Or possibly any other red state in this country. {Highlight to read} I wouldn’t put it past any of the inbred, ignorant red necks that live in those states and support Trump to do this………
In the town of Newbern, AL, apparently there has not been an election in six decades! Although roughly two thirds of the town residents are black, the white residents have been maintaining control of the town government through a “hand-me-down” form of government since at least the 1960’s. It seems that each white mayor has been appointing his successor, who has then been appointing the town council members, so that the positions have been handed down from one person to another without an election for over 60 years! In that time, only one black person has served within the town government.
Apparently, a black man (Patrick Braxton), ran for mayor unopposed in 2020 winning the position. He appointed a new council made up of both white and black residents, although all the white residents refused to serve. He and his town council were locked out of all the town buildings and given no access to the town financial accounts for over three years. The previous all-white town council held a secret meeting during which they held a secret election and appointed themselves as the town council once again.
The black residents of the town sued, and in an agreement enforced by the federal government, another election was held this week in which Braxton won over a white candidate 66 votes to 26 votes, officially making him the mayor over four years after he was first elected.
I find it hard to believe that this kind of shit has been going on for six decades. This is the type of world which our MAGA citizens want to go back to - and exactly why Trump’s strongest support group is white males without a college education. Because the only world they can compete in is the kind of world which existed in Newbern, AL.
Here is the link to the news article:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/alabama-towns-fir...
Comments
USA Very Soon
I am convinced that Trump will attempt to stop the up-coming midterm elections by some means or other. If he doesn't succeed in stopping them he will try to skew them in his favour by gerrymander or by force. I am equally convinced that (if he is still in power by then) he will try to find a means to avoid or void the 2028 elections and hang on for a third term.
He and his crew of incompetent and immoral rascals will plumb unimaginable depths to convert the USA into a klepto-dictatorship.
I know BC is supposed to be non-political but your current situation is perilous. This is the only way I can have even a scrap of influence.
Let's Hope...
... that their incompetence comes to the forefront. Unless it's the kind of incompetence that harms the rest of us instead of themselves.
-- Daphne Xu
I wasn't surprised by the report
Only that it had gone for so long. Surely those involved would be guilty of something preventing democratic processes and thus against the constitution or something, and hopefully prosecutable. Although I'm not sure the US has ever been a democracy, it just becomes more obvious under Trump, because he doesn't know what subtlety is.
Angharad
Technically……….
The United States has never been a democracy. It is a democratic republic.
However, the whole concept of a republic only holds true when the people’s elected representatives actually do the job they were elected to do, when they actually represent the people who have empowered them, rather than doing whatever is necessary to stay in office, whether their actions fulfill the will of their constituents or not.
It seems as though it has become the sole pursuit of most politicians to remain in office. NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES TO DO SO.
How many Republicans have privately denigrated Donald Trump as the unqualified idiot that he is, and then in public fall in line behind whatever he wants? All because they are afraid they will lose their cushy public offices if they stand up to him and do the right thing?
The best thing that could happen to our Congress would be the imposition of term limits. If a representative or senator knows that they cannot be re-elected, then they will hopefully be more interested in doing what is right rather than getting re-elected. It appears that the only honest politician may very well be a lame duck politician.
Also, we need to impose an age limit on politicians. Allowing representatives who are totally out of touch with society as it exists today is a recipe for stagnation. When we allow people to prevent our society from progressing, we are asking for it to fall. Nothing stands still; you either move forward, or you will fail. When we allow old, white men to determine what our society will be, then we will get exactly what happened in Alabama.
Last, but certainly not least, allowing a minority of the population to exercise power over the majority simply because they live in a separate state is not an acceptable situation. Especially when that minority does so by allowing their chosen leader to violate the primary law of the land, the Constitution. When Congress abdicates their responsibilities in order to stay in office, and when a vocal and prejudiced minority is allowed to push their own agenda unopposed, then we are all on a road to hell.
D. Eden
“Hier stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir.”
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
imposition of term limits.
It has been tried before and must be tried again. The trouble is the very people who have to vote to limit the terms are the people whose terms are to be limited. It's a kind of a catch 22.
Now if we could convince the house and the senate to commit political suicide we then we need to get the president to sign it into law. If he won't then those same houses need to override the veto with a two-thirds majority.
Is there a way to do a federal referendum? That's the only way I can see to get term limits for congress imposed.
As to lame duck positions doing what's right... it can work the other way as well. Trump is a lame duck president and isn't doing what's right; he is doing what ever his bigoted heart feels like. Because he can't be re-elected (legally) he is free to tick off the whole population.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin ein femininer Mann
Term Limits
The Presidential term limits were imposed through the Constitution. That may be necessary for Congressional term limits as well. The Constitution provides for proposing amendments in a convention called for that purpose.
-- Daphne Xu
What Constitution?
The madman currently in power has trampled over the constitution so many times in the last 6 months that is almost worthless.
SCOTUS is going to consider a challenge to the 4th Amendment before the end of the year.
Trump has openly said that he has people working on how he can continue as POTUS beyond 2028.
Watch out USA, your nation is at risk.
Samantha