OPINION:
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Americans’ midterm voting opportunities, now passe, still left some issues unattended. The least of which is whether the Fat Lady, like Tuesday’s voters, is looking ahead to 2020, and the not-so-teensie cost to hire three designers — one for a scarlet affair, another for a blue-tinted outfit and a third for a violet gown that reflects inclusiveness with nary a shade of black, white or brown.
Because here we stand, with election results under electronic eyes all across nation, as biased, interested parties await the news.
What’s next, Democrats have been asking themselves, hoping to capture the House and some gubernatorial seats, and perhaps follow in Kamala Harris’ footsteps in the Senate?
Well, the Congressional Black Caucus, for one, has asked and answered. The CBC, which has had a member stand in the No. 3 House leadership spot, has spoken, saying it wants a member to either hold the No. 1 or No. 2 post should Dems reclaim the House leadership. Of course, that could mean diminishing support for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and for her top lieutenant, Steny Hoyer.
It also could signal the CBC is saying it’s reclaiming the proverbial torch from Mrs. Pelosi, Mr. Hoyer and James E. Clyburn, a senior CBC member and a leader of the House Dems, whether they want to pass it or not.
What’s also topical is that the CBC seems eager to rid its recent legacy of not being, ahem, publicly relevant on such critical issues as immigration.
The black caucus, finally, may want to lead its own causes, not be mere foot soldiers. (Rubbing my hands in glee.)
Wait, there’s more, because that signals an urgency on voter ID laws, illegal voters and birth certificates.
In fact, as Rowan Scarborough reported this week for The Washington Times, “the U.S. count of noncitizens is growing. A Yale study says there may be twice as many immigrants living in the U.S. illegally — 20 million — than other analyses have found. That means the population of immigrants, most of whom are over 18, has reached 30 million. The U.S. has about 245 million residents 18 and older.”
That means they are voting age, and that means the question of how do they prove who they are and where they were born come into question.
The debate is already before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, where a 2011 Kansas law titled Documentary Proof of Citizenship (DPOC) landed after it was ruled unconstitutional. (And, as the caravans of South and Central Americans approach from the south, violations of the 14h Amendment are lain for the groundwork.)
The question is whether the case reaches the Supreme Court, and both sides of the issue are salivating.
Again, here we are. Black and brown members of Congress pressing affirmative action, and brown and black people willingly handing noncitizens what black and brown had to fight for over hundreds of years.
Go figure. Is that why progressives don’t want constitutionalists on the nation’s highest court? (Eyes on Ms. Harris, please.)
Whatever the reason at this moment, the Fat Lady is only beginning to consider her options, too, while the Democrats have been drawing up their to-do list since election night 2016.
And boys and gals, they have a very lengthy list, but not out of necessity.
• Deborah Simmons can be contacted at dsimmons@washingtontimes.com.
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