Republican Voter Suppression threatens our Democracy. But where did it all start?
By Ryan Powers
“I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people. They never have been... and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down,” explained Paul Weyrich to a crowd of fifteen thousand gathered at the Reunion Arena in Dallas for a seminal rally of politically-inclined Texas Baptists. The year was 1980. Paul Weyrich is widely recognized as the architect of the evangelical conservative movement as we know it today. He is the founder of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), but more importantly a co-founder of the Council for National Policy (CNP). Briefly, the CNP is the most powerful political organization you’ve probably never heard of. The CNP, a conservative organization mostly shrouded in secrecy, espouses fundamentalist policies of the Christian far-right. Born in 1981 of the realization by Weyrich and his associates that the conservatives have lost the culture war, the CNP was the umbrella organization designed to connect, as Weyrich would say, the “donors and the doers.” It’s primary purpose was to mobilize previously inactive voting blocs of Southern Baptist conservatives, who are principally motivated by their “traditional” values. With these voters in line, the movement could execute a takeover of the Republican Party in defense of the white-male dominated Protestant culture of the past - a culture in danger of extinction from American society.
At this point in my ramblings, you’re definitely wondering: Why is all of this important, and how does it relate to modern voter suppression? Simply put, we cannot begin to understand the forces at work behind the disaster of the 2020 Kentucky primaries just days ago, without understanding the history of such political tactics. Make no mistake - they stretch back decades. Weyrich and his associates got their start in the proving grounds of the post-Civil Rights Act 1960s, when the conservative movement first saw the writing on the wall: The culture war was here, and they were on the losing side. Fast forward twenty years and the CNP was born. The architects of the CNP not only looked upon progressivism with disdain, but also viewed conservatives themselves as no longer supporting a truly culturally conservative America. This movement virtually cast away the John McCain brand of conservatism, for they found the openness to compromise with moderate Republicans and even Democrats unacceptable. What came of these views and the workings of the CNP essentially amounted to a declaration of war on prevailing American culture. Paul Weyrich describes the essence of their movement in his manifesto, drafted in 2001: “Our movement will be entirely destructive, and entirely constructive. We will not try to reform the existing institutions, we only intend to weaken them … We will use guerilla tactics to undermine the legitimacy of the dominant regime … Most of all, we will contribute to a vague sense of uneasiness and dissatisfaction with existing society.” Shockingly undemocratic and with ruthless execution, their vision could be accomplished as such: First, create an atmosphere of “us-versus-them.” The feeling that one’s beliefs and way of life are under siege have proven, throughout human history, to be an exceptionally powerful motivator. Second, once they imbued conservative values-based voters with a fear of extinction, these voters would show up to the polls by the tens of thousands, thereby unlocking voting blocs never previously known or considered. They would continue to reinforce this fear through non-stop radio and television broadcasting, and even by co-opting pastors to share the message in church. By winning elections consistently, they could control redistricting and judiciary appointments. But even perfectly executed, these two steps left one glaring vulnerability: the tide of changing demographics. A key tenet of this movement is to suppress the vote of any opposing citizen to the extent possible. Enter the electoral college, partisan gerrymandering, restrictive voter ID laws, and intimidation. Unfortunately for democracy, Paul Weyrich’s vision enjoyed remarkable success. It continues unabated to this day. Think Paul and his merry band of fascists are on the fringe? Think again. Let’s play a quick game. What is the common bond on this list: Mike Pence, Steven Bannon, Betsy DeVos, Kellyanne Conway, Jay Sekulow, The Federalist Society. (Long pause while you think.) Yes, you guessed it. Every individual is a member of the CNP, as is the leadership of the Federalist Society who, as we all know, is overhauling our federal judiciary as we speak. This movement is running our government right now, so let this serve as your wake up call.
The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 created the need for more subtle voter suppression tactics if the far-right was to continue their assault. The core of why modern conservatives rely on voter suppression is simple: their agenda, if fully enacted, would essentially resemble a plutocratic theocracy. A government where wealthy and generally well-off individuals are taken care of, with Christian ideology woven into policy decisions at every level. To literally no one’s surprise, this ideology is incredibly unpopular. Well-functioning democracy and majority rule would ensure the extinction of the Republican party within an election cycle or two. To solve this inconvenient reality, onerous voter ID laws, gerrymandering, strategic restriction of polling precincts, and voter roll purges are just a few of the tricks. Most often, these actions are put in place under the guise of “preventing voter fraud.” However, the statistics of actual fraud instances are negligible if not nonexistent.
At this point, I’ve realized this blog post is in danger of morphing into a research paper. Maybe we’ll make this a series on voter suppression? In any case, I will leave you with resources for learning more about this important topic, as well as what you can do to fight back during the 2020 election cycle. Below are some articles that outline the topic very well, but I have to highlight Anne Nelson’s book Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right. The book is truly eye-opening and was a major inspiration for this article.
That’s all! Pick a Senate race. Tell your family and friends to get involved.
Keep fighting the good fight.
Resources:
Brookings Institution, “How to combat online voter suppression”
https://www.brookings.edu/techstream/how-to-combat-online-voter-suppression/
ACLU, “Block the Vote: Voter Suppression in 2020”
https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/block-the-vote-voter-suppression-in-2020/
Anne Nelson - Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right
Vote Save America - Adopt a State! https://votesaveamerica.com/
You can phone bank for the race of your choice - right from your own home.