McConnell Declares ‘No Serious Barriers To Voting Anymore Anywhere In America’

UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 11: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks with reporters in his office in the U.S. Capitol on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) dismissed the efforts to restore the Voting Rights Act after it was gutted by 2013 Supreme Court decision.

“A lot of this in my view doesn’t have anything to do with anything other than their estimation of what would give them an electoral advantage,” McConnell told USA Today, suggesting the efforts were motivated by Democratic partisanship. “It’s not really about knocking down barriers. There are no serious barriers to voting anymore anywhere in America.”

The comments came as McConnell is promoting his memoir, “The Long Game,” in which, ironically, he praises the Voting Rights Act and the process by which it was passed. He attended the 1965 signing of the landmark civil rights legislation as a guest of Sen. John Sherman Cooper (R-KY).

“I was overwhelmed to witness such a moment in history, knowing that majorities in both parties voted for the bill,” McConnell writes in the book, according to USA Today.

Nevertheless, McConnell told USA Today that he agreed with the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. The ruling invalidated the formula in the law that determined which states, based on their history of racist election procedures, were required to get federal approval for any changes in voting regulations. Since the decision, there’s been a slew of restrictive voting laws passed by states previously covered by the provision, many of which are now being challenged in court.

“What was struck down were the provisions that absurdly treated the South differently,” McConnell told USA Today, in reference to the Shelby decision. “They don’t apply anymore. It’s 50 years later.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Right… Pull the other one, it’s got bells on it.

    (How stupid does he think we are anyway?!?)

  2. “There are no serious barriers to voting anymore anywhere in America…What [Shelby County v. Holder] struck down were the provisions that absurdly treated the South differently. They don’t apply anymore. It’s 50 years later.”

    Only Hindu deities have enough arms for all the face palms required…

  3. “No serious barriers to voting in America”

    A comforting thought if it were true.

  4. How many epithets would you like to go with that “How stupid does he think we are?”

  5. Post turtle McConnell, like his brethren GOP cons, couldn’t find the truth in a field full of truths in truth mating season.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

88 more replies

Participants

Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for alcaray Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for eggrollian Avatar for 59gibson Avatar for kunda311 Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for leeks Avatar for quax Avatar for jeffrey Avatar for darrtown Avatar for pshah Avatar for jinnj Avatar for meta Avatar for vladomatic Avatar for ljb860 Avatar for suffra_jett Avatar for tiowally Avatar for canyoncountry Avatar for cuwrs Avatar for ncgirl741 Avatar for yail_bloor Avatar for cybermindgrrl

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: