Jackson and Civil Rights Advocates Condemn New Voting Laws

By Philip Bunnell

Rev. Jesse Jackson joined other civil rights advocates and lawmakers at the House Triangle in front of the Capitol this morning to decry new laws in some states that require voters to present government issued ID when coming to the polls.  Jackson and his fellow speakers called the laws “draconian” and said that they were meant to discourage minorities from voting.

 In a letter to Eric Holder, the Attorney General, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) warned that “about 1 million of [Texas’s] 13.5 million registered voters lack photo identification documentation and would be harmed by this proposal.”  Texas recently passed a law that requires voters to present identification. 

The advocates dismissed the laws’ purported purpose, to stop voter fraud, as a minor problem that forcing someone to present identification cannot stop.

Instead, the advocates attested, the laws throw barriers in front of voters who usually vote Democrat.  “In Texas for example,” Jackson said, “students cannot use a student ID but can use a gun registration ID.”

Jesse Jackson accused the proponents of the laws of instituting a new poll tax.  Voters without identification would have to purchase one.  Jackson pointed out that “we don’t mind ID, but ID may be a utility bill,” or some other form of documentation that does not cost money.

Democratic Candidate A No-Show At Obama Event

Roughly 3,500 people were on hand in Austin, Texas today for President Barack Obama’s speech on higher education and the economy, but the state’s Democratic candidate for Governor was not among them.

Bill White, the former Mayor of Houston and the man who will challenge incumbent Texas Governor Rick Perry this fall, opted to attend campaign events in other parts of the state rather than be seen on stage with the President. White, however, told reporters on Friday that his decision to not appear with Obama wasn’t that big of a deal.

“I really don’t think about stuff like that,” White said. “I don’t use national figures as surrogates for me. I tend to campaign for myself.”

At least one recent poll, however, shows that Obama’s approval ratings in Texas are lower than in most other states. Nearly 63% of Texas voters dissaprove of the job Obama is doing, according to a Rasmussen survey taken last month. Perry, who greeted the President when he arrived in Texas earlier in the day, put out a video this morning tying his opponent’s views and policies to Obama’s.

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) cautioned reporters after the speech to not rush to judgment on the meaning of White’s absence.

“[Bill White] has a great deal of respect for the President,” she said. “There is no divide as relates to the respect they have for each other.”

Before the speech, White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton dismissed the theory that White would like to distance himself politically from Obama.

“I don’t think [White’s decision] says anything broadly about the President’s coattails. I think it says that Bill White had something else going on today that he would rather do than campaign with the President,” he said.

“[President Obama] definitely does not take that as an insult,” Burton added.

White, who served as deputy Energy Secretary under President Clinton, trails Perry slightly, according to polls conducted last month.

Congressional Black Caucus Stands In Solidarity With Disaster-Struck Haiti

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus took to the House floor early Wednesday evening to voice support for Haiti a day after a massive earthquake wreaked destruction on the Caribbean nation.

“It’s unimaginable,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said, describing the 7.0 magnitude quake. “It rocks you in your soul.”

“We express our continued support of Haiti,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who chairs the caucus. “We stand in solidarity with Haitians and Haitian Americans who have lost loved ones.”

The chairwoman went on to thank rescue workers who have provided aid in search and rescue efforts.

While an official death toll has not been compiled, Haitian Senator Youri Latortue has told the Associated Press that fatalities could number 500,000. More conservative estimates hover around 100,000.

Auto Dealers Descend On D.C., Demand Right To Keep Dealerships Open

By Sam Wechsler - Talk Radio News Service

At a news conference on Tuesday, over 150 Chrysler and GM car dealership owners, whose lots have been or will soon be closed, expressed their support for the Automobile Dealer Economic Rights Restoration Act of 2009 (HR-2743).

Rep. Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.) last month introduced the bill, which aims to restore the rights and franchise agreements to General Motors and Chrysler car dealerships as they existed prior to each company’s bankruptcy. The bill is gaining momentum with over 240 co-sponsors in the House.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), who spoke at the news conference, vocalized her support for the bill by asking, “Who among us would stand against the restoration of the civil rights of working Americans?”

“[Chrysler and GM] could not tell me how shutting down any of these dealers saved them money,” added House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

According to Darcars of Rockville owner Tammy Darvish, almost 170,000 jobs will be lost as a direct result of these closings.

Prior to the companies’ bankruptcies, none of the dealerships represented at the news conference could have been terminated because they were compliant with all franchise requirements. Many of the dealerships were extremely profitable. Jim Tarbox, who owns dealerships in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, owned a Jeep dealership in the top five percent in sales volume nationally that was shut down due to personal gripes, he said.

In June, James Press, the CEO of Chrysler, stated that shutting down dealerships would save the company three billion dollars.

Lelica Callaremi, whose family has been with Chrysler and GM combined for 41 years, learned that her dealership terminated with no explanation given. She pleaded, “Mr. Henderson and Mr. Press [CEO’s of GM and Chrysler, respectively], how do you sleep at night?”