Was it a dream? Is it our imagination? What happened? Voter ID requirements were long considered facets of white supremacy and of Republicans wanting to suppress to vote. This was Jim Crow 2.0, remember? For years, voter ID requirements were popular. Across geographic, political, and racial lines, the act of showing a photo ID to vote was met with overwhelming approval. So, are Democrats listening now? This was an interesting admission from top Democrat Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) (via CNN):
James Clyburn, a member of House Democratic leadership, said Sunday he was "absolutely" open to West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's proposed changes to election law reform that include a voter ID requirement -- as long as it's equitable.
"We are always for voter ID. We are never for disproportionate voter ID. When you tell me that you got to have a photo ID and a photo for a student activity card is not good but for a hunting license it is good," Clyburn, the House majority whip, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union." I don't know of a single person who is against ID'ing themselves when they go to vote. But we don't want you to tell me my ID is no good because I don't own a gun and I don't go hunting."
The comments from the South Carolina Democrat, who has previously criticized voter ID requirements as a form of voter suppression, comes days after the Supreme Court ruled two provisions of an Arizona voting law that restrict how ballots can be cast do not violate the Voting Rights Act. After Senate Republicans blocked a path forward on an elections reform bill and as GOP-led state legislatures move to enact restrictive voting laws, Democrat lawmakers are also calling for action, including ending the filibuster.
While some moderate Democrats, including Manchin, have called for a bipartisan effort on voting rights reform and not to gut the filibuster, Clyburn told Bash that "we need to get rid of the filibuster for constitutional issues just as we have done for budget issues."
.@WhipClyburn: “I don't know of a single person who is against ID-ing themselves when they go to vote, but we don't want you to tell me that my ID is no good." pic.twitter.com/NrqAtptriJ
— The Hill (@thehill) July 4, 2021
They saw the polling https://t.co/GzHMGhAcPy
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) July 4, 2021
Is it because their Democrat-only election overhaul bill went down in flames? Maybe. Is it because they see this as their only way of possibly peeling off enough Republicans to support a revamp of this effort? Maybe. It won’t work. There’s no way any Republican would sign off on this nakedly partisan attempt to ensure their party never wins again.
So, while this shift may seem like Democrats are finally coming around after years of denial—it’s a trap. They can lie, cheat, and steal. They have a media apparatus that will give them a pass. They can revert to their ‘Voter ID is Jim Crow’ shenanigans if execute this con game successfully—and the media won’t say a thing.
Also, and this goes without saying, Democrats were never for voter ID. This is another attempt at gaslighting. This party is really taking this whole lying exercise out for a spin. So, look past this, folks. The elimination of the filibuster as a top priority reared its head again. When that goes, then the true left-wing nature of the Democratic Party will truly enter the final stages of evolution and then we’ll all have to be stacking sandbags and digging trenches.