To satiate his political allies in the Republican Party to
the tune of $1.3 million[1],
Gov. McDonnell simultaneously signed SB 1 and HB 9, legislation tightening rules governing
voter identification, into law while handing out an executive order to send
every registered Virginia voter a new voter-ID card in an attempt to cut off
criticism for the controversial voter-ID bills.
SB 1 and HB 9 will add to the forms of acceptable ID while
assisting to “further prevent voter fraud and ensuring Virginians that they can
have faith that votes have not been fraudulently cast,”[2]
as if this were a major concern on the minds of Virginia’s voters.
The executive order to issue new voter-ID cards for
registered Virginia voters by Gov. McDonnell may allow the voter-ID laws to
deter a legal challenge by the U.S. Department of Justice.
As executive director of the advocacy group ProgressVA[3]
mentioned, however, the voting rights of Virginians are “caught between Bob
McDonnell’s allegiance to his right-wing allies and his vice-presidential
aspirations.”
There doesn’t appear to be much Gov. McDonnell won’t do to
straddle the line between his vice-presidential ambitions and kowtowing to the
right-wing loony bin of the Virginia GOP.[4]
When Gov. McDonnell took the unprecedented step of airing
“positive” TV ads touting the achievements of McDonnell and his administration
a little less than a month ago, it symbolized a new era of advance marketing in
Virginia politics that is ethically questionable.
McDonnell has followed up on his “positive” ad blitz with an
obtuse set of decisions that may do more to decrease his chances at serious
consideration for veep than increase them. What’s more, it remains to be seen
how the new voter-ID laws are carried out and how much confusion they may
cause.
There isn’t much in politics that is straight-forward and there aren’t many prescriptions that completely satisfy a problem, but as long as McDonnell becomes vice-presidential nominee, who cares right?
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