Following their national losses in the 2020 elections, many Republican state legislatures have been attempting to improve their chances in 2022 by introducing laws aimed at making voting harder, especially in minority communities.
In response to these disturbing barriers to democracy, many Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have described the Republican push for voting restrictions as a "new era" for Jim Crow laws or "Jim Crow 2.0."
Democrats introduced the "For the People Act," aimed at making "voting easier, streamline registration processes and prevent partisan gerrymandering."
As always, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas came up with the perfect, genius response to the Democrats' bill.
He declared the legislation, which would make voting easier for all citizens, "Jim Crow 2.0."
Jim Crow laws were bigoted, racist, and disenfranchised millions of people.\n\nThose laws were drafted by Democrats and implemented by Democrats to keep Democrats in power.\n\nToday, Democrats are doing it again.\n\nThe Corrupt Politicians Act is Jim Crow 2.0.pic.twitter.com/A1YyDyrJQ3— Senator Ted Cruz (@Senator Ted Cruz) 1620749201
To help make his point easier voting was a "Jim Crow" law, Cruz pointed out the Democratic party was responsible for the Jim Crow laws of the early 20th century.
He neglected to point out how the two political parties essentially swapped platforms in the mid-20th century, and the Democrats of yore are actually far more similar to the modern Republican party than modern Democrats.
Watch this\u2026 from Texas to Florida to Georgia Republicans are using the worst of our history to change our future! We can\u2019t & won\u2019t let them usher in Jim Crow 2.0! From state houses to court houses to the houses of Congress, we must fight these efforts to suppress the vote!https://twitter.com/morethanavote/status/1390782212380012550\u00a0\u2026— Jaime Harrison, DNC Chair (@Jaime Harrison, DNC Chair) 1620483741
The goal for Ted Cruz, Rand Paul & the QOP is to constantly spew out a rhetorical word salad of mayonnaise, jello, & raisins in order to strip all words of their meaning.\n\nI present Exhibit 974,683, 019,527.https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1392149167712219138\u00a0\u2026— W. Kamau Bell (@W. Kamau Bell) 1620757538
Cruz claimed the Democrats' bill dilutes the votes of American citizens by allowing non-citizens to vote illegally, something the bill absolutely does not allow.
Cruz falsely claimed:
"This legislation is profoundly dangerous, and the reason it suppresses millions of votes is by allowing millions of people to vote illegally. That is the intended effect and that would be the actual effect of this bill. It dilutes the legal votes of American citizens."
People who understand history: "The current laws that red states want to implement to restrict voting rights are Jim Crow 2.0."\n\nThe Right: "No. You saying that is Jim Crow 2.0."pic.twitter.com/G0T2UgVVh7— W. Kamau Bell (@W. Kamau Bell) 1620758074
Ted Cruz's entire career is based on lying. He thinks you're an idiothttps://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1392177359391006720\u00a0\u2026— Ryan Jenkins (@Ryan Jenkins) 1620760979
After the hearing, Huffpost pointed out to Cruz the former Jim Crow laws were also aimed at stopping non-White citizens from voting, whereas this bill would have the opposite effect.
Cruz retorted:
"And in this instance the Democrats want to stop the voters from voting Democrats out of power."
How making voting easier for everyone (including Republicans) would result in Cruz's scenario is unclear.
@tedcruz IS SUCH A BIG FAT LIAR.https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1392177359391006720\u00a0\u2026— amama inda\ud83c\udf39\u2764\ufe0f (@amama inda\ud83c\udf39\u2764\ufe0f) 1620760302
Utterly shamelesshttps://twitter.com/thetnholler/status/1392177359391006720\u00a0\u2026— Justin Kanew (@Justin Kanew) 1620757787
if letting black people vote easily means that the dems stay in power maybe thats a problem with the republicanshttps://twitter.com/sentedcruz/status/1392149167712219138\u00a0\u2026— weezer stan account (@weezer stan account) 1620800017
Cruz, a Harvard-educated lawyer, surely understands he's lying.
I know you went to Princeton and Harvard so I wonder if you ever cracked open a history book and learned something called the \u201cparty switch\u201d because your supporters wave the confederate flag but you\u2019re the \u201cparty of Lincoln\u201dhttps://twitter.com/sentedcruz/status/1392149167712219138\u00a0\u2026— Diana (@Diana) 1620782214
Twitter didn't let Cruz's misinformation go unchecked.
History Facts.....the more one knowshttps://twitter.com/sentedcruz/status/1392149167712219138\u00a0\u2026— ME2\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udf32\ud83e\udd9e (@ME2\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udf32\ud83e\udd9e) 1620818312
Making it easier to vote equals Jim Crow is not even the most brainless thing I've heard him say and that makes me sad.https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1392149167712219138\u00a0\u2026— Jonathan sloneker (@Jonathan sloneker) 1620797907
The For the People Act is widely supported by the public, though the future of almost all progressive legislation is subject to uncertainty due to the Democrats' razor-thin majority in the Senate.
The future of voter restrictions will likely be decided in the weeks to come.
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