Hillary Clinton’s call for expanded voting rights has Republicans on the attack. Per CNN, Ohio Gov. Kasich accused her of trying to “divide” Americans. NJ Gov. Christie suggested she just “wanted opportunities to commit voter fraud.” Yet they present no hard evidence that validate their ongoing efforts to make voting more difficult. Author and commentator Anita Finlay says “Clinton is smartly backing Republicans in a corner on this issue, daring them to oppose her on the facts.” Political strategist Shawna Vercher agrees, “It’s hard to say less people should vote and sound patriotic at the same time. Are you saying your constituents are crooked or stupid?”
The New Republic’s Brian Beutler states that with Clinton’s call for automatic voter registration at 18 and an all-state expansion to twenty days of early voting, “Rather than vie for conservative support by inching rightward, Clinton is instead reorienting liberal ideas in ways that make the Republican policy agenda come into greater focus.”
Conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham’s statement that “early voting helps lazy people get to the polls” does little to aid the Republican cause. Ingraham has an estimated net worth of $45 million. The poor, shift workers, single parents, students, minorities and some elderly persons face limitations that would never be of concern to the privileged Ingraham. Do Republican presidential contenders agree with her?
Hillary Clinton is daring them to have that argument. Since Republican Governor Scott Walker, for example, recently signed into law a slew of regulations that make voting in Wisconsin more difficult, Republicans might with to rethink their position – and their talking points, unless they believe a) no Republicans fit into the above categories, b) no Republican candidate needs a swing voter to win a national election, or 3) Republicans are entirely letting go the minority outreach they claim to embrace.
Shawna and Anita illustrate how the battle lines are being drawn in their latest episode of Dare We Say…
References:
Justin Levitt, Professor, Loyola University Law School: A Comprehensive Investigation Of Voter Impersonation Finds 31 Credible Incidents Out Of One Billion Ballots Cast
