Democratic Party of Georgia

Help Move Georgia Forward

DPG Statement on Jeb Bush’s Voting Rights Act Comments

Release:  Friday, October 9, 2015   

                                                                                     

 

Democratic Party of Georgia Statement on Jeb Bush’s Voting Rights Act Comments

 

 

Atlanta, GA – Today, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement in response to Jeb Bush’s comments on ballot access in Georgia.

 

“Next time, Jeb Bush should brush up on the state of voter access in Georgia before he opens his mouth. Coming from a governor whose state purged thousands of eligible voters, Jeb Bush is the last person anybody should be taking advice from on voting rights.

 

“Here are the facts in Georgia: A combination of Republican malfeasance and ineptitude in the legislature and the Secretary of State’s office continue to jeopardize ballot access for Georgia’s voters. Under Secretary of State Brian Kemp, we’ve seen our elections system basically drown in dysfunction. Republicans wasted taxpayer money and resources on a fruitless three year witch-hunt of the Quitman 12—accomplishing nothing more than the harassment of people of color. They found nothing.

 

“It seems that every week, we hear of another county pushing for the consolidation of precincts, adversely impacting the elderly, people of color, and those struggling to make ends meet.

 

“Recently, one of Kemp’s senior elections officials illegally purged thousands and thousands of Georgians from the voter rolls.
“And let’s not forget that—in response to a historic move to hold Sunday voting—Sen. Fran Millar, John Kasich’s man in Georgia, called expanded access to voting a ‘loophole’ and made reprehensible remarks about the Georgians who would benefit from expanded early voting opportunities.

 

“This is the first presidential election cycle we’ve had without preclearance, and the need for the strengthening of the Voting Rights Act is greater than ever. Thankfully Georgia Democrats are at the forefront of the fight to restore the VRA. But instead of expanding ballot access and making it easier to vote, Brian Kemp seems to prefer palling around with Republican presidential candidates and making a name for himself with the SEC primary. To have Jeb Bush make such dismissive remarks about Georgians’ right to vote is severely misguided and downright foolish.

 

“Georgia Democrats will continue to fight against the GOP’s voter suppression tactics, and fight even harder to ensure every eligible citizen is able to register, every registered voter is able to vote, and every vote is accurately counted.”

 

 

###

 

 

 

Background

 

TIME – Exclusive: Jeb Bush Explains Why He Opposes Voting Rights Act Provision

 

“They want to reauthorize the Article 5 portion of this, and it’s time to move on,” Bush said. “Look, in—I think Georgia is the example that people use, African-American turn-out is higher than it is amongst white voters. There’s early voting, there’s all sorts of access. Percentage of vote is higher.”

“There is a point to say that whatever was done to create that environment, we should hail it as a success, and assume that states have the capability to do what’s right,” Bush added.

…Bush said he was unfamiliar with the ongoing controversy in Alabama, in which the state is closing driver’s license centers in many poor and minority communities due to budget cuts. The state’s voter identification law requires that voters posses identification to vote. Combined, critics argue, it is an effort to depress minority turnout in the state. Bush said he thought the current law allowed officials enough authority to investigate the claims.

“I don’t know the case of Alabama,” Bush told TIME. “Typically when you close DMVs it’s because of budget considerations. I can’t comment on that. But the existing law allows for some ability to inquire about that and look into it.”

 

Think Progress [9-9-14]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Tuesday that Georgia state Senator Fran Millar (R) penned an angry response to DeKalb County’s announcement that early voting will be available on Sunday, October 26, and that an early-voting location will be opened at The Gallery at South DeKalb Mall. Millar represents part of the county and is Senior Deputy Whip for the Georgia Senate Republicans.

Millar wrote:

Now we are to have Sunday voting at South DeKalb Mall just prior to the election. Per Jim Galloway of the AJC, this location is dominated by African American shoppers and it is near several large African American mega churches such as New Birth Missionary Baptist.

…UPDATE 

On his Facebook page Tuesday, Millar stood by his comments, writing: “I would prefer more educated voters than a greater increase in the number of voters.

 

Huffington Post [6-25-15] – Florida Voter Purge Fiasco May Complicate Jeb Bush’s Appeal To Minorities

 

As the 2016 campaign heats up, an episode from his tenure as Florida governor reveals why Bush’s image as a “uniter, not a divider,” as his older brother used to put it, may not stand up. The state’s deeply flawed purge of felons from its voting rolls in advance of the 2000 presidential election remains a scar that still has not healed for many in the state.

…Since Florida did not track its voters by Social Security number, the company was instructed to engage in a subjective process that attempted to match felon names and dates of birth with voter records, allowing for “near matches” that were close, but not exact.

After Jeb Bush took office in 1999, this process continued. In the months leading up to the 2000 presidential election, local election supervisors began receiving lists from state officials of people DBT had identified as convicted felons and thus needed to be eliminated from the voting rolls.

It became immediately clear that the effort was generating a slew of false positives. Voters in good standing, who happened to share names with convicted felons, but had never been in trouble with the law, were being taken off the voting rolls.

 

 

11 Alive [4-3-15]

 

Kemp said Friday that the resignation was due to 7,690 voters being moved from inactive to cancelled status within 90 days of an election. The change, which occurred in February 2014 under Ford’s supervision, happened six days after more than 312,000 Georgia voters were changed from inactive to cancelled during a standard update process required by law.

 

 

About Jeb’s announcement…

Jeb Bush just announced the official launch of his bid for the White House. Today, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair DuBose Porter issued the following statement outlining exactly why Jeb is wrong for Georgia.

 

“With the Obama Administration, we’ve made great strides as a nation. And we’ve come too far to undo that progress by even considering sending another Bush to the White House. Jeb Bush has a lengthy record of looking out for himself while leaving everyday Americans behind in the dust.

 

“To this day, Jeb Bush endorses policies that slash funding for early childhood education, temporary assistance for those in need, and Social Security and Medicaid.  To make matters worse, Jeb opposes policies that lift families up by raising the minimum wage, making college more affordable, and expanding access to quality affordable health care.

 

“Whoever emerges as our presidential nominee, Democrats are determined to build on the gains we’ve made and promote policies that grow our middle class.”

 

 

Also today, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz issued the following statement:

 

“Jeb Bush’s announcement later today that he’ll seek the Republican 2016 nomination is good news if you happen to be Jeb Bush or someone like him. Throughout his career, Jeb Bush has consistently put what is best for himself and those at the top above the priorities of working Americans.

 

“As governor of Florida, Jeb Bush slashed taxes by billions, largely benefitting the wealthy and corporations. Since leaving public office more than eight years ago, Bush has leveraged his family name to reap profits for himself, immersing himself in problematic corporate business deals and cashing in on Wall Street while Americans were hit by the financial crisis.

 

“We already know what to expect from a Bush Presidency, because we’ve seen it before. Jeb Bush supported his brother’s disastrous economic and foreign policies that made us weaker at home and abroad. He supported his brother’s plan to privatize Social Security and endorsed a budget that would end Medicare as we know it.

 

“But what makes the specter of a Jeb Bush presidency even more unpalatable is his belief in his own superiority and infallibility – in my 22 years in elected office I have never worked with someone who is as inflexible, uncompromising, and willing to do whatever it takes to get their way as Jeb Bush. These are not the qualities Americans need in their president if we are going to work together to get things done.

 

“On issue after issue, Jeb Bush’s indifference toward the concerns of the middle class, women, students, immigrants, seniors and the LGBT community shows he is as out of step with the American people as every other candidate in the Republican field.”

 

###

 

 

ICYMI

 

Seven Things You Need to Know About Jeb Bush

  1. As governor of Florida, Bush enacted a tax policy that gave massive breaks to the wealthyand corporations over middle class Floridians.
  2. Bush spent recent years cashing in on Wall Street and creating multi-million dollar funds in offshore tax havensas Americans were hit by the financial crisis.
  3. Bush fully supported his brother’s plan to privatize Social Securityand endorses a budget that would end Medicare as we know it.
  4. Bush wants to end the president’s executive action that keeps families together, and when asked about how to tackle undocumented immigrants, he simply said, “start deporting people.”
  1. Bush opposes a woman’s right to choose and cut funding for women’s health clinics, including Planned Parenthood.
  1. Jeb Bush believesthere is no constitutional right to same-sex marriage and said that “homosexuality is wrong” and compared LGBT Americans to drug dealers, bank robbers, pedophiles, and drunk drivers.
  2. Also, he’s an author.

 

 

Jeb Bush Once Cut Funding to His Campaign Launch Site

TIME // ZEKE MILLER

Jeb Bush is expected to trumpet his conservative credentials as the former governor of Florida Monday when he announces his presidential bid. But one casualty of his cost-conscious ways was the very school he selected to use as his announcement site.

 

A 2002 state constitutional amendment to limit class sizes in K-12 education, which Bush opposed, created a budget shortfall. The governor, who opposed new tax hikes, begrudgingly turned to colleges to fill the gap. Bush proposed cutting $111 million from the budgets of universities and community colleges, of which $10.3 million would have affected Miami Dade College, where Bush will launch his presidential bid.

 

College President Eduardo Padron emailed Bush when his budget was proposed, saying he was “disturbed and disappointed” by the proposed cuts. “We all understand the need for reductions in times of fiscal crisis; what’s beyond logical comprehension, however, are the huge inequities that are inherent in this budget proposal,” he wrote, arguing the college was bearing a disproportionate burden of cuts. “Our students are among the most needy in the state and cannot continue to bear the burden of the costs of education.”

 

Bush replied that he was working on a solution. “I know you are upset,” he said by email. “We are doing our best under difficult circumstances and will work with the legislature to identify ways that we can improve the situation.”

 

Bush ultimately signed a budget that cut $11 million from community colleges’ budgets, forcing them to turn away about 35,000 students looking to enroll, including 9,500 would-be Miami Dade College students.

 

By 2004, Bush was able to fully fund community colleges, earning plaudits from state educators.

 

 

Meet Jeb Bush

MeetJeb

 

Why on Earth Are Republicans Proud of Climate Science Denial?

This Earth Day, two things are clear—manmade climate change is very real, and the GOP presidential hopefuls are in denial about it.

 

Here’s where the 2016ers stand on climate change science:

 

 

DPG Chairman DuBose Porter issued the following statement –

 

“Earth Day is an opportunity for us to look around and appreciate the natural beauty we’ve been blessed with. This day should remind us to do everything possible to protect our state’s precious natural resources.

 

“Unfortunately, climate change really does present an imminent threat to our planet. Yet, most Republicans would rather bury their heads in the sand than acknowledge facts. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that warming trends are likely manmade—these are the experts on the subject. But Republicans would rather maintain denial on the matter that, in my opinion, is only motivated by political expediency.

 

“President Obama said it best—‘We only get one planet.’ Well, we only get one Georgia. We can choose to protect our marshlands in the south, the mountains in the north, and the rivers and streams that join them throughout our state. We can also seek new ways to develop sustainable energy. Or we can continue with the GOP plan to poison and pollute our precious land and people without any regulation just for short-term profit’s sake.

 

“For Earth’s sake, let’s choose the path that protects the land we’ve been entrusted with.”

 

Jeb Bush Just Doesn’t Get It When It Comes to Georgia’s Working Families

Today, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will flit through Atlanta to hold two high-dollar fundraisers. Bush—who has announced that he is “considering exploring” a presidential run for 2016—is also set to visit with leaders at the Georgia State Capitol this morning.

 

While in South Carolina just a few days ago, Jeb Bush was asked if raising the minimum wage was a good idea. Here’s his answer:

 

“We need to leave it to the private sector… This is one of those poll-driven deals… I’m sure it’s a great soundbite.”

 

Democratic Party of Georgia spokesperson Michael Smith issued the following statement in response to Bush’s out-of-touch comments:

 

“Jeb Bush is certainly making his mark this week.  After belittling the hardships that working families across the South face by dismissing the idea of increasing the minimum wage as a ‘nice soundbite,’ he’s spending the day rubbing shoulders and raising money with well-heeled Republican legislators and donors.

 

“If Bush really wants to connect with Georgia voters, maybe he should spend less time hobnobbing at fundraisers and spend some time talking to the hardworking Georgians who make the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour—considering that the Republican-controlled state legislature has refused to act. Too many Georgia families are struggling to simply put food on the table and pay their bills after a hard day’s work. Maybe then Bush would recognize the need for such commonsense measures—measures that would truly give Georgia’s working families the opportunity to prosper.”

 

Bush’s position on the minimum wage is to the right of Mitt Romney. During the 2012 GOP presidential primary, Romney—who stated that corporations are people—indicated his support for raising the wage, saying “My view has been to allow the minimum wage to rise with the CPI [Consumer Price Index] or with another index so that it adjusts automatically over time.” (Think Progress, 1-13-2012)

 

An exit poll conducted last November showed that a majority of Georgians favor raising the minimum wage. (Athens Banner-Herald, 11-8-2014)

 

Full transcript of Bush’s minimum wage answer:

 

MODERATOR: Let’s talk minimum wage. Is raising it a good idea and if so, is it the government’s role? Or in the case of companies like Wal-Mart, do we need to leave it to the private sector?

 

JEB BUSH: We need to leave it to the private sector. I think state minimum wages are fine. The federal government shouldn’t be doing this. This is one of those poll-driven deals. It polls well, I’m sure – I haven’t looked at the polling, but I’m sure on the surface without any conversation, without any digging into it people say ‘yea, everybody’s wages should be up.’ And in the case of Wal-Mart they have raised wages because of supply and demand and that’s good. But the federal government doing this will make it harder and harder for the first rung of the ladder to be reached, particularly for young people, particularly for people that have less education.

 

We’re moving to a world that is sticky in the ends, where it’s harder for people in poverty to move up and where the rich are doing really well and the middle is getting squeezed. And any idea that makes, that perpetuates that is one that I would oppose, and I think this minimum wage idea is exactly one of those things. The great majority of the people that would benefit from that would shortly find that there would be some innovation, some automation, some change of business plans so that businesses could continue to make ends meet and that they would be likely the ones that would lose their job. That’s how it’s always worked.

 

Now, politically, I’m sure it’s a great soundbite. But from an economic point of view this is not how we need to be successful.