Reconstruction Redux.

Do you Negroes remember what happened to you after Reconstruction in these divided states of A-merry-ca? If you don't, let me remind you: Those white folks in states like Louisiana, South Carolina and Mississippi were so terrified that you made up the majority of the population and had the right to vote after the 15th Amendment of the Constitution was ratified, that they unleashed the type of terror on you never seen before in this country. (This is right around the time that the klan was formed.) Paramilitary groups, lynchings, beatings, voter intimidation; anything to keep you Negroes away from the voting booths and out of power. Yes sir, as soon as old Rutherford Hayes removed those federal troops from the South you Negroes caught hell.

It's sad, because we missed a golden opportunity in our country's history. The rate of black illiteracy declined by almost 60% during this time. Blacks were being elected to public offices in record numbers, (BTW, contrary to popular beliefs; not all the blacks elected to office during that time was corrupt) and blacks were becoming "economically self sufficient" and more educated.

But alas, this was not to last. (Just call me black Shakespeare) Our Southern brothers and sisters in the majority population made sure of that. Thanks to new state constitutions in places like Mississippi, the voting process became rigged. And with the help of poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses; seeing a Negro in the voting booth became as rare as a redneck with all his teeth.

So fast forward to Reconstruction Redux. (My name for what we are currently experiencing in A-merry-ca.) A black man elected president. Hope and change in the air. Negroes and progressives feeling downright giddy about A-merry-ca's future, and.....well, just like with the old reconstruction; there is a push back.

Here in Pistolvania and in other states where there are republican controlled state houses across the country, everything is being done to make sure that you Negroes don't go to the voting booths and have any impact on our national electoral process ever again.

"Top state Republicans are throwing their political heft behind a plan to change the way Pennsylvania elects a president, setting the stage for a showdown this fall over whether the move would wipe out Pennsylvania's clout in national elections.

A brigade that reads like a who's who of legislative Republicans wants to do away with the winner-take-all system of apportioning the state's electoral votes and replace it with one that would do so by congressional district.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware), who is leading the charge, argues that the change will make the system fairer and more representative, and says that a bill could be voted on this fall, in time for the 2012 presidential election. Gov. Corbett has said he would support it.
Democrats counter that the proposed change is not only blatantly political - designed to give GOP candidates the edge - but also bad for Pennsylvania, as it will diminish the state's role in deciding who occupies the White House.

To that, Pileggi says: "This concept about clout and perceived importance is secondary to making sure that individual voters have a say in who the president is."

He added: "Everyone agrees Pennsylvania is one of the more diverse states in the union, and that diversity is not reflected in the current winner-takes-all sytsem."

Huh?

Folks let me explain how this works for you: Under the current system the most votes from the state wins all 21 electoral college votes. Under the New Reconstruction model there would be an electoral college vote for each congressional district won. This means that all you Negroes voting in places like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh could only affect the electoral college votes so much, because all those congressional districts where you Negroes don't exist would have just as much clout as you do, even though there is far less people in those areas.

"In 2012, after redistricting, Pennsylvania will have 20 electoral votes and 18 congressional districts. Under Pileggi's proposal, each of the districts would elect one presidential elector; the other two would be apportioned on the basis of the popular vote.

Only two other states allocate electoral votes by congressional district, Maine and Nebraska.

Pileggi and other GOP leaders in the legislature, all of whom are expressing support for the effort, argue the proposed new system will more closely reflect the popular will of voters." [Source]

Mississippi 1865!