What do the voting rights act of 1965 and the U.S. Census saying the white population will become a minority in 2045 have in common? They help in part to explain why many state governments are trying to limit access to voting. Prior to 1965, the South was called The Solid South because it voted reliably Democratic in all elections. The then-President Lyndon Johnson said that the South would be lost to the Democratic Party for at least a generation or more because of the voting rights act.
I know it’s a bit early for a history lesson, but it explains what’s currently going on politically in the Republican Party. The leaders of the party see that they’ll lose control if minorities are allowed to vote in large numbers. Instead of finding ways to bring minorities into the party, they point at the people over there who look different and who will change your life in ways you don’t want. They use this fear rather than finding policies attractive to the minorities. They know that the future will inevitably make the white population the minority in this country.
What I don’t understand is why they are looking at a short-term fix rather than long term one. We need two political parties to make this country prosper. This current short-term fix will end up hurting the Republican Party. The only thing that makes sense to me is that the leadership of the party is old. They understand the likelihood of them being around in 2045 is small, so why give a damn! I hope younger members of the party will see what’s going on and demand change. I am like the leadership of the Republican Party – the likelihood of me being around in 2045 at the age of 104 is dim. I hope the younger generation is smarter than mine.
