Where there's a Will, there's a way

I forgot to post a link to the short video Brave New Films produced about ACORN and their voter registration drives that I showed before the last Liberty Brew & View film. So here it is:

ACORN is also running a TV ad for the first time. It has been interesting seeing so much news coverage about an organization that usually stays out of the national media spotlight. When I read McCain's accusations against ACORN engaging in massive voter fraud to steal the election I still can't believe how completely ridiculous it is. I thought McCain was at least a reasonable guy but here he is making over the top allegations about conspiracy theories even Dale Gribble would question.

Project Vote responds better than I could, so read what they have to say if you haven't already. What all of this tells me is that some conservative leaders still think a "fair" election is one where most low-income people and people of color don't vote.

One thing I often thought about when I was registering voters in Arkansas is that whatever obstacles I faced paled in comparison to those who did the same work before me. The work that Project Vote, ACORN, the NAACP and other organizations do to register voters is important and the opposition they face today is no surprise. It's no coincidence that these attacks are happening in the same year that a major party nominated an African-American Presidential candidate for the first time.

But everyone owes a debt of gratitude to people like John Lewis and others who challenged Jim Crow in the 50's and 60's when the obstacles to voting rights were far greater than they are today. Obama's nomination at the head of a party that once supported Jim Crow is a fulfillment of their work toward a political process that's open to everyone, regardless of race or income level. There has never been an American election like this one and no one will be allowed to take away those rights again, however they may try.

John Lewis in Cairo Illinois