HILLARY PLAYS THE DEMAGOGUE CARD – AT 9:16 A.M. ET:  She'll do and say anything.  Hillary Clinton yesterday went the demagogue route, with crass, wild appeals to low-information voters.  From The Hill:

Hillary Clinton on Thursday blasted potential Republican rivals for the voting requirements in their states as she proposed a series of policies meant to expand access to the polls

The Democratic presidential candidate called for ensuring at least 20 days of early voting across the country, restoring key pieces of the Voting Rights Act and instituting automatic voter registration.

"Today Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of citizens from voting," she said during a speech at Texas Southern University in Houston.
"I call on Republicans at all levels of government, with all manner of ambition to stop fear-mongering about a phantom epidemic of election fraud and start explaining why they are so scared of letting citizens have their say."

Clinton went after former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush by name, accusing the Republican presidential hopefuls of taking part in “a sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchise" minorities, young people and the poor.

She also condemned the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision to quash a key portion of the Voting Rights Act, which forced certain states with a history of discriminatory election laws to pre-clear their changes with the federal government. That, she argues, has allowed localities to pass more restrictive voting laws without oversight.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has pushed for new legislation to address that decision. But Republican leaders in Congress have said action is unnecessary because the current structure provides ample protections for voting rights violations.

Clinton suggested Republicans intended to keep voters away from the polls. She said it was a "cruel irony, but no coincidence" that young voters "are now facing so much exclusion."

She said that automatic voter registration across the country, except for those who opt out, would have a “profound impact on our elections, on our democracy,” while panning the current system as a “relic.”

Critics hit back, pointing to the lack of early voting in Clinton's adopted home state of New York, one of 14 states without the option, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“Hillary Clinton’s rhetoric is misleading and divisive. In reality, the vast majority of Americans — including minority voters — support commonsense measures to prevent voter fraud," said Orlando Watson, a Republican National Committee spokesman focused on black media, in a statement.

COMMENT:  Yes, that's correct.  Poll after poll shows that African Americans favor practical measures to avoid voter fraud.  We have standards for voters, like residency and age requirements, and it's up to the voter to show, by accepted means, that he or she meets those standards.  We long ago did away with unfair standards, like literacy tests and poll taxes.  The methods suggested these days are well within reason.

June 5, 2015