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Raleigh, N.C. — State NAACP President Rev. William Barber held a news conference Friday and responded to a Republican House freshman who accused Barber of "racist diatribes" and having a "race-baiting attitude."
"I don’t take stuff like that personally," Barber told reporters as supporters stood behind him. "He can have his opinion. We believe in freedom of speech. We have a responsibility to correct him."
Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven, along with all other state lawmakers, received an emailed version of a statement last week by Barber on proposed voter ID legislation.
In the statement, Barber calls voter ID initiatives "national propaganda efforts by the far-right to justify the obvious tactic to suppress the votes of minorities, youth, disabled and the elderly," and urges Republican legislative leaders to abandon their push for such a law in North Carolina.
WRAL News obtained the email Speciale sent in response, in which he accused Barber of tarnishing the "proud history" of the NAACP.
"You do minorities and the elderly a disservice when you assume that they are incapable or incompetent to the point that they cannot provide a photo ID to vote," Speciale wrote. "Your comments, both today and in the past are racist and inappropriate, therefore, I request that you remove me from your email list."
Speciale did not respond to calls and emails for comment or clarification.
"It’s like he picked up a book from the '50s or '60s and regurgitated the same answers from that day, instead of listening to what we’re saying," Barber said Friday. "He sent that as a way to try to divide and conquer, and it won’t work."
Speciale isn't the first eastern North Carolina Republican to call Barber and his group racists. In 2011, former Rep. Stephen LaRoque, R-Lenoir, did the same thing.
Barber and NAACP Vice President Curtis Gatewood turned the tables on lawmakers during their news conference, charging that the General Assembly is racist.
"If a policy is going to have a disparate impact upon blacks (and) minorities, we're going to call it what it is," Barber said. "That is why we call it systemic racism."
House Majority Leader Edgar Starnes said the reasons for voter ID legislation are getting lost amid the charges and counter-charges.
"I call on all members of the legislature and of groups with an interest in this issue to focus on policy rather than on emotion. Issues as important as this often generate emotional reactions," Starnes said.
Separately, remarks by NAACP attorney Al McSurely during the news conference regarding the origin of Speciale's email caused another dust-up.
"I don’t really think he wrote this letter. I think he gave it to one of his Civitas people and said, ‘Let’s go after Rev. Barber,'" McSurely said.
Civitas and Dallas Woodhouse, state director of Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina, whom McSurely also mentioned, both released statements Friday, calling on McSurely to retract his statement.
“It is appalling that McSurely, an attorney and therefore an officer of the court, would make such an utterly false claim,” Civitas President Francis De Luca said in a statement. “He has no basis for making that charge: He made it up out of whole cloth. He should retract this lie immediately.”
"I had nothing to do with this email, nor did Americans for Prosperity. To infer that I am responsible for the content of this email is a lie and Mr. McSurely knows it," Woodhouse said in a separate statement. "I intend to hold Mr. McSurely responsible in front of the State North Carolina Bar for his unethical conduct."
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February 1, 2013 7:17 p.m.
February 1, 2013 7:15 p.m.
February 1, 2013 7:13 p.m.
There are a lot of institutions in this country alike that could use serious housecleaning.
February 1, 2013 7:12 p.m.
In Illinois, more registered voters than eligible voters. February 2, 2012 By Editor Leave a Comment
A recent investigation by Defend the Vote , found that 16 out of 110 election jurisdictions inIllinois have more registered voters than eligible voters. In addition, 40 election jurisdictions have 90% or more registered voters than eligible voters.
These figures include both active and inactive voters. Most often, voters are marked inactive when the election authority sends a piece of mail to a voter that is returned to the post office as undeliverable.
Active voters are permitted to vote without question, while inactive voters need to provide verification that they live at their residence. This verification can be a photo ID or items such as a utility bill or bank statement. Both types of voters can sign election petitions and are otherwise equally able to participate in the election process.
February 1, 2013 7:11 p.m.
Except there's a total lack of evidence any of those things are happening.
Solution:
You show up to vote, they take your picture. Next election, they take another and compare.
Discrepancies get investigated.
Done. beaupeep
I have a better solution.
Since there isn't an actual problem, don't spend money to fix it.
Done.
My way is cheaper AND better!
February 1, 2013 7:11 p.m.
You show up to vote, they take your picture. Next election, they take another and compare.
Discrepancies get investigated.
Done.
February 1, 2013 6:52 p.m.
February 1, 2013 6:48 p.m.
You would have gone to his precinct and committed fraud to cast one vote and risked getting caught by a poll worker that knows him? And he's a registered voter who "NEVER" votes? Why'd he register if he "NEVER" vote?
You need to work on your story some more.
February 1, 2013 6:42 p.m.
The thing is, when Barber talks, the media reports, and everyone responds to the media.
February 1, 2013 6:42 p.m.
Or doesn't exist. Like in person voter fraud.
What YOU GUYS need to do is make a valid case that this would disenfranchise voters. You have not made a single valid argument that shows that. Not one.-TruthBKnown Returned
we don't actually. Because the constitution guarantees citizens a right to vote, with no ID requirement listed.
But we already did make the valid case, because unlike fraud, voters WITHOUT ID _actually exist_
ust show up at the DMV (or even the polling place) and let them take your picture. Now your mug is in the database. Done. TruthBKnown Returned
Except, not.... because now every polling place in the nation, and there's a ton of them, need computers and high speed access to the DMV database of their states. Which would cost a fortune, and have a lot of logistical (and privacy) issues as well.
All to fix a problem that does not exist.
February 1, 2013 6:40 p.m.
and yet, they generally don't.
Because it's not worth a felony to try.
Hence why it's incredibly dumb to spend millions and risk disenfranchising legit voters to try and stop something that DOESN'T HAPPEN.
Again, it'd be like you suggesting we spend a bunch of money to develop dinosaur repellent.
It's a stupid solution to an imaginary problem.
February 1, 2013 6:37 p.m.
And yet you still want to spend a bunch of money, and likely disenfranchise (majority democrat) voters, to "fix" the problem you just admitted there's no evidence for existing.
That seems... insane.
I'm curious too why you're not interested in fixing the absentee ballot fraud problem, which _actually_ exists... but tends to skew republican in the votes.
It's also worth asking why the republicans don't talk about fixing that either.
It's because they don't care about actual fraud. They only wanna "fix" whatever they can so the democrats get less votes.
February 1, 2013 6:35 p.m.
February 1, 2013 6:35 p.m.
It is impossible to show examples of something that is nearly undetectable. I knew a guy several years ago that, for personal reasons, chose to NEVER vote in elections. That was his choice, and he was vocal about it (it was his way of protesting the 2-party system). I could have VERY EASILY gone and voted using his name and no one would have been the wiser. That is what we're talking about. It is SO EASY, and nearly impossible to detect. That is what would be fixed with voter ID.
What YOU GUYS need to do is make a valid case that this would disenfranchise voters. You have not made a single valid argument that shows that. Not one.
Keep in mind my example of how people could have an ID without actually getting one. Just show up at the DMV (or even the polling place) and let them take your picture. Now your mug is in the database. Done.
February 1, 2013 6:25 p.m.
February 1, 2013 6:22 p.m.
I just told you. My grandmother no longer votes. She is 95 and in a rest home. Everyone that knows her, knows this.
When an ID is not requested, people can try it. A lot of people do not vote (unfortunately). It is just too easy for someone to TRY to vote using someone else's name.
And there's just no valid reason not to request an ID. Because we can work around the only argument against it -- the cost.
Democrats don't want this because they know THEY are the party that benefits from voter fraud more than any other party.
February 1, 2013 6:21 p.m.
February 1, 2013 6:20 p.m.
Not true at all. If someone lets this prevent them from voting, then they just don't want to vote in the first place. This whole debate is just stupid and we all know it. But we have to convince you lefties when you already know the truth. You're just not willing to admit it.
Let's just admit the truth right now: There is _not_ significant in-person voter fraud AS FAR AS WE KNOW. But they DO want to "fix" the problem THAT LIKELY EXISTS, because it would keep democrats from voting MORE THAN ONCE.
There, I fixed that for you. That's what this is about.
February 1, 2013 6:17 p.m.
Please show me these "thousands and thousands of examples of voter fraud." Especially the ones that would be prevented by picture IDs. Still waiting.
February 1, 2013 6:12 p.m.
Except, it is. At least in-person voter fraud.
You can tell because nobody has managed to provide any significant number of examples of it, no matter how often that are asked.
If it was a rampant problem there'd be, ya know, evidence of it.
There's not though.
Because it doesn't exist.
Right and illeagal immigration was just a California problem- batcave
At least that was a problem that existed. This isn't.
February 1, 2013 6:08 p.m.
February 1, 2013 6:08 p.m.
February 1, 2013 6:05 p.m.
Because when voters show up to vote and find that someone else has voted in their name, it'd be all over FOX news. Doesn't happen. Recently, conservative groups and individuals have tried this stunt only to be recognized as not being who they were trying to impersonate. A whole lot of risk for very little gain.
Roxanne Rubin:
http://ontd-political.livejournal.com/10384776.html
Project veritas:
http://prospect.org/article/real-instance-voter-fraud
February 1, 2013 6:05 p.m.
Right and illeagal immigration was just a California problem, we shouldn't worry about it...famous last words, id for credit cards, shouldn't be a problem for voters.
February 1, 2013 5:53 p.m.
"Which kind of defeats the "purpose" of preventing the imaginary fraud."
Fraud is not imaginary. The sad truth is, it is too late to have ID be effective. This State and many others handed out licenses to millions of illegals. Those very people helped to re-elect Obama because he sent them a strong sign they will get amnesty. That is what is in process now. So the immigrants that honored our laws and went through the process and expense to do it right are having Washington basically tell them they were STUPID.
February 1, 2013 5:52 p.m.
The main idea behind the push for voter ID is that it's majority democrats, as you point out.
But blacks are only about 10% of the population. If they are 33% of those disenfranchised then they are disproportionately disenfranchised.
That's pretty straightforward math.
February 1, 2013 5:51 p.m.
Indeed...and almost NONE of it shows any in-person voter fraud.
Perhaps next time you should read your own source in detail before posting it? Then you'd realize it says exactly what I have been telling you.
There _IS_ significant absentee fraud, which voter ID won't help with- but the Republicans aren't interested in fixing that because most of those voters are... republican voters.
There is _not_ significant in-person voter fraud. But they DO want to "fix" the imaginary problem, because it would keep democrats from voting.
February 1, 2013 5:44 p.m.
February 1, 2013 5:41 p.m.
Ok.
You don't appear to understand the difference between voter registration and ACTUAL VOTING.
90% of what is in that link is about old/outdated/problematic _ registration_ information.
Which requiring an ID -at the polling place to vote- has nothing to do with.
The one item they have about _actual_ voter fraud shows 46 cases. In the last 9 years. Across the entire nation.
What an epidemic!
We should certainly spend millions and risk denying millions of people the legal right to vote to stop those FIVE people per year!
Brilliant plan!
No, wait...the opposite of that.
Oh, wait, it's WORSE than that. Those 46? I actually clicked on the links for them.
Most aren't voter fraud at all. They are identity theft cases that make NO mention of voting at all.
Another is "fraud" because the _candidate_ didn't live in the district.
Most of the rest are _abenstee_ fraud.
Which again, voter ID does nothing to help with.
February 1, 2013 5:41 p.m.
The good reverend does more to perpetuate racism than any other public figure in the state. He's always good for an issue that drives Web traffic.
February 1, 2013 5:41 p.m.
I think it could work. But then some will complain because the poor have to pay for gas to get to the DMV to have their picture taken. The left never seems to have trouble finding something to complain about.
Come on man. We actually agreed on something. lol. . I'm not liberal.. I just realize that these voter IDs will eventually be ruled unconstitutional. Just like amendments banning gay marriage.
So I wonder why upset the proverbial apple cart. And where the hades are the jobs we were promised in 2010.
February 1, 2013 5:40 p.m.
Actually, it seemed to me that Iak had the gist of it. You must be thinking more along the lines of Malcolm X. Either way, to discuss making my family and I pay for what my ancestors many moons ago did is just plain lunacy.
February 1, 2013 5:35 p.m.
I think you're grossly underestimating the cost of every polling station in the nation having immediate access to the DMV database in their respective states.
All to fix an imaginary problem.
How many people complain of voter disenfranchisement in states that require voter ID? We could actually check on this since it is already in place elsewhere.-TruthBKnown Returned
Interestingly, courts have rejected such laws when ID was your only option. The only states the law has stood up were ones that gave you the option to vote WITHOUT ID and sign an affidavit saying you were who you claimed.
Which kind of defeats the "purpose" of preventing the imaginary fraud.
every citizen is required to purchase health insurance-azotrca
Except nobody is being required to buy it. Another imaginary problem
February 1, 2013 5:33 p.m.
February 1, 2013 5:33 p.m.
February 1, 2013 5:28 p.m.
"The analysis shows that 508,000 registered Democrats, 277,000 Republicans and 219,000 unaffiliated voters lack a driver's license. About two-thirds of those without a license are women, and about two-thirds are white, the analysis shows. The breakdown is fairly even across age groups."
Seems that it would be the votes of the whites that would be suppressed!
February 1, 2013 5:28 p.m.
February 1, 2013 5:23 p.m.
You really have no idea what MLK was about. Just stop now.
February 1, 2013 5:23 p.m.
Can't wait for the responses to this. Let me guess. This is a conservative website. Probably funded by "Faux News". Or since it is on the internet, it must not be true. When they're losing an argument, libs ask for something (like evidence or proof). Then when it is provided, they attempt to discredit the source. Nothing ever changes.
But you did ask for it. Here's one biggie that jumped off the page to me: "More than 24 million voter registrations are invalid, yet remain on the rolls nation-wide." There's a lot more at this website.
February 1, 2013 5:20 p.m.
I can't stop you from believing anything. I'm sure that that Jeffrey Blanck, the non-black president of the Reno chapter of the NAACP would agree with me however. Or maybe Michael Teasley before his untimely death. Or maybe Albert Einstein who was a member of the Princeton chapter.
As far as using religion to promote a racist agenda. . .um. . remember the curse of Canaan? Yeah keep on talking . .
February 1, 2013 5:16 p.m.
February 1, 2013 5:10 p.m.
I disagree with Mr. Barber. I don't think Rep. Speciale needs to be corrected at all. He simply spoke the truth which too many people nowadays are afraid to do.
February 1, 2013 5:10 p.m.
February 1, 2013 5:03 p.m.
All they have to do is show up to have their picture made. Don't pay for anything. Just get that picture in the database, and it could be accessed at the polls when needed.
February 1, 2013 5:02 p.m.
Google's your friend, tard. My God, some of you are completely uneducated, aren't ya? This did happen, but the difference is, the Asians aren't still whining about it, forming the NAAAP, or demanding reparations.
February 1, 2013 5:01 p.m.
junkmail, I think you're so wrong about this. Granted, if there was an election tomorrow, a lot of people wouldn't be able to vote. So we have to give people enough time to get their ducks in a row. No problem there.
How many people complain of voter disenfranchisement in states that require voter ID? We could actually check on this since it is already in place elsewhere. We're not inventing anything new here.
I still say, let people just come to the DMV to have their picture made. They don't have to buy anything if they don't want to. But their picture would be in the database, and could be accessed at the polls when someone shows up without an ID.
No cost, except the hassle of going to the location to have the picture made. And we get our voter ID that we want. And it gets that much more difficult to commit voter fraud that, at this point, is virtually undetectable.
February 1, 2013 5:00 p.m.
except for the thousands or more it will deprive of the legal right to vote. junkmail
If every citizen is required to purchase health insurance then they can get their photo id with their proof of health insurance. Everyone has to have a photo id with their ins. id at any first dr's visit. So we are arguing over something that is going to have to occur in order for us to submit to the healthcare law. Thus you can take your citizen id to the poll's to vote if you haven't expired from your public health care already.
February 1, 2013 5:00 p.m.
lol meet in the middle! Awesome!
February 1, 2013 4:59 p.m.
You're definitely a product of the North Carolina Education System post-Perdue election.
February 1, 2013 4:58 p.m.