Dumb and Dumberer

That's how the democrats like their voters, apparently. A Republican-sponsored bill that would require photo ID failed in a Minnesota House committee today, on a vote that went largely along party lines. So what were the objections to a bill that would introduce enhanced integrity into the Minnesota voting process?

Low-income Minnesotans would be able to get a Minnesota photo ID for free under the legislation. Emmer, a Delano Republican, says he's proposing the bill because he's concerned about voter fraud in Minnesota and other places across the country.

"We believe in bringing forth this legislation that important reforms are necessary to remove doubts about our elections and to help citizens in the state of Minnesota look upon the process of casting their vote as an inspiring experience and not an ordeal," he said.

Three citizens testified in support of the bill along with n official with the office of Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, who's also a Republican.

Some of the citizens testified they were concerned that illegal immigrants were voting when they shouldn't be. None of them said they challenged the residency of those in question at the polling places. One supporter of the legislation, Diana Bratlie, said the proposal shouldn't be a hardship for voters since many already have the necessary paperwork. She also suggested that citizens should be responsible enough to plan ahead for the first Tuesday in November.

"The election days have been set for the millenium. It should not surprise anyone that Election Day is coming up. They should have plenty of time to get their birth certificate," Bratlie said.

But of course, the "dumb and dumberer" contingent of nannystaters wailed and gnashed their teeth at such a notion!

DFL Rep. Keith Ellison, of Minneapolis, said the bill is a "nefarious attempt" by Republicans to make it more difficult for people of color, the poor and the elderly to vote.

"This is voter suppression pure and simple. The people who are proposing this don't want to try to persuade Americans to vote for their point of view, they just want to stop Americans from being able to vote at all," he said.

A question: Was Keith Ellison born this ignorant, or did he have to work at it? Do the democrats actually think so little of their constituency that they believe that they are intellectually incapable or just too damned lazy to get off their asses and go out and get a picture ID--one that would be FREE under the legislation? Does Keith Ellison think that "people of color, the poor, and the elderly" are that friggen irresponsible and incompetent that they can't take the bus to the local driver's license station and get a FREE (to them) state identification card should they want to vote? As I commented here,

"...exactly what is wrong with identifying yourself when voting? Baseless? I don’t think so. That pointy headed perfesser who testified today stated that the level of voter fraud in Minnesota is “statistically insigificant”… well, even a “statistically insignificant” number of fraudulent votes can have a very significant effect on an election, especially when the margin of victory (a/la Coleman & Franken) is only a few hundred votes (or for that matter 770 votes) or less.

Why are democrats so afraid of introducing measures that will increase the integrity of both the process and the outcome? Is it because introducing integrity substantially decreases their chances of stealing an election?"

In the end, it is difficult for one to reach an alternative conclusion.