Voting Rights Act 1965

Donald Trump’s Massive Destruction Of LBJ’s “Great Society”!

America is witnessing under Donald Trump in his second term Presidency a goal that the extreme right wing MAGA Movement and “Project 2025” has been working toward for decades—the massive destruction of all of the good work of President Lyndon B. Johnson and his “Great Society” in the mid 1960s.

All of the major actions of the Johnson Presidency in domestic affairs, and also of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, is being reversed in a heartless, callous, cruel manner by both Donald Trump and the extreme right wing majority of the John Roberts Supreme Court.

Among these actions of massive destruction have been the following:

Civil Rights Act of 1964
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Medicare and Medicaid
Federal Aid to Education
Immigration and Nationality Act 1965
Environmental and Consumer Legislation
Housing and Labor Reforms
Eliminating Government Funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and PBS
War On Poverty Programs, including Job Corps, Project Head Start, and Food Stamps (SNAP)
National Endowment For The Arts and National Endowment For The Humanities

Trump has attacked educational programs and cultural institutions, including the Kennedy Center, the National Museum of American History, all other museums connected with the Smithsonian Institution, and News Media.

Trump has also worked to destroy domestic initiatives of presidents after LBJ, including in particular:

Richard Nixon
Jimmy Carter
Bill Clinton
Barack Obama
Joe Biden

Once Donald Trump is out of office, and assuming that Democrats can retake the White House and Capitol Hill, it will take a massive effort to reverse the horrendous damage, and it will be more than a one or two year effort to bring back progress domestically.

Democrats Must Promote New Voting Rights Legislation IF They Take Power In The 120th Congress (2027-2029)

IF the Democrats can win control of the House of Representatives, and hopefully, the Senate, for the 120th Congress (2027-2029), it is urgent that new Voting Rights legislation is adopted.

What the Supreme Court has done in Louisiana V. Callais has wiped out the advancements of the past six decades, and is unacceptable long term.

To deny minority groups in America–African Americans and Latinos–a role in American government, is setting America back to the late 19th century, and cannot be sustained long term.

And the need for Supreme Court reform is also urgent, including imposing for future Justices age limits and term limits, and also expansion of the Court from 9 to 13 members.

The whole future of American democracy, already wounded, is at stake in these upcoming Midterm Elections of 2026!

Tumultuous Time On Redistricting In The House Of Representatives, With Revival Of “Jim Crow” White Supremacy In South!

The shocking series of events, begun by the Supreme Court decision in Louisiana V. Callais on April 29, has provoked other Southern States to promote similar racial gerrymandering and redistricting, favoring the Republican Party.

Then, the Virginia State Supreme Court has negated the popular referendum for redistricting, favoring the Democratic Party, upending all projections regarding the House of Representatives in the 120th Congress (2027-2029).

This is a tumultuous time that can allow for the possibility that the Republicans will be able to overcome their disadvantages, which normally, in a midterm election, would lead to gains by the Democratic party, out of power in the White House, and with many reasons why they should gain control of the House of Representatives, particularly with only a three seat edge by the Republicans, a very tenuous situation.

The idea that Jim Crow Racism of the post Reconstruction period of the Gilded Age would come back a century and a half later, and the effective repeal of the legendary Voting Rights Act of 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson and his Great Society programs, is extremely depressing and demoralizing.

But, there is no guarantee of what the ultimate effect of the Supreme Court decision will be long term.

But clearly, many of the African American members of Congress from the South are likely to lose their seats, and the Republicans, the party that ended slavery, now will have the reputation of being the White Supremacist party that the Democrats were for nearly 90 years until the 1960s.

US Supreme Court Majority Destroys Voting Rights Act Of 1965, LBJ’s Civil Rights Accomplishment!

Six decades ago, in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson courageously promoted the passage of the Voting Rights Act, to right the wrong of racial discrimination which denied African Americans, primarily in the South, the enforcement of the 15th Amendment of 1870, the right to vote, under Jim Crow racism for nearly a century.

Now, the disgraceful modern Supreme Court, with three Trump appointees, two appointees of George W. Bush, and the despicable Clarence Thomas appointed by George H W Bush, have destroyed the concept that African Americans and other racial minorities (Latinos, native Americans, Asian Americans), should have adequate representation, and instead are re-establishing white supremacy all over again.

In the Louisiana redistricting case (Louisiana V. Callais), the Louisiana legislature denied African Americans a second “black” seat out of six, despite the fact that about one third of the state has black population. The Supreme Court decided 6-3 that what Louisiana had done was not discriminatory, even though it is clear that it is, without any realistic doubt.

That, plus the outrageous reapportionment gerrymandering in Florida promoted by outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis, against the state referendum on the subject of gerrymandering passed overwhelmingly in 2010, being perpetrated on the same day as the Supreme Court decision, is disheartening.

It is highly likely that many African American members and other minority districts, primarily, but not only in the South, will have no or greatly reduced representation in the halls of the House of Representatives in the upcoming 120th Congress (2027-2029) and beyond.

Chief Justice John Roberts has revealed his true nature on this subject, having initiated it in 2013 in Shelby County Alabama V. Holder, the first cutting back on the Voting Rights Act, and now with three Trump appointees on the Court, that law is being, effectively, eviscerated.

The historical legacy of John Roberts is damaged for the long run of history, as he will go down as a destroyer of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Proposed maps show “blue” areas in the South, where black representation was present in the House of Representatives, would be mostly decimated–completely in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina, and be dramatically cut back in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

This is an outrage against the concept of democracy and the rule of law, a tragedy of massive proportions.

It is also a slight against the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr, John Lewis, and other civil rights heroes, who spent their lives promoting fair treatment, and suffered much brutality in the process!

Donald Trump Public Opinion Rating In Wartime Collapsing

Donald Trump’s Iran War is causing a collapse in his popularity, which already was under water.

His lack of strategy, and his reckless incitement for war, when Iran was not a direct threat anytime soon on America, is an indication of how dangerous a wartime leader he is.

Trump is attacking NATO nations for refusal to engage in a war that was not essential, and the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is causing a massive oil and gasoline crisis, with motorists now paying one dollar more per gallon, compared to three weeks ago, when the war began.

The overall cost of living is skyrocketing, and that is bad news for Republicans in the upcoming Midterm Elections of 2026, the reason why Donald Trump is trying to interfere with the right to vote, and trying to destroy the Voting Rights Act of 1965, to fix the elections for Republicans.

Traditionally, the midterm elections always see a decline in the number of seats controlled by the President’s party, and a real landslide for Democrats looks likely, assuming Trump cannot succeed in his mission to limit the right to vote, through the proposed SAVE America Act.

The history of Presidents seeing popularity drop during wartime is stark:

Harry Truman had reached a high of 69 percent in 1949, but during the Korean War in 1952, his rating dropped to 22 percent, minus 47 points.

Lyndon B. Johnson had reached a high of 78 percent in 1963, after he succeeded the assassinated John F. Kennedy, but during the Vietnam War, his rating in 1968 dropped to 35 percent, minus 43 points.

Jimmy Carter had reached a high of 58 percent in January 1980, but in the next five months of the Iranian hostage crisis, his rating dropped to 27 percent, minus 31 points.

George W. Bush had reached a high of 90 percent after September 11, 2001, but in the midst of the Iraqi Civil War intervention in 2007, his rating dropped to 29 percent, minus 61 points.

And Joe Biden had reached a high of 56 percent in June 2021, but after the Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021, his rating dropped to 43 percent, minus 13 points.

Trump has reached a low of 36 percent at this time, and is likely to go lower.

Trump Systematically Destroying All Reforms From Progressive Era Onward!

Donald Trump is systematically destroying all reforms from the Progressive Era onward, with particular attention to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts has been a willing participant in this reversal of all of the great changes that promoted equality and justice, which became about after nearly a century since the Civil War of continued violation of basic human rights to African Americans and other minorities, including women and gay and lesbian Americans.

This is a very emotional time, as Donald Trump is moving full stream ahead, to return America to the late 19th century Gilded Age, where multi millionaires dominated the economy without any government regulation, and where racial discrimination and lack of basic human rights to anyone other than white male Christians predominated.

Trump and his supporters in the most despicable and corrupt Cabinet in American history are actively destroying

the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era reforms that he initiated, through his Square Deal and New Nationalism proposals and actions.

the reforms of Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom legislation.

undermining the social justice reforms of the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt ;

and the Fair Deal of Harry Truman;

and the civil rights advancements of Dwight D. Eisenhower;

and the ideals of the New Frontier of John F. Kennedy;

and the overwhelming reforms in so many areas of public life of the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson;

and the many initiatives of Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H W Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden toward major reform initiatives.

Trump has declared war on common decency and humanity, and has ushered in an American Fascism, reminiscent of Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Juan Peron, and other right wing dictators.

The danger that there will not be free and fair elections, and the attempt to promote midstream Texas gerrymandering to weaken an opposition Democratic Party challenge to the authoritarianism taking place, is totally horrifying and depressing!

Six Decades Ago, LBJ Accomplishment For Independence Day, Contrasted With Donald Trump In 2025! :(

Six decades ago, right as the Independence Day celebrations were about to take place, the Democratic controlled US Congress passed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, bringing about the greatest period of civil rights reforms, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was signed in August.

President Lyndon B. Johnson presided over the massive amount of political, social, and economic reforms known as “The Great Society”, which also included the Immigration and Nationality Act of October 1965, and the passage of Medicare in 1965, Medicaid in 1966, and the Food Stamp Act (SNAP) in 1964.

That period of time saw great hope and optimism that the nation had moved in the proper direction toward true justice, progress, and freedom.

Sadly, now, after six decades, we are witnessing a massive backtracking of civil rights, immigration reforms, and social and economic reforms, with the present move by Donald Trump and the Republican Party to reverse all of the great reforms of “The Great Society”, with their “Big and Beautiful” bill, that seems ready to promote massive cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Food Stamps (SNAP), all major moments of the Presidency of LBJ.

This is a time of great feelings of betrayal and sadness over what has changed from the optimistic and expansive times of the federal government back in the 1960s!

Imagining if Lyndon B. Johnson Were To Meet Donald Trump!

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) was the second greatest domestic policy President after Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945).

Both Democratic Presidents gave America its greatest social welfare and social safety network with Medicare and Medicaid under LBJ, and Social Security under FDR.

But LBJ went much further with great accomplishments in other areas of reform, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, greatly expanded the National Defense Education Act, fighting poverty in both rural and urban America, environmental and consumer reforms, promotion of NPR and PBS, immigration reform, and other reforms, more than anyone since FDR and after LBJ to the present!

So, if LBJ were alive today, and saw what Donald Trump has done in his first Presidency, and his unmatched level of cruelty in his much more oppressive, repressive second term in just less than four months, he would have open confrontations with Trump, and would use the most vile, salty language imaginable!

And with his domineering personality traits, LBJ would put Trump in his place and tame him, without an ounce of being “gentlemanly” in any sense!

Project 2025: Attack On Women, Minorities, Gay And Transgender Rights

Project 2025, created by the right wing think tank The Heritage Foundation, is a direct attack on the civil rights of vulnerable groups, including women, racial minorities, immigrants, and gay and transgender Americans, despite Donald Trump’s claim that he has no connection to this group or project, yet another lie added to the tens of thousands he has enunciated since 2015!

It would work to ban all abortions nationwide with no exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.

It would retract the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and other laws and rules that have promoted protection for racial minorities.

It would end birth right citizenship, and arrest and imprison millions of undocumented immigrants before deportation.

It would arrest and imprison all homeless people, and put a ban on Muslim immigrants.

It would repeal gay rights and gay marriage rights, and promote discrimination against transgender Americans.

This attack on vulnerable groups would set up a society in which white Christian supremacy and nationalism would reign.

It would destroy the concept of a multi racial, multi ethnic society where human rights and freedom would reign!

60th Anniversary Of March On Washington: Need For Renewal Of That Effort!

Today, 60 years after the famous March on Washington in 1963, and the legendary speech by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther, King Jr. calling for justice and basic civil rights for African Americans and other discriminated groups, we are having a commitment to restore the civil rights that are under attack in recent years by the US Supreme Court, the Republican Party, and extreme right wing forces.

It is expected that about 100,000 people will participate in today’s commemoration in Washington, DC, as compared to the 250,000 who did so on August 28, 1963.

The struggle against forces that have taken away the right to vote requires a new national commitment to restoring the weakened Voting Rights Act of 1965.

And the open racism and nativism and misogyny promoted by Donald Trump and his minions must be fought tooth and nail through lawsuits, marches, and demonstrations against state governments that are limiting basic human rights, with Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama in the leadership of setting American rights and freedoms in the wrong direction!