Jim Cramer: Voter ID Law Will Disenfranchise My Dad

[BeyondGeography]

CNBC host Jim Cramer said Tuesday that his father was among the estimated 750,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania who lack a state-issued form of identification.

“My dad, a vet, won’t be allowed to vote in Pa. because he does not drive, he is elderly, and can’t prove his citizenship,” Cramer wrote on Twitter.

Many elderly voters, including those who have voted in at least the past fifty elections, will have trouble voting under the law.

A Pennsylvania Supreme Court hearing on the constitutionality of the state’s voter ID law begins on Thursday. The law is also the subject of a Justice Department investigation evaluating whether the law is discriminatory under the Voting Rights Act.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/09/jim_cramer_pennsylvania_voter_id.php?ref=fpa

[ananda]

1. DOJ!

Where are you?

[polichick]

2. Those Republicon assholes on cnbc must love that!

[MADem]

5. My first thought, too. nt

[Ganja Ninja]

3. At the very least the state should be required to issue a photo ID to every registered voter ...

before they are allowed to implement the law.

[BeyondGeography]

4. Great idea

But then again, wouldn't that be FAIR?

[atreides1]

6. That's why the state isn't doing it.

It's a way to purge the voter rolls...for now. The PA Supreme Court will look at this on the 13th...I have heard that the court is made up of 3 Dems and 3 Repubs...the bright side is that one of the Repub judges is reported to be a moderate.

We'll have to wait and see what their decision is.

[malaise]

7. That is the law in poor ass Jamaica

The state issues Voter IDs which are used as national IDs

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. You mean like Mexico?

And as Malaise noted, Jamaica? We should be embarrassed. But that is not the goal of this.

[kestrel91316]

8. Does anybody know if Cramer and his dad are Republicans? Because if they are, I say

SUCK IT UP, YOU FOOLS.

[Sugarcoated]

9. I believe Cramer is a Democrat, a moderate one I'm guessing

His dad, who knows. I live in the same town he grew up in, wonder if his dad is one of my neighbors.

[LondonReign2]

12. No, I believe from previous statements he at least leans Republican

Typically Republican -- it only matters when *you* feel the pain

[Populist_Prole]

14. I'd say more than lean: He's ferociously anti-labor

Even apart from his normal emphatic delivery.

[LynneSin]

13. It doesn't matter what party - what matters is how bad this law is and...

how it impacts the elderly in Pennsylvania.

[raouldukelives]

23. Isn't he the stock market guy?

He can thank all those investments & cheerleading for the corporations abilities to buy off politicians and pass laws favorable to their cause like this and Citizens United.
It's bad enough to vote Repug, it's entirely another level to support them monetarily.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

27. democrat

[Loki]

10. Just how much "investigation"

Does this shit need until it is blocked from taking effect? Disenfranchised almost a million voters and they need more proof?

[kooljerk666]

11. PA is the #2 state for edlerly residents...............

I might bet that the seniors that the GOP exclude are by & large GOPers and they pretty much just shot themselves in their own junk.

At least I hope so, I would die laffing if Obama won PA cause crotchity old white men were unable to vote.

[nanabugg]

18. Yes, because there is no state income tax. nt

[DavidL]

16. UPDATE: Voter ID problem solved for Jim Cramer's dad

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/voter-id-problem-solved-for-jim-cramers-dad

I'm sure PA DOT agency did this as a favor to someone with a national TV show and a million followers on Twitter.

Everyone else, get in line.

[BeyondGeography]

17. Surprise, surprise...now PA Dems should raise holy hell

What a steaming pile...

[Cha]

19. thanks for the link, DavidL... like someone

commented on TPM.. they didn't see one ounce of concern by Jim Cramer for anyone else's Dad not being able to vote in PA.

But, maybe this can be used to point out that Cramer's Dad isn't the only one who had problems getting to vote?

[gael]

20. Is this allowed on CNBC

the station that represents corporations to the detrement of your 401k's and pensions. It finally achieved
the hysteria and rants of the roller rink, and turned most sensible investors off.

[DevonRex]

21. Ask Cramer to help all the others without famous

sons. Try not to be too snarky. The goal is to get relief for disenfranchised voters.

[VPStoltz]

26. He should do one of his apeshit rants on his show about this.

But is anyone listening?
That's the thing about "those types" (meaning Republicons) the don't feel they have to listen to anyone by Rush.

[DallasNE]

22. This Is Not Good Enough

Jim Cramer has money and connections so he was able to get this resolved for his dad. What about the other thousands in the same boat as his dad. Should not the State do the same thing for these other thousands and should not Cramer be following up to assure that that is the case? This should be a class action endeavor rather than being done serially as happened here.

[dothemath]

24. poor thing

So who should pick up your Dad and take him to vote? Any liability issues? Should anything untoward happen, is it guaranteed you, Jim Cramer, will sue? As a multi-millionaire, much of whose money was stolen by manipulating stock prices (by your own admission), are you unable to make arrangements so your dad can vote? Taxpayers, maybe?

[nykym]

25. And here is what the judge based his

decision on.

Pennsylvania Voter Id

A Pennsylvania judge's decision to uphold the state's tough new voter-identification law last month was based in part on a 19th century state court decision that at the time disenfranchised many Philadelphia workmen who the court didn't feel were virtuous enough to vote.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/11/voter-id-law-pennsylvania_n_1873941.html

[magic59]

28. They tried that with my 82 year old mother in Michigan

She had the ID but they wouldn't send her an absentee ballot which they are required to do for anyone or 60 who wants one. Living in a heavy repub area they seem to be making up the rules as they go along.
Anyway, she called me, I called the state AG office, they transferred me to the Bureau of Elections. Took all of one minute, after they thanked me, for them to contact her city clerk to read him the riot act. They called her back, said they are going to hand deliver a ballot to her.
We shall see.