Last Throes

By Baxter

Remember the 2010 midterm elections? They were a Democratic debacle: Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, important Governorships, and a passel o' state legislatures.

Today, that Republican House is sagging under its lowest approval ratings in history, and the phrase "Worst Congress Ever" is being bandied about.

But there's one thing that the GOP is managing to get done. And it's scary: Voter suppression.

Since they rode to victory in 2010, Republicans in 34 state legislatures have introduced restrictive voter-ID legislation, and 12 states have passed laws that, in essence, aim to obstruct voting at every possible stage in the process. Three states — Kansas, Tennessee and Alabama — require proof of citizenship to vote. Taken your passport or birth certificate to your nearest polling place lately?

Florida and Texas have made it more difficult for citizen groups to register new voters. Florida and Ohio have compressed their early-voting schedules. Maine no longer allows same-day voter registration.

If you think this is all coincidence, think again. These are Republican efforts specifically designed to impede lower-income Americans of color — who largely vote Democratic — from exercising the right to cast a ballot, to have their voices heard.

Is it the last gasp of a dying party? We cats think so. Why else would they be trying to keep Americans from the polls?

Unless the Republicans substantially reinvent themselves — and stop relying on the hatemongering, obstructionism, racism and teabaggery that's characterized them for years now — they will soon become extinct as their white, male, anti-government base ages and dies.

But in the meantime, if we can't stop them, they'll do a lot of damage. We cats HISS.