The Great Suppression

May 16, 2016
According to this grim investigation, when the Supreme Court struck down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, it bolstered ongoing right-wing attempts to limit democracy and voting rights. Roth, an MSNBC reporter, shows how states have restricted early voting and imposed voter ID laws in order to rig the game. As motivation, he pinpoints an underlying conservative “distrust of democracy,” abhorrence of “low-information voters,” and long-standing belief that corporations should, in fact, play a central role in politics. Roth reveals that, in another attempt to “roll back democracy,” there is a sincere movement to repeal the 17th Amendment, which allows for the direct election of senators. The underlying tension in most of these areas comes down to the question of whether to privilege the Constitution over “the will of the people.” Roth explains that once-per-decade redistricting will allow the GOP to dominate American electoral politics for years to come. His book should be required reading for understanding the ultimate goals of American conservatism. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Company.