The super hypocritical thing about all this push to legalize obstructions to voting and the practice of gerrymandering is that these very obstructionists are the hardest flag wavers in the country.
One person one vote is held as the ultimate symbol of all that is American; except, it would seem, if the flag wavers are panicked about losing an election.
These flag wavers would boast that the United States is the fairest most honest country on the planet, that all the world should follow our voting practices, that corrupted voting abroad is a bastardization of democracy. They would say with great pride that here in the United States we are staunch champions of the fair fight; that we hate filthy cheaters; that we despise athletes that cheat with performance enhancing drugs. We even pee test horses after races to make sure the races are fair and free of artificial advantages. Cheating is seen as a shameful weakness, a character flaw and those who practice it should be shunned. A fixed prize fight or (God forbid) point shaving in a football game is a disgrace, it’s simply unAmerican. These flag wavers would tell you that America is the Poster Child for the level playing field . . . . except, it would seem, if they are panicked about losing an election.
Our wildly flag waving Tea Party was founded on the bumper sticker “no taxation without representation”. Where are the Tea Party folks now that this most sacred of American rights is under attack? Quiet as a thief in the night. Would they argue that there is a category of Americans who can be taxed but who don’t merit representation? If there’s an election at stake in America is the catchy slogan suspended, does the end justify the means for an inauguration?
Maeve Reston of the Los Angeles Times talked to donors on their way to one of Romney’s several fundraisers in the Hamptons.
“A New York City donor a few cars back, who also would not give her name, said Romney needed to do a better job connecting. “I don’t think the common person is getting it,” she said from the passenger seat of a Range Rover stamped with East Hampton beach permits. “Nobody understands why Obama is hurting them.” We’ve got the message,” she added. “But my college kid, the baby sitters, the nails ladies – everybody who’s got the right to vote – they don’t understand what’s going on. I just think if you’re lower income – one, you’re not as educated, two, they don’t understand how it works, they don’t understand how the systems work, they don’t understand the impact.”
So waving the flag while wagging the tongue . . . . that pesky common person vote, it makes maintaining power much more of an effort than it should be for her people; the people who know best.
Power to the People
Port Tack 
First of all, as one of “the brothers who isn’t into this political shit at all”, here’s my daily reading list on the net: cnn, the daily beast, political wire, huffington post, politico, and craig crawford. I also watch cnn, rachel maddow, and chris matthews a few nights a week. The things we don’t know about each other…..
Your blog name is terrific – Port Tack – so nautical, so meaningful.
Very nice piece on the hypocrisy of the far right. Great final comments in the newspaper article. You make some excellent analogies about leveling the playing field, but I would have liked to see a little more tying together of the devious legal tactics that obstructionists are using and how it impacts the ability of Deomcratic-leaning poor voters to actually place a ballot, i.e, un-levels the playing field.
Great first start. Keep it up. You’ve been a shit disturber at heart ever since the pledge of allegiance thing at Woodside elementary. Give ’em hell, Pea Face.
Go Sister! Humans in this world need committed and informed engagement, thanks for stepping up and sharing.
Nice look at a damaging and misinformed substructure of gerrymandering; a practice born of manipulation that statewide, still receives more support than not. Taking the the task of redistricting out of the hands of state legislature and those with the ruling political power by assigning a non-partisan committee to do the job is the best alternative I can think of at the moment. It’s not a problem-free solution; but, when it comes down to representing the diverse needs of all people, it’s getting closer to honest and fair practice, inextricable for reaching the goal of “justice for all.” As a kid growing up saying the “Pledge of Allegiance” everyday, I learned what it meant to belong to a country, and I always had a good feeling that we were pledged to be kind and caring of others; there was a feeling of security in that. Of course, the honorable qualities of fairness and justness are not easy to come by if fear and hate run our lives. Freedom cannot breathe in that sort environment. However, an obvious task for those devoted to the idea of fair play is to attempt to unravel the complexities of injustice in a hostile and selfish political environment. To me, that ultimately means changing the fundamental values of peoples hearts and minds…if we want real change, if we want solidarity for justice. How is that done? Putting bills for fair practice on voter’s ballots has been the most most viable way so far. But, what other alternatives can be found in the light of gerrymandering?
The manipulations of the voting system underway this year again highlight that our legal system needs to distinguish between the rights of an individual citizen and the rights of a corporation.