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PERSPECTIVE:
All across the south, the mayors of the majority of major cities, many midsize cities, and quite a few large towns are black or female. Some are hispanic. That is a demographic reality that has conservative republicans across the south terrified.
All across the south, the mayors of the majority of major cities, many midsize cities, and quite a few large towns are black or female. Some are hispanic. That is a demographic reality that has conservative republicans across the south terrified.
While southern cities and towns are shifting to become political power centers comprised of and represented by minorities and women, the majority of the black population in the United States still lives in the south. much of that population is in rural areas.
Add to that the ever increasing numbers and influence of hispanics and it becomes clear that white conservative dominion and grip on power in the south is tenuous and temporary at best. But even with that in mind, it's worth remembering that they cling to power in state capitals.
Therefore, their fight for survival as the dominant political power group isn't in 2040 or 2050, it's now. That's why it's been so important for republicans to first attempt to eliminate the census and, when that didn't work out, they attempted to jerry rig it through the courts.
If they could have wrecked the census data or at least obscure it, it would screw up the basis for population distribution, reapportionment, and congressional redistricting. That's why they have gone after redistricting maps hammer and tongs for the past 10 -20 years.
And even as their power slips in state capitals, they hold on anxiously knowing that redistricting is still in their hands. Even if they started losing state majorities it would take years of work and court battles to unfurl the mess that they created to keep themselves in power.
That's why they have shamelessly and publicly engage in corruption, voter suppression, election fraud and election theft. People like Brian Kemp want to be seen as fighting on behalf of the diminishing conservative power base even if his actions are overtly illegal.
That's why voting maps and congressional districts have been balkanized to create regionalized reservations of voters with diminished influence for their opposition, while creating wide spread bizarrely devised congressional representation regions, as well as
disparately assembled regions for electoral college elector selection.
And that's why they have insisted on implementing shameful, evil, cruel and even deadly anti-immigration policies and practices while desperately resisting the notion of citizenship for immigrants.
And that's why they have insisted on implementing shameful, evil, cruel and even deadly anti-immigration policies and practices while desperately resisting the notion of citizenship for immigrants.
They have done almost everything humanly possible to deny the personhood, citizenship and suffrage to anyone outside of white, evangelical conservative Christian demography.
Personhood, citizenship and suffrage mean the right to vote. that is the fundamental basis of power.
Personhood, citizenship and suffrage mean the right to vote. that is the fundamental basis of power.
It seems, therefore, the dignity and respect accorded with those rights must be denied at all costs according to their apparent rationale. Otherwise, why engage in any of the tactics above?
They know that if their schemes are not already in place and in force at the moment the tipping point of the demographic majority change occurs, there will be no hope of implementing it later and regaining power.
Winning is never about governing, it's only about power, domination and survival. It's almost as if they - without any real basis - have the idea that the new demography will be as cruel, mean, oppressive and unrelenting to them as they have ben to others throughout history.
And maybe that is why conservatism claims the mantle of victimology and social resentment even though they've never been victims and the only real resentment is theirs.
One thing is for certain: Just like now is the time for them to assert their power or forever lose domination, now is the time for the ascendancy to take the opportunity seriously to vote, assert our rights and claim the political and moral authority to which we're entitled.
Otherwise, if we mist the opportunity they will ensure that there will be many more decades of fighting and resistance as then cling to power as a ruling minority.
After all, even if they lose executive and legislative power, they will still have judicial influence for decades to come that will continue to make the new demography's ascendance fraught and difficult.
We have to make the most of the moment. We cannot afford to waste it or deny it for our children and grandchildren. We have to vote like never before, America. Vote like our lives and futures depend on it, because they do.
