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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump says Republicans would 'never' be elected again if it was easier to vote
Trump says Republicans would never be elected again if it was easier to vote
President dismissed Democratic-led push for voter reforms amid coronavirus pandemic during Fox & Friends appearance
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/30/trump-republican-party-voting-reform-coronavirus?
Donald Trump admitted on Monday that making it easier to vote in America would hurt the Republican party.
The president made the comments as he dismissed a Democratic-led push for reforms such as vote-by-mail, same-day registration and early voting as states seek to safely run elections amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Democrats had proposed the measures as part of the coronavirus stimulus. They ultimately were not included in the $2.2tn final package, which included only $400m to states to help them run elections.
The things they had in there were crazy. They had things, levels of voting that if youd ever agreed to it, youd never have a Republican elected in this country again, Trump said during an appearance on Fox & Friends. They had things in there about election days and what you do and all sorts of clawbacks. They had things that were just totally crazy and had nothing to do with workers that lost their jobs and companies that we have to save.
Democrats often accuse Republicans of deliberately making it hard to vote in order to keep minorities, immigrants, young people and other groups from the polls. And Republicans often say they oppose voting reforms because of concerns of voter fraud which is extremely rare or concerns over having the federal government run elections. But Trumps remarks reveal how at least some Republicans have long understood voting barriers to be a necessary part of their political self-preservation.
I dont want everybody to vote, Paul Weyrich, an influential conservative activist, said in 1980. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.
Trumps Monday comments showed he saw voter suppression as part of his re-election strategy, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) said in a statement Monday. Ensuring that Americans can vote during the Covid-19 crisis is fundamental to maintaining our democracy. It is shocking that Trump is essentially admitting that when the American people vote, Republican lose, said Xochitl Hinojosa, a DNC spokeswoman. Trump knows that suppressing the vote is the only way he and Republicans win in November.
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CaliforniaPeggy
(149,625 posts)Republicans don't know how to govern.
But they do know how to suppress the vote, or gerrymander their districts, or LIE. These are just some of the ways they cheat so that they can stay in power.
Dirty bastards.
duforsure
(11,885 posts)They're compromised by Putin so much they have to delay and interfere with this virus response for Putin. If that was exposed should they be charged with treason?
raging moderate
(4,305 posts)Our political parties have changed many times during history. Adapt, and live. And stop letting racists in. Thaddeus Stevens must be spinning in his grave.
mmbrevo
(123 posts)The POtuS tells the truth.