GOP Senator Mike Lee Thinks That Election Reform [HR1] is the Work of the "Devil Himself"

This wonderful quote from Utah's senior Senator, Mike Lee about HR1, the election reform package passed by the House of Representatives, captures so much of what the GOP has become.

Lee on Fox and Friends: “I disagree with every single word in HR1, including the words ‘but’ and ‘the,’” said Lee. “Everything about this bill is rotten to the core. It was written and held by the devil himself.”

HR1 contains numerous provisions to strengthen ethics rules, get "dark money" out of politics, make registration and voting easier, and ensure unbiased redistricting. I suspect the devil would actually hate HR1, if he had the time to pay attention to such things.

HR1 Congress.gov:

- This bill addresses voter access, election integrity, election security, political spending, and ethics for the three branches of government.

-Specifically, the bill expands voter registration and voting access and limits removing voters from voter rolls.

-The bill provides for states to establish independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions.

The bill also sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, protecting the security of the voter rolls, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect the security and integrity of U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems.

-This bill addresses campaign spending, including by expanding the ban on foreign nationals contributing to or spending on elections; expanding disclosure rules pertaining to organizations spending money during elections, campaign advertisements, and online platforms; and revising disclaimer requirements for political advertising.

-This bill establishes an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices. The system involves federal matching of small contributions for qualified candidates.

-This bill sets forth provisions related to ethics in all three branches of government. Specifically, the bill requires a code of ethics for federal judges and justices, prohibits Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, expands enforcement of regulations governing foreign agents, and establishes additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House.

-The bill also requires candidates for President and Vice President to submit 10 years of tax returns.

Sen. Lee doesn't like HR1 because it makes it easier for folks to vote and that scares the bejesus out of Republicans which is why they are sponsoring "at least 250 laws around the country to make it more difficult to cast a ballot.

So, what Sen. Lee is really saying is that HR1 will ensure that the voice of all Americans will be heard in future elections and that the GOP will have a harder time gerrymandering House districts to favor Republicans. Lee thinks that is the work of the devil, but it sure sounds like representative democracy.

#politics

By: Don Lam & Curated Content