh, not to be forgotten, Election Day would be declared a national holiday.
A solid House majority is widely expected to approve it. The Senate? Well, that's another kettle o' fish! Here's Senate Majority Commissar Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. (yep, that's really his name), at his disdainfully harrumphing best: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/us/politics/election-day-holiday-mcconnell.html
"One more federal holiday! Just what we need!" he huffed, referring to HR1 as a "Democrat power grab." A power grab? Is this the same Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr., who refused to even hold hearings for Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee? (It must be, unless he has an evil twin. Uh, never mind!). His excuse? Wellll, Obama's a lame-duck president. It's an election year and his last year in office. Of course he couldn't cite any sort of legal or constitutional prohibition, because there ain't any! He actually tried to cite historic precedents, but upon being challenged by an astute TV journalist, he pitched a hissy-fit. Behold the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg781xOBLT4
Kudos to Face the Nation's John Dickerson. Unless I'm wrong, Master Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. conveniently forgot that recently-retired Justice Anthony Kennedy was nominated by a lame-duck president named Ronald Reagan. Admittedly, one could get a li'l nit-picky over the fact that he chose Kennedy on November 11, 1987, a month-and-a-half prior to the election year. But he was sworn in on February 18, 1988.
It should be duly noted that the Democrats comprised a solid majority of the Senate that year: 55-45. Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd made no attempt --- none! --- to obstruct Senate hearings for President Reagan's nominee. In fact, the mostly Democratic Senate approved the Republican President's choice without a single nay! 97-zip!
So, let's talk power grabs! If Master McConnell's blatantly political monkey-shines --- the denial of Obama's nominee, followed by the ramrod tactics used to advance The Orange Caudillo's court picks --- weren't power grabs, then Mike Pence is a commie.
Back to HR 1, the For the People Act! Master Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. insists on calling it a "Democrat power grab." That's his opinion. He might be partially right. As far as I'm concerned, it's a democratIC power grab. (Note the lower-case "d.")
A very righteous one!
Update: On March 8th, HR 1, otherwise known as The For the People Act, sailed through the House 234-193. Every Democrat voted yea, Republicans uniformly gave it thumbs down.
But for now, that's as far as it goes. Even before the vote was cast, Dear Senate Majority Leader Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. has declared that he won't bring it to the floor for a vote. When asked why not, he harrumphed, "Because I get to decide what we vote on!" During a press conference two days prior to the House vote, he stated his reason for opposing the bill: "It's a bill designed to make it more likely for the Democrats to win more often." <gasp>
The good news? According to recent polls, Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr.'s approval rating amongst his Kentucky homies stands at an abysmal 30%. He's up for re-election in 2020. So maybe a strong, assertive Democrat can unseat him.
In the meantime, we're stuck with him. So there'll be NO electoral fairness, NO campaign finance reform, and NO end to gerrymandering. Why? Because Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. SAYS SO!
