Requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot is tantamount to an "assault on black America" that is "unforgettable, and, you could say, unforgivable.

At least according to MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews, who opted to close out his July 17 program -- and lead into veteran race-baiter Al Sharpton's PoliticsNation -- with a screed against his native Pennsylvania's voter ID law, the constitutionality of which is being challenged in a state court.
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As usual, facts and nuance matter little, if at all to the Hardball host. In his brief "Let Me Finish," controversy, Matthews suggests that African-Americans and young voters would be two key demographics disenfranchised by the voter ID law in the Keystone State.

But in Pennsylvania, unlike many other states with voter ID, a student identification card from "an accredited [Pennsylvania] public or private institution of higher learning" is accepted for establishing identification to vote. The same is true on the other ends of the spectrum, for elderly citizens who live in a Pennsylvania "care facility, including long-term care facilities, assisted living residences or personal care homes," according to an FAQ page at the VotesPa website.
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Rather than rail against voter ID laws by charging them as racist conspiracies to keep Democrats from voting, why not suggest minor changes to voter ID laws to allow for affidavit voting or to slowly roll out voter ID requirements over a number of years? Why not call for a more concerted effort by states and community leaders to ensure that everyone old enough to vote has access to get his/her documents in order to get a photo ID? Such calls would be constructive and conciliatory rather than destructive and divisive.

Then again, maybe that's exactly the goal of all this hysterical nonsense from Matthews and others: sow discord and suspicion in the body politic rather than offer reasonable solutions.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/ken-shepher...acks-second-cla

It's really hard to understand how Chris Matthews could get dumber with each passing year..but it has happened...