Fox News host Bill O’Reilly castigated liberals warning about the inherent racism of voter ID laws, calling the narrative a “ruse” manufactured by the left-wing “grievance machine” and calling for a national voter ID based on Social Security cards.
O’Reilly was reacting to a new proposal by former President Bill Clinton and former ambassador Andrew Young to add photos to Social Security cards, which would be used to identify voters at polling places. But he first took on the allegation that state politicians working to combat voter fraud are largely animated by racism.
“The left denies any voter fraud, which is absurd,” O’Reilly continued. “Just this month, North Carolina launched a huge investigation into alleged voter fraud. One of the accusations said some folks voted in two states. Also, at least 81 North Carolinians voted in 2013 after they died.”
“Voter IDs would make fraud more difficult, everybody knows that,” he claimed. “But still, the far left objects.”
“This is a ruse,” O’Reilly declared. “Because the grievance industry wants people to think the Republican Party is suppressing votes, and if you take that issue away they have one less thing to whine about.”
“Enough’s enough,” he concluded. “There comes a point when craziness has to be rejected. Let’s get the pictures on the Social Security cards, stop the nonsense and be a responsible country.”
But conservative commentator Monica Crowley disagreed with O’Reilly.
“I am all for combatting voter fraud by using voter ID,” she said. “My issue with the Social Security card in particular is that that is the federal government doing it. I think it should be better left to the states.”
“The states run their voting rolls. The states issue drivers licenses and non-driver IDs,” she continued. “I have a problem with the federal government issuing or requiring a mandatory photo ID.”
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