Over the past few weeks, the folks at MSNBC have done their part to promote the “Moral Monday” protests in North Carolina, objecting to new laws passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature. In typical MSNBC fashion, rather than having a balanced panel discussion on the validity of the “Moral Monday” protests, guest host Craig Melvin simply brought on a representative of the NAACP to chastise the Republican legislature.
Speaking on July 22, Melvin introduced a segment with the NAACP’s Jotaka Eaddy by claiming that this week’s “Moral Monday”, “the focus will be a harsh new voter ID bill before Republican controlled state legislature.” From the start of the interview, Melvin clearly showed sympathy for the protestors, failing to challenge Ms. Eaddy for going against the will of the people. Plenty of polling data show voter ID laws are popular nationwide, and that they are favored by Democrats, Hispanics, blacks, and the elderly, all demographics which the liberal media insist would be "disenfranchised" by such laws.
One of the major objections that MSNBC has to new voter ID law in the Tar Heel State is that student IDs issued by a college or university would not be acceptable to establish identification for voting. But most student IDs do NOT list a permanent address for the ID holder, nor do they confirm U.S. citizenship or residency in the state of North Carolina. State-issued IDs from the North Carolina state government do all of those. What's more, it's not like most college kids only have college IDs.
Indeed, Melvin failed to challenge Ms. Eaddy on her claim that you can’t use a student ID to vote, ignoring the fact that students at the University of North Carolina, for example, must have a valid photo ID in order to even obtain an actual student ID card. Instead, Melvin allowed his guest to push the notion that the goal of photo ID laws is to “disenfranchise voters in North Carolina.” Eaddy also seemed disturbed that the voter ID law being considered by the state legislature would not allow for out-of-state driver's licenses to be valid for voting purposes. Of course, it makes perfect sense to require an in-state ID for voting, since only North Carolina residents are eligible to vote in North Carolina state elections.
Such details might be helpful so MSNBC’s viewers could understand the truth behind North Carolina’s proposed voter ID laws, but that would go against MSNBC’s narrative that the GOP is trying to disenfranchise thousands of voters.The Lean Forward network is not so much interested in informing the public as it is in furthering the Left's slanted perspective on everything political.
See relevant transcript below.
MSNBC
MSNBC Live
July 22, 2013
11:45 a.m. Eastern
CRAIG MELVIN: Today marks the 12th straight week of Moral Monday protests outside North Carolina’s state capital in Raleigh. This week the focus will be a harsh new voter ID bill before Republican controlled state legislature. And right now a live look at a news conference currently underway in Raleigh. The Reverend William Barber who helps run the NAACP in Carolina is running that press conference there as well. The previous 11 weeks of protests have resulted in more than 800 arrests. And they focus on the GOP controlled legislature’s economic and social and education and voting policies. They have been organized by the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP and joining me now from that organization is Jotaka Eaddy, senior director for voting rights for the NAACP. Jotaka always good to see you. First of all, how is the new voter ID. Bill before the North Carolina Senate, how is this bill different from the one passed by the House back in April?
JOTAKA EADDY: Well, when we look at this legislation that is before the North Carolina senate, this photo ID. is very harsh. It's one of the harshest photo ID. Measures that we have seen in our nation. When we look at it particularly the fact that students have been systemically cut out. You cannot use a student ID. You can't even use a public employee ID. As the measure that is before the North Carolina senate currently. It also cuts out any type of IDs that are given by the states for people that utilize state resources or state assistance. So when you look at this photo ID, It's very clear that the photo ID. is meant to disenfranchise voters and that is why we are seeing an outpour of voters in the state of North Carolina across many demographics. I think when you look at Moral Monday’s and the excellent work that is led by reverend barber in North Carolina, that you see a multicultural across ages of people who are standing up and saying that enough is enough. When we look at this photo ID. in North Carolina, this proposal, you know, the state itself admitted that 316,000 registered voters do not have the photo ID. needed it to vote. 34% of them are African Americans. So you have to ask yourself what is the real intent? And I think it's very clear that it's to disenfranchise voters in North Carolina.
MELVIN: What about the effort to restore the Voting Rights Act? We know that Congress held hearings last week. What is the latest on that?
EADDY: Well, I think it's promising when we look at the senate hearing that we saw Congressman John Lewis and Congressman Sensenbrenner from very different sides of the aisle come together to say that the Voting Rights Act is absolutely imperative. That we need the Voting Rights Act and that Congress need to move just as it in did in 2006 in a bipartisan manner and we reconstitute section 4 of the voting rights act so we can ensure that we are protecting American voters. And so this summer I think members of congress will be very surprised by the outpour of constituents that will come to their town halls that will be at their meetings that will raise the issue of voting rights.
MELVIN: Before I let you get out of here I do want to talk about Moral Monday specifically because one of the things that has continued to strike me about these protests and we just had some video there. A lot of the folks are protesting they don't look like us. I mean, here is something that was started by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and a number of the people who have gotten arrested again not minorities by any way, shape, form or fashion. What do you think is behind that?
EADDY: Well, I think it's clear this issue cuts across many demographics, many constituencies because it's really about the American values of democracy. And so the NAACP is a very large organization that has members that represent many demographics. And so what we are seeing is that under the leadership of the NAACP and North Carolina, the vast numbers of people of North Carolinians are coming out and saying enough is enough. It's time to put democracy back in front of partisan politics and so that's why we are seeing so many people get arrested in order to say enough is enough in the state of North Carolina and let's put democracy in front of partisan politics.
