“Today Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens ...
“Today Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens from voting,” Clinton said in a speech at Texas Southern University. “What part of democracy are they afraid of?”
Of course, it's a lie. Republicans are not trying to stop any citizens from voting, except for felons who have lost their right to vote. Period, end of story. It's a lie. It's broadly believed, but there's zero truth to it.
What is true is that some campaigns (like Barack Obama's campaign in his run for Congress) do prevent people from voting, but what Clinton is dishonestly referring to are efforts to increase voting integrity. Requiring ID and prior registration and regular voter roll purges do not prevent any legal voter from voting; they do help decrease the level and likelihood of fraudulent voting, as well as simply clean up the records.
But to the main point veiled beneath her lie: yes, we should not have everyone voting. So what part of democracy am I "afraid" of?
I'll answer it this way: politicians often decry the apathetic voter who doesn't vote, but in my view, even worse is the ignorant voter who does vote. Ignorance and apathy are both problems, but at least the apathetic voter isn't trying to force anything on the rest of us. Every other year we "Rock The Vote" with people who don't even know the difference between expenditures and revenues, who are trying to tell the rest of the country what the government should be spending money on.
I do not favor excluding citizens from voting for ignorance, but I do want people to opt-in to voting, rather than having it be automatic registration, or, worse, mandated. It shows some basic level of knowledge and engagement. If you can't be bothered to register, then how much do you really care about voting, or how much do you really know about any of the issues?
So now I answer Hillary Clinton with a question: because it is so easy to vote in this country, what is she so afraid of in keeping voting limited to citizens who simply choose to do it?
Of course, it's a lie. Republicans are not trying to stop any citizens from voting, except for felons who have lost their right to vote. Period, end of story. It's a lie. It's broadly believed, but there's zero truth to it.
What is true is that some campaigns (like Barack Obama's campaign in his run for Congress) do prevent people from voting, but what Clinton is dishonestly referring to are efforts to increase voting integrity. Requiring ID and prior registration and regular voter roll purges do not prevent any legal voter from voting; they do help decrease the level and likelihood of fraudulent voting, as well as simply clean up the records.
But to the main point veiled beneath her lie: yes, we should not have everyone voting. So what part of democracy am I "afraid" of?
I'll answer it this way: politicians often decry the apathetic voter who doesn't vote, but in my view, even worse is the ignorant voter who does vote. Ignorance and apathy are both problems, but at least the apathetic voter isn't trying to force anything on the rest of us. Every other year we "Rock The Vote" with people who don't even know the difference between expenditures and revenues, who are trying to tell the rest of the country what the government should be spending money on.
I do not favor excluding citizens from voting for ignorance, but I do want people to opt-in to voting, rather than having it be automatic registration, or, worse, mandated. It shows some basic level of knowledge and engagement. If you can't be bothered to register, then how much do you really care about voting, or how much do you really know about any of the issues?
So now I answer Hillary Clinton with a question: because it is so easy to vote in this country, what is she so afraid of in keeping voting limited to citizens who simply choose to do it?
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
Leave a comment