Rep John Lewis Calls Out Rep. Paul Broun

The GOP effort to suppress the vote is well underway, and Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) tried to offer an amendment Wednesday night that would strip the funding from the Department of Justice allocated for it to enforce Section V of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

What Broun didn't count on when he tried to pull this stunt was civil rights warrior and American hero Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) being in the room.  Rep Lewis then proceeded to call his azz out about it to the point where Broun's bigoted behind withdrew the amendment. 

Take notes liberal-progressives and Democrats.  This is how you confront a conservafool.



transcript courtesy of Think Progress.

It is hard, and difficult, and almost unbelievable that any Member — but especially a Member from the state of Georgia — would come and offer such amendment. There’s a long history in our country, especially in the 11 states that are old Confederacy — from Virginia to Texas — of discrimination based on race, on color. Maybe some of us need to study a little contemporary history dealing with the question of voting rights.

Just think, before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, it was almost impossible for many people in the state of Georgia, in the state of Alabama, in Virginia, in Texas, to register to vote, to participate in the democratic process. The state of Mississippi, for example, had a black voting age population of more than 450,000, and only about 16,000 were registered to vote. One county in Alabama, the county was more than 80 percent [black], and not a single registered African-American voter. People had to pass a so-called literacy test. . . . one man was asked to count the number of bubbles in a bar of soap. Another man was asked to count the number of jelly beans in a jar.

It’s shameful that you would come here tonight and say to the Department of Justice that you must not use one penny, one cent, one dime, one dollar, to carry out the mandate of Section Five of the Voting Rights Act.

. . . People died for the right to vote. Friends of mine. Colleagues of mine. I speak out against this amendment. It doesn’t have a place.

***

Note to conservafools and Tea Klux Klan, some of those tax dollars you rail about come from the hard work of African-Americans.   We damned sure want the DOJ properly funded to enforce Section V against your white supremacist and ALEC inspired thuggish vote suppression tactics. 

Thanks Rep. Lewis for reminding the nation and the Republifools why the Voting Rights Act is still necessary.