Breitbart’s Big Journalism In Favor Of Literacy Tests
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More proof that the Bull Connors of the world are still around, they just switched parties.
32 Responses to “Breitbart’s Big Journalism In Favor Of Literacy Tests”
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Time for another TNR puff piece on Andrew
Wow, that’s really ignorant. This is another reason why the Right doesn’t get anywhere with me–They don’t know their history (or are willfully ignorant of it) on the voting tests or immigration. Three or four generations ago, the angry-at-the-world-and-just-looking-for-a-target yahoos were saying the same thing about the Irish/Italians/Poles/Germans/(Insert ethnic group here). Now what’s more American than spaghetti and meatballs, or St. Patrick’s Day, bratwurst or whatever?
And, actually, the people about whom Tancredo (i.e., immigrant voters) have ACTUALLY taken a civics literacy test as part of the naturalization process.
As reprehensible as this is, I would propose the following test:
1) Obama, citizen or not?
2) Did 9/11 happen under Bush or Clinton?
3) Did the national debt go up or down under Reagan?
4) etc.
Well, you get my drift. A “properly” posed test would eliminate the votes of half or more of the right wing.
I would not be at all surprised to find half the right wing eliminated even if the “test” offered were exactly what Breitbart or whoever on the right would propose. I don’t think they’d pass their own test.
Actually, looking forward to John Oliver getting a proposed copy of any such test and asking the questions of Republicans. Given how they’ve done with their own words lately…
http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/captain-america-goes-after-tea-party
Aside from comedians speaking the truth more often than politicians it appears comic books are more truthful also.
…of course they didn’t have to guts to stick to it and apologized for the comic.
Except, I thought it was understood implicitly that this test was only to be applied to those who citizenship was suspect in the first place, i.e, those of the dusky hue or with non-European surnames…
sigh
Which would be simply more evidence of the right’s dishonesty and racism. I was saying they’re idiots.
Most likely under direct orders from Fuhrer Robert Iger. Yet another reason to boycott Disney’s evil empire.
Rheinhard, that would be “with non-WESTERN European surnames”, would it not?
I suppose it would serve no purpose to remind you that the “Literacy Tests” in the 50′s were not intended to determine if anyone was eligible to vote; they were deliberately designed to prevent black citizens from voting.
They included such things as asking the prospective (black) voter to quote, verbatim, articles of the Constitution, while white voters were asked, “Who was the first President?”
As senseless as the suggestion might be (it probably wouldn’t accomplish what it was meant to, and it couldn’t be enforced well) it is born more of frustration, than venality or racism.
You all, of course, are free to disagree, as the idea of a racist Republican Party sends that “tingle up your leg.”
I suppose it would serve no purpose to remind you that the “Literacy Tests” in the 50’s were not intended to determine if anyone was eligible to vote; they were deliberately designed to prevent black citizens from voting.
You are correct, pointing out the true purpose of the literacy test serves no purpose, because everyone in the United States knew that the purpose was to keep Black citizens from voting.
It’s like pointing out that the sky is blue or that horses like to eat grass.
So how exactly does a civics literacy test – such as the one Tancredo is suggesting – determine eligibility to vote, Frank? Last I checked, you don’t have to know squat about the Constitution or government to vote, you just have to be a citizen. In fact, I’m not sure how many citizens would be able to pass such a test these days.
So who, exactly, would have to take this test before voting? Everyone? Or just the ones who look, you know, foreign, or have odd sounding last names.
“As senseless as the suggestion might be [it probably wouldn’t accomplish what it was meant to, and it couldn’t be enforced well) it is born more of frustration, than venality or racism.”
I suppose the question then becomes–What is a literacy test MEANT to accomplish? The only thing it should accomplish in the minds of the teabaggers in Nashville who applauded Tancredo is trying to excluding American voters who don’t look or sound like them. And Frank— it is totally born out of being frustrated by what they see as a loss of entitlement. And there’s no sugar coating the racism– because that is what it is.
What a literacy test is meant to accomplish – I suppose, it not being my idea – is to determine whether or not a potential voter knows enough about America and its system of government to vote intelligently.
I don’t think it would accomplish that – after all, a bunch of supposedly intelligent voters voted Pres Obama into office.
Does that in any way prove, or even demonstrate, that the purpose of the literacy test is racist? To you it does; to me, it does not.
And Repack, read it again: I did not say the literacy test would not serve any purpose – I said it would accomplish what it was meant to , i.e., determining if a person was politically savvy enough to vote intelligently.
It is obviously directed at people who are poorly assimilated into the “American way”. I’ll bet you can define them much better than I can because every conservative knows that if you scratch a liberal, there’s a racist beneath.
Jeez, Frank, you put it that way I’m all for it. Here is my preferred first question:
Has the Obama administration:
A) Lowered nearly everyone’s taxes?
B) Raised nearly everyone’s taxes?
C) Left taxation exactly the same?
Goodbye, 3/4ths of the GOP base!
What a literacy test is meant to accomplish – I suppose, it not being my idea – is to determine whether or not a potential voter knows enough about America and its system of government to vote intelligently.
Which is unconstitutional from the get-go. You know, the Constitution? That document Tancredo and other conservative pols are supposed to be so protective of?
And you haven’t answered the most important question – who would be required to take the test before being allowed to vote?
I’ll bet you can define them much better than I can because every conservative knows that if you scratch a liberal, there’s a racist beneath.
Yes, yes, we’re a bunch of racists. Tancredo, Limbaugh, Strom Thurmond, Trent Lott, Pat Buchanan, and the rest of the right-wing are not. Yes, yes, let’s live in Bizarro World.
What color is the sky on your planet, Frank? Jesus fucking Christ.
That document Tancredo and other conservative pols are supposed to be so protective of?
Except when they don’t like what it says. E.g., separation of church and state, privacy in the bedroom, the whole “well-organized militia” thing… Then they can ignore it.
Southern Quaker get’s exactly right.
“Last I checked, you don’t have to know squat about the Constitution or government to vote, you just have to be a citizen. In fact, I’m not sure how many citizens would be able to pass such a test these days.”
The key to the often successful coalitions that Democrats put together as they march us to the left. Empowering deliberate ignorance, destroying a birthright that the unwitting followers of redistribution don’t even know exists.
“I don’t think 51 votes is what the founders had in mind.”–former Republican Vice President Dan Quayle
Empowering deliberate ignorance
Four words for you, AO: Sarah Palin. Tea Party.
You lose.
Judging by the lack of of depth or breadth of understanding in this discussion, none of you are prepared to vote, Of course, your support of the One is direct evidence of that.
Southern Quaker, I have made it quite clear that it was not my idea , nor do I favor it. Pleas pass that on to your other literacy challenged participants on this board, as I presume you know the secret handshake .
Yes, yes, we’re a bunch of racists I said you keep reasonably well hidden, on OUR planet. I never said the Republican contained no racists.
You did. You are free to say whatever you want, which you usually do, even if it makes no sense , which it usually doesn’t.
Frank, you would appear not to support a civics literacy test because it would “not accomplish what it is supposed to do,” namely identify those are “poorly assimilated” into the American way, and wont’ vote “intelligently” – your words.
The implication seems to be that you would support such a test if it could accomplish those stated goals. Perhaps I’m wrong, but that’s certainly what you imply in your first post. To which the obvious question is, who would have to take the test? Is a poorly educated minimum wage factory worker from Pennsylvania a candidate? Or just those citizens recently arrived to our shores? How do we tell who is a recent arrival?
And how, exactly, does such a test pass Constitutional muster in the first place, when the Constitution clearly states that the only two criteria for voting are citizenship and being at least 18 years of age?
Seems to me the folks suggesting the test FAIL right off the bat.
sambachicken,
Your debating skillset is awesome.
To which the obvious question is, who would have to take the test?
To which the obvious answer is : everyone, at the time of registration.
To include everyone who has already voted would require some systematized way to test every one fairly.
As Gregory Kane suggests, if Literacy is a problem, make the test oral.
And the fact that it’s unconstitutional?
Southern Quaker is correct, we have no longer have any requirements other than citizenship and a mininum age to vote. Democrats are weak on requiring citizenship and routinely stonewall the idea of needing identification to vote.
Who here supports the idea that the ignorant and illiterate amongst us be encouraged to vote?
If this test were implemented – and for the record, it is probably a bad idea to develop a method whereby the government decides who gets to vote – it occurs to me that it shouldn’t just be based on the Constitution and politics, but should encompass other fields, such as science, math and medical knowledge, as well as an essay on ethics and an MMPI. Hell, we should go whole hog and require every one to get a CAT scan and a resume, fingerprints and biometric data. A double blinded test administered by a trio of Jesuit priests should administer an oral exam where the petitioner would define the major tenets of all world religions, and the factions within them. And we should really make sure the voting populace has a black belt in kung fu too.
Who here supports the idea that the ignorant and illiterate amongst us be encouraged to vote?
Yes, look what happened in the Alaska election in 2006 when what you describe came true, judging from the results alone.