States’ rights, same now as it ever was
by David Atkins
Chuck Grassley, in a Times article on efforts to reduce waiting times at voting locations:
But getting anything passed without Republican support will be impossible, Democrats acknowledge. And so far, conservatives have complained that Democrats are politicizing an issue that should be handled by the states, not the federal government.
“It’s ridiculous to stand in line a couple of hours to vote,” said Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “But I think it’s also ridiculous to make a political issue out of it when it’s very easily handled.”
Where have we heard this “don’t politicize states’ rights issues” business before? It wouldn’t have anything to do with race, would it?
Well, as a matter of fact:
The average wait nationwide was 14 minutes last year, according to Mr. Stewart’s data. Blacks and Hispanics waited an average of 20.2 minutes, compared with 12.7 minutes for whites. In the most populous areas — those with more than 500,000 voters in a county — the average wait was 18 minutes, more than double what it was in counties with fewer than 50,000 voters.
Yeah, it’s about race. Whenever anyone trots out the “states’ rights” canard, it’s always important to figure out which traditionally oppressed group the good ol’ boys are trying to keep down this week.
.