The Gubb'ment Doesn't Care About Your Nana's Right To Vote

[You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find a picture of a black grandma.]
There are crazy stories, there are unbelievable stories, and then there's nonsense like this that just completely defies logic.

While arguing that requiring voters to present a photo ID before entering the polls actually discriminates against whites more than blacks, John Tanner, the chief of the Justice Department’s civil rights division dropped the nugget below.

In a speech to a Latino group earlier this month in Los Angeles, Mr. Tanner said that a disproportionate share of elderly minority voters did not have identification, but added that it was not a widespread problem because of their life expectancy.

"Creating problems for elderly persons just is not good under any circumstance, Mr. Tanner told the National Latino Congreso, according to a video posted on YouTube. "Of course, that also ties into the racial aspect because our society is such that minorities don’t become elderly the way white people do. They die first."

Honestly, I don't really oppose requiring voters to show photo ID before voting, and I really don't understand why the NAACP has been so insistent on tagging this as somehow discriminatory. I mean, c'mon, you have to show a photo ID for darn near everything, why the big fuss over requiring one before voting?

Still, how damn scary is it that a government official responsible for ensuring voting rights for all citizens harbors such a draconian opinion as the one above? Sure, it's technically true, the life expectancy for minorities is less than for whites. But what in the holy heck does that have to do with ensuring that everyone's vote counts?

Maybe something got lost in translation here, but this looks like another Bill Bennett "open mouth, insert both feet" move. Between this, the explosion of nooses, and the "blacks are genetically dumber" statement from a Nobel Prize winning scientist, I'd say October has hardly been a banner month for Black America. C'mon Halloween. Hurry.

Of course, Barack Obama: Current Mouthpiece Of Black America™, is seizing the moment to prove that he's down with the peoples because he needs some of that black vote refute Tanner's comments and call for his ouster. That just might be Barry's best move since he accepted that invitation to Boston (which was maybe his only good move?), but it still won't bring back the Barry 4 Prez tag. Sorry my brother. Chip that lead down to single digits and maybe then we can talk.

Anyways, peep the video for yourself if you wanna hear everything in context.



Obama Calls for Ouster of Official After Remark [NYTimes]