Rand Paul to GOP: Our voter ID push is “offending people”

[AlexAmore]

Rand Paul is simply telling the GOP to stfu about a minor issue. He's saying to maintain your stance, but talk about different issues because the Voter ID issue won't win us a damn vote.

This is extremely obvious. I can't believe people are taking this out of context.

 

[Brett85]

I think it's offensive to blacks to suggest that blacks aren't smart enough or aren't capable of being able to bring a photo ID to the voting booth.

 

[twomp]

How would voter ID be different from a national ID? Like the states won't share with the Feds?

 

[Brett85]

How would voter ID be different from a national ID? Like the states won't share with the Feds?

All a voter ID is is just a driver's license. You simply have to show your driver's license to the person working at the polling booth, just like you have to show your driver's license in order to buy alcohol, or a million other different things.

 

[Tywysog Cymru]

Are there that many voters who base their vote on this issue?

 

[rprprs]

Rand Paul is either a genius politician or a politician willing to give the middle finger to his party. The latter is what I like about him, assuming the former is not true.

Personally, I'd be happy if both were true.

 

[erowe1]

Is he even right about this? How many real live voters are offended by having to show IDs?

 

[pulp8721]

Rand Paul is simply telling the GOP to stfu about a minor issue. He's saying to maintain your stance, but talk about different issues because the Voter ID issue won't win us a damn vote.

This is extremely obvious. I can't believe people are taking this out of context.

Exactly. Anyone who thinks otherwise should look at what's happening in Pennsylvania. Tom Corbett is on the verge of being a one-termer, and part of the reason is he has been unable to properly explain and implement voter ID. Thus, the part of the narrative against him is he doesn't want minorities voting. It has gotten to the point to where he's given up on it by not appealing the court's decision to throw the law out.

 

[William R]

Another stupid blunder by Rand. First immigration and now this ID BS. You have to have a photo ID to make all non cash transactions, check out book from the library, board a plane, train etc etc etc. People are too stupid to get an photo ID Rand???

Santorum is just salivating at a chance to debate him. Rand will be crushed.

 

[erowe1]

Santorum is just salivating at a chance to debate him. Rand will be crushed.

Rand will be crushed in a debate by Santorum? How?

 

[WD-NY]

Rand Paul is simply telling the GOP to stfu about a minor issue. He's saying to maintain your stance, but talk about different issues because the Voter ID issue won't win us a damn vote.

This is extremely obvious. I can't believe people are taking this out of context.

Thats not what Rand actually said though. The way Rand framed it (and several other issues recently) casts "aspersions" onto conservatives. He's not just saying that this is a "non-issue", he's effectively accepting the (incredibly offensive) premise that conservatives supporting voter id laws do so for racist/heartless/insidious/etc. reasons.

Allahpundit is 100% right when he says that this is borderline "those against free tuition for illegals *dont have a heart*".

Its one thing to say that you disagree with a red-meat issue that THE VAST MAJORITY OF **ALL** AMERICANS SUPPORTS for specific "pragmatic"(e.g 'state issue not federal') reasons. But that's not what Rand did. What he did was legitimize one of the most spurious 'attack lines' in the Democrat's Identity-Politics Arsenal.

I used to think that the establishment's game plan of splitting the Tea Party & conservative grassroots vote between Cruz & Rand wouldn't be enough to give Jeb the edge in a 3-man battle royal. Now I'm honestly wondering whether Rand can win enough of the TP/CON base vote from Cruz to make it a 3-man race.

In other words, even if the MSM+Establishment succeed in splitting the base, Rand still has a shot. But without it, Rand is effectively toast. Serious question, what the heck is he thinking with these and other recent comments (that AllahPundit has bludgeoned him with for all they're worth)??

 

[GunnyFreedom]

Tactical error: VoterID is a STATE issue, and Rand is running for FEDERAL office. The issue is wholly irrelevant to Rand's career arc, and he ought not to be poking around in minefields that are divergent from his actual path.

 

[boneyard bill]

The original article has been modified slightly:




nytimes.com/2014/05/10/us/politics/paul-says-gop-push-on-voting-laws-is-alienating-blacks.html?hpw&rref=us&_r=0

What Rand actually had to say on this issue is reasonable enough. The real concern is the larger impression that he gives. He can't be aware of the kind of media spin this is going to get. People follow headlines and rarely read the full story. So I'm not sure that Rand is really projecting the right image here. Although he's saying the issue should be left to the states, the impression he leaves is that he is siding with the Democrats on this issue.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

What Rand actually had to say on this issue is reasonable enough. The real concern is the larger impression that he gives. He can't be aware of the kind of media spin this is going to get. People follow headlines and rarely read the full story. So I'm not sure that Rand is really projecting the right image here. Although he's saying the issue should be left to the states, the impression he leaves is that he is siding with the Democrats on this issue.

Right. Thus stay out of the minefield altogether. It's not relevant to any of his current or future positions. Raising the subject can only ever hurt him, no matter WHAT his posiion on the matter is. And since fedgov has no say in the matter anyway, it's not even remotely disintegritous to simply avoid the subject altogether.

 

[P3ter_Griffin]

Rand will be crushed in a debate by Santorum? How?

If he drops an anvil on him?.

 

[francisco]

disintegritous

If we were playing Scrabble, I think I'd challenge

 

[GunnyFreedom]

If we were playing Scrabble, I think I'd challenge

It's not in the dictionary yet, but human language evolves as new words are added to cover concepts. This one is already in pretty popular use, and I expect it will be in the dictionary inside of 15 years.

 

[AlexAmore]

Thats not what Rand actually said though. The way Rand framed it (and several other issues recently) casts "aspersions" onto conservatives. He's not just saying that this is a "non-issue", he's effectively accepting the (incredibly offensive) premise that conservatives supporting voter id laws do so for racist/heartless/insidious/etc. reasons.

Allahpundit is 100% right when he says that this is borderline "those against free tuition for illegals *dont have a heart*".

Its one thing to say that you disagree with a red-meat issue that THE VAST MAJORITY OF **ALL** AMERICANS SUPPORTS for specific "pragmatic"(e.g 'state issue not federal') reasons. But that's not what Rand did. What he did was legitimize one of the most spurious 'attack lines' in the Democrat's Identity-Politics Arsenal.

I used to think that the establishment's game plan of splitting the Tea Party & conservative grassroots vote between Cruz & Rand wouldn't be enough to give Jeb the edge in a 3-man battle royal. Now I'm honestly wondering whether Rand can win enough of the TP/CON base vote from Cruz to make it a 3-man race.

In other words, even if the MSM+Establishment succeed in splitting the base, Rand still has a shot. But without it, Rand is effectively toast. Serious question, what the heck is he thinking with these and other recent comments (that AllahPundit has bludgeoned him with for all they're worth)??

Holy crap. You got all of that from his one sentence?

“Everybody’s gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing,” Mr. Paul said in an interview. “I think it’s wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it’s offending people.”

He said simply said it's offending people. He didn't say Republicans are racist for believing it. HE believes in the voter ID law LOL. I'm surprised the media haven't hired you as a star spinster.

 

[Demigod]

I really don't understand what the problem is.In Europe before you vote you have to show an ID or a passport then you sign on a couple of places and then they mark your thumb with a spray.I don't understand how you can be allowed to vote without any valid identification.

Even with everything here there is blatant cheating everywhere,let alone if showing an ID was not necessary.

 

[GunnyFreedom]

Are there that many voters who base their vote on this issue?

There are in North Carolina.