In the inaugural edition of “The Scott Garret Vote Flashback” we turn the clock back  to 2006 when Congressman Garrett voted against reauthorizing the epochal Voting Rights Act of 1965.  That’s right folks, Congressman Garrett voted against outlawing the racist voting practices responsible for the disenfranchisement of African Americans.  He was the only Congressman North of the Mason-Dixon Line to vote Nay on the Act’s passage.

Let me repeat: In the year 2006, Congressman Scott Garrett, Representative of the 5th District of New Jersey, supported people who sought, “to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.” Garrett opposed the same Voting Rights Act that was passed after the legendary Selma to Montgomery marches in 1964 and 65 – the marches in which police used attack dogs and fire hoses to restrain participants.

Of course the Voting Rights Act was originally authorized in 1965 when overt racism and forced disenfranchisement were significantly more common than they are today. Regardless, voting against the Act’s reauthorization showed a blatant lack of awareness of racial discrimination in America. Furthermore, it proved that Garrett either does not respect the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950′s and 60′s or that he does not understand those achievements – either way he should be run out of Congress on a rail immediately. Please help us do just that by contributing your opinions in the comments section below each post, telling your friends, family, and other acquaintances about “Take Back the Fifth,” and spreading the word about Scott Garrett’s horrific voting record. With your help this blog will become obsolete in November 2010!

-Michael Simonson