This week's top Political Cartoons cover racist mass shooting, Republican voter suppression and obstruction with the filibuster. Enjoy the cartoons individually, as a GIF or as a video.
Deepak
DemLabs
Voter suppression & gun violence - GIF
Republican obstruction - Video
Jim Crow voter suppression
Republican legislatures are hard at work making it harder for Blacks and the poor to vote. The restrictions are have been called Jim Crow 2.0 and cut early voting, ballot drop boxes and force harsh voter ID requirements. Cartoonists have picked up on the lame Republican excuse that it is for 'election security'. This racist attempt by Republicans to cling to power has also provoked widespread outrage against the corporations who fund these Republican lawmakers.
The new measure will impose new identification requirements on those who vote by mail, imperiling the 200,000 voters who don’t have a driver’s license or state ID number. It will also limit the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots, criminalize voting groups from giving those standing in line to vote food and water and shorten the period for runoff races.
In a statement, Rep. Nikema Williams (D), chair of the Georgia Democratic Party, called the measure the “most flagrantly racist, partisan power grab of elections in modern Georgia history. He and his fellow Republicans are insulting the memory of heroes like John Lewis who risked their lives for the right to vote, and disempowering the millions of Georgians who have exercised that sacred right as a result.” - HuffPo
"The Republicans said the quiet part out loud. When asked by Justice Barrett what the AZ GOP’s standing was to defend Arizona’s restrictive voting laws, the Republican counsel responded, “Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats. Politics is a zero-sum game.” - Democracy Docket
For The People Act (HR1)
The House advanced the historic “For the People Act” which strengthens democracy. It includes automatic voter registration, independent redistricting commissions to tackle gerrymandering, expanded absentee voting and much more. Read the bill here courtesy Democracy Docket.
Mass shootings surge while Republican block reform
Republicans led by Mitch McConnell block common sense gun safety measures. "When one of the country's first mass shootings occurred in his home state about 30 years ago, McConnell opposed an assault weapons ban embraced by his Democratic opponent. Instead, he partnered with the National Rifle Association, which has rewarded him with more than $1.2 million in contributions in his career, according to a database compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics." - Courier Journal
"The House this month passed two measures on nearly party-line votes designed to improve and bolster background checks. One, H.R. 8, would require background checks for all firearms sales, including at gun shows, and another, H.R. 1446, would prevent gun sales from proceeding if a background check isn’t completed within three days.
Biden on Tuesday said the Senate should act on both of the House bills, and should work on banning assault-style weapons and high capacity magazines. “This is not -- it should not be a partisan issue. This is an American issue.” - Bloomberg
Republicans block common sense gun safety measures (again)
"Manchin, together with Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey, led previous Senate efforts to expand background checks in 2013 following the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. That bill was blocked by a Republican-led filibuster. Manchin, however, has said he won’t support ending filibusters on legislation, although he has said he might support making it more difficult to employ." - Bloomberg
