At the behest of the president, Attorney General Eric Holder (himself an African-American) has recently been meeting with black clergy in an effort to sell the proposition that blacks are in danger of having their voting rights denied by some unnamed ghoul. Holder's argument is that a federal statute requiring citizens to prove their identity at the voting booth is inherently racist (i.e. it impacts blacks disproportionately).
What is one to deduce from this argument? Are blacks routinely being denied state or federal identification? Is there a movement afoot by state Departments of Transportation to deny drivers licenses based upon applicant's skin color? Is there a modern day Bull Connor, George Wallace, or Orval Faubus (Democrats all) seeking to prevent African-Americans from voting?
As the answer to each of these questions is "no," we are left to infer from Holder's argument that the Administration's position is that blacks are somehow incapable of performing the simple task of obtaining identification. Such an argument is not only demeaning, it is racist. This cynical effort, initiated by the White House and aimed at creating a false sense of crisis in the black community, is yet another example of the president seeking to divide America along race lines.
Kevin Ritter
Marietta
