File this one over in “so transparently evil we can’t believe it’s real” but one of Donald Trump’s top campaign managers just outright admitted to relying on voter suppression Wisconsin. Really.
Justin Clark, a senior advisor and also senior counsel (meaning he’s a lawyer and – oh my god) spoke at a private meeting with the Wisconsin chapter of the National Lawyers Association on November 21 with top state and senate republicans in attendance. In audio obtained by the associated press Clark outright says:
Traditionally it’s always been Republicans suppressing votes in places…Let’s start protecting our voters. We know where they are. Let’s start playing offense a little bit. That’s what you’re going to see in 2020. It’s going to be a much bigger program, a much more aggressive program, a much better-funded program.
We know that keeping people – especially people of color and other marginalized groups – away from the polls is part of the Republican playbook. Mitch McConnell himself has admitted that it’s key to keeping the Republicans in power. When marginalized people are kept from the polls, conservatives win and that’s one of the biggest problems right now in our floundering Democracy.
Clark, of course, attempted to clarify these comments, telling the Associated Press “As should be clear from the context of my remarks, my point was that Republicans historically have been falsely accused of voter suppression.” This is of course patently untrue. He was clearly doing what McConnell has done and just coming out and stating the truth: Trump and his party don’t want people to vote.
The irony here, as with most crimes and sins Trump and the Republicans commit, is that they transparently attempt to deflect their own evil by accusing others of the same thing. The Republicans have cried for years about “voter fraud” and now use that as an excuse to “monitor” votes in key states: which amounts voter intimidation.
There are so many problems with the way Americans vote. Malfunctioning machines, long lines and the fact that elections are on a Tuesday when most people have work. But there are also simple solutions that make voting easier that more states need to adopt. I know this because I live in Oregon, which votes entirely by mail and automatically registers voters and we have some of the highest voter turnout in the nation – but that’s still not enough.
There are countries, like Australia where voting is compulsory which we probably need. Republicans, of course, would fight this and they have already stalled and shelved legislation that would help voters. A bill allowing Universal right to vote by mail has been stalled in Congress for nearly a decade.
This is just a hint of how dirty the Trump campaign is going to play in the next election. They’re not just soliciting foreign powers to interfere, they’re planning on suppressing votes themselves and no one should stand by and let them. So make sure you and everyone you know is registered and ready when the time to vote comes.
(Via: NBC News/Associated Press, Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
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