A New Flood of Refugees

Michael Harris writes that Canadians should brace themselves for a new American Civil War;

Racist politicking in America is no longer travelling incognito. And the Republican is its political arm, failing to censure outright racist statements by its politicians while methodically working to return Jim Crow vote suppression to states where Black voters might deliver defeat to its candidates.

Canadians must keep a sharp eye on developments to our south both as a warning to root out any such impulses at home, and to steer clear of the social calamity brewing in the U.S.

At the moment, the battle centers around suppressing votes -- particularly the votes of people of colour:

[Republicans] claim to be fixing a problem. But it’s one that doesn’t exist. Their so-called electoral reforms have only one purpose: smothering the Black vote that usually goes to the Democrats. The party of Lincoln has become the party of Trump and disenfranchisement.

Georgia is a prime example. Biden won and flipped the state that hadn’t voted Democrat in 30 years. It was an election that was closely examined and found to be free and fair by the state’s own Republican election officials.

One-third of Georgia’s population is Black. Biden won because of a record turnout, winning 88 per cent of the Black vote. The Democrats won the Senate because 90 per cent of the Black vote went to candidates, and now senators, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. If all of Georgia’s restrictive voting legislation passes, and is not struck down by the courts, it is highly unlikely those results could be repeated.

Texas is following the example of Georgia. Republicans there have adopted draconian anti-voting measures, including a ban on drive-through and outdoor voting. There are also new restrictions on dropping off completed absentee ballots. And the Texas electoral officials who used to help people through the Byzantine registration system, the deputy-registrars, have been eliminated altogether.

It is the same story in Republican-held Iowa. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a bill that reduces the number of early voting days from 29 to 20 and closes polling stations an hour early on election day. Iowa officials are now banned from forwarding applications for absentee ballots unless a voter has first requested one. And unless that absentee vote is received before polls close on election day, it won’t be counted.

As reported by CNN, in 2021 alone, at least 243 bills have been put forward in 43 states that would have the effect of restricting voting. The stated reason is to protect the integrity of the voting system. Yes, and the fox circles the henhouse to guard the chickens.

If the Republicans succeed, things could get very bloody. And, as was the case during the Vietnam War, we could see a flood of American refugees.

Image: tripsavy.com