Americans have a lot to be outraged over. A nightmarish initial federal response to the pandemic and the Capitol insurrection immediately come to mind. Or, according to Rep. Steve Scalise, democracy?
The noted antigay Republican from Louisiana fired off a tweet Wednesday night after the House passed the For the People Act, a sweeping bill that seeks to affect campaign finance, voting and ethics laws.
The bill would expand early voting, initiate automatic voter registration nationwide and restore the voting rights of the formerly incarcerated, among other things.
Scalise shared his hot take:
“Every single American should be OUTRAGED by this:
Democrats just voted to ban voter ID nationwide and force every state to permanently expand mail-in voting.”
Every single American should be OUTRAGED by this:
Democrats just voted to ban voter ID nationwide and force every state to permanently expand mail-in voting.
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) March 4, 2021
Well, as it turns out, every American is not outraged by the prospect of the government making it easier to vote. Imagine that.
Scalise’s tweet invited immediate response, causing the word “OUTRAGED” to trend on Twitter.
Here’s what folks are saying:
Every single Aerican is outraged at YOU. You want to prevent people from voting. "Voter ID" is a barrier, and you know it; ballots are completely identified and crosschecked with bar codes. Mail-in voting is completely safe. You know that too. Stop trying to harm America.
— Dr. Ohm ?? (@HereToRebuild) March 4, 2021
Steve Scalise is OUTRAGED by democracy. The GOP is literally trying to CANCEL our Democracy.#CancelCulture
— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) March 4, 2021
I'm good with that.
I'm outraged that Georgia passed a law to arrest people for handing out water to voters who are waiting in line.
— ? ????? ??? ??? ™ (@TheDrunkenMick) March 4, 2021
Every American should be outraged by the GOP wanting to make voting as difficult as possible for working people. You don't want people to vote Steve, you want YOUR people to vote – – white, privileged, elitist.
— Lisa Guest (@LisaGWearsAMask) March 4, 2021
4 American deaths in Benghazi.
GOP outrage.
16 investigations.
COVID deaths?
510,000.
No GOP outrage, no investigations.
Craven assholes.#March4th #QAnonCult #March4th #thursdayvibes #stockmarketcrash QAnon Shaman Every American OUTRAGED Neanderthal Former Trump Flynn pic.twitter.com/MR8qNUBtJN
— Steve Rustad (@SteveRustad1) March 4, 2021
I’m outraged you incited an insurrection on the Capitol and keep fanning the flames. Then using those lies to suppress the vote. That’s what I’m outraged about.
— Tim Hannan (@TimHannan) March 4, 2021
Psssst. Hey, @SteveScalise:
Americans should be OUTRAGED that the GOP OPPOSES a bill that 67% of them support, including 57% (!) of Republicans. People *like* mail-in voting, curbing the influence of dark money & holding officials accountable for abuses of power.
/end TED talk. https://t.co/xjjHYbYTJr pic.twitter.com/x1OCsH89Wt
— Nick Knudsen ?? (@NickKnudsenUS) March 4, 2021
Getting tired of politicians telling me what I should be OUTRAGED by. I can figure that out on my own. And I'll tell you what I'm OUTRAGED by. The events of January 6, 2021 and the Capitol Insurrection. I'm OUTRAGED by the insurrectionists & those who provided them with support. https://t.co/g2sjnzzPc2
— Colin P. Clarke (@ColinPClarke) March 4, 2021
I am #outraged that it's really ok for Republicans to try and disenfranchise whole cities of Black folk and we just move on because they were unsuccessful? The issue is they tried voter nullification & racism on a national scale.
The Republican party is a racist party. pic.twitter.com/hmw9rQBIcB
— Jon Smyth (@JonSmyth01) March 4, 2021
Monkey1
How is voter ID a barrier to vote? Don’t tell me there are people with no ID running around.
Cam
1. Any time Republicans have claimed there is voter fraud, none has been found.
2. It is unconstitutional to have a “Poll Tax”, anything that would cost money to be able to cast a vote. I.Ds cost money. And funny enough whenever Democrats have introduced a bill to make state IDs free, Republicans have voted against it because the GOP keep wanting to be able to cry about voter ID laws.
But you already knew that, you’re the same old right wing, anti-LGBTQ troll.
renzinthewoods
Generally the urban working poor change their residence more frequently, cannot get time off from work to stand in line at the Secretary of States office, and may not be able to afford the fees involved. Further, post 911, obtaining State ID often involves providing copies of birth certificates, social security cards, etc. all which require taking further time off to obtain, all for the sole purpose of having the correct ID in order to vote. All that should be required is your voter registration card. I work at a clinic on the West Side of Chicago and serve the urban poor. I know from experience that these individuals struggle to maneuver through bureaucracy. The goal is NOT to prevent voter fraud which does not exist to any significant degree, but rather to create a barrier so that poor folk just give up and don’t vote.
willward
I have a driver’s license that is about to expire. DMV offices are closed near me. When my license expires, I will not have a state ID. I DO have a passport but it does not have my address. I always vote and I am not poor. But I am worried about getting an acceptable voter I.D.
Oh, never mind, I’m white so I’m sure I can talk my way into the voting booth.l
jayceecook
@renzinthewoods Every state is different. My state doesn’t require a voter ID. Just a regular one; driver’s license, state, or military ID. I believe every state should require that and ditch any other type of ID.
Pre 9/11 most states required you to provide a bc, SS card, two proofs of residence, among other things to get one of the 3 above. It really hasn’t changed since.
I didn’t have an ID for a couple years. I don’t drive and my house was broken into at one point. Things like my wallet, bc, SS card were taken. It’s not easy to replace one of those things let alone ALL of them without at least something from that list. So when it became time for me to get my ID I got all those above in one single day. It took almost the entire day, bus and ride share fees, and a walk home to save some money. If I can do that in my poor, urban area most others can too. Not counting the elderly or disabled.
BoomerMyles
Monkey1 must be a paid rethuglican troll who just comments on every news item regurgitating the same lame right wing talking points.
Is that you Lindsay?
Openminded
Voter I.D. is not a barrier. In TN, I.D. cards cost nothing and there are plenty of Gov’t & Non Profits ride programs that will transport anyone to get an I.D.
Personally, I disagree with the automatic voter registration. Where does the information come from that is going to be used to automatically register someone? If it’s from drivers license renewals, property titles, car registration, or tax forms, those people already have an I.D. and have obviously chosen not to register since registering is one of the easiest things to do. My point is, it doesn’t take much to register to vote, if we go sending out pre-registered voter cards, there will be many get in the wrong hands, both Rep. & Demo., which could lead to voter fraud. For those screaming there is no voter fraud, try to remember how the Dems screamed Trump got elected with outside help. Voter fraud is not limited to only one party. I make no claim that Biden won by voter fraud, but I know it is plenty easy to legally vote. To claim it needs to be easier screams of ill intentions, IMO.
BaltoSteve
Since my first attempt at replying now awaits moderation that never comes. @Openminded, since you already lied about the cost of the State issued photo ID cards in the state of TN, not exactly sure we can actually trust anything else you say. Voter ID laws REQUIRE a state issue photo ID card. There is a cost for a state issue photo ID card in TN, granted at $12.00, it’s not too much of a hardship for adult me.. but I remember growing up and $12.00 meant a missed meal or a bill not being paid in full. Perhaps you should try sowing this conspiracy BS elsewhere. Asking questions that you don’t and the readers don’t have answers to. That is right out of the “Trying to Start an Asinine Conspiracy” playbook. Go back to the drawing board and try again.
OhHellNo
Scalise is doing a classic switch. He means ID required for MAIL VOTING. The proposed Georgia law would require you to provide copies of your drivers license or state ID to be put in with your mail-in ballot, which means everyone without a printer has to go pay to have it done – a poll tax. Totally unnecessary – if the state didn’t know who you were, why would they mail you a ballot with your name and address on it in the first place?
jayceecook
While I typically don’t have a problem with voter IDs the rest of the stuff he’s angry about is absurd. I’ve worked for my county’s BOE. I worked with the voting machines. I’ve seen the areas where fraud could happen. Rarely is it ever with American voters or poll workers. Why do you think Trump called Georgia’s Secretary of State? It’s the higher-ups that can (theoretically) “fix” things.
Honestly, voting by mail is the safest, surest, and easiest way to vote. Which is why Republicans don’t like it. Having worked with those as well I can tell you states would probably save a lot of money if they went with a primarily mail in system. Aren’t Republicans supposed to be about reducing government “waste”?
Kangol2
Republicans in Utah have no problem with vote by mail. The same is true in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, and Wyoming, which went overwhelmingly for Don the Con. He had his highest victory margin in Wyoming. Republicans only dislike vote-by-mail if they think it will hinder them from winning elections.
Openminded
Jaycee, I’m interested in the particulars of mail in voting. I’ve assumed from your post that you live in a vote by mail state. If you will, please educate me on a few questions I have about it. (I agree with you that it should be a great way to vote, assuming protections are in place). 1. I can understand that if I request a mail in ballot, my name should be marked off the rolls for in person voting. What happened in districts where mail in ballots were auto generated and sent out to people who had not requested them? If their names were left on the roll for in person voting, what guarantees they didn’t vote by mail also?
2. Are you reasonably confident that mail in ballots are actually cast by the person they are mailed to or can the head of household complete all ballots sent to that household and send them back in?
3. What is the typical system for registering to vote in states that only have mail in ballots?
4. Many argue that due to a higher incidence of poorer people moving more often, it is a burden to keep voter registration cards current, does mail in voting ease this burden?
Personally, I would prefer all voting to be done by mail in ballots with no other options to vote. This would put an end to the election night frenzy by networks determined to declare a winner before all the counting can reasonably be expected to be finished. If these are questions you can answer, thanks for your consideration.
GayEGO
Trump tried to rig the election by having DeJoy slow the vote by mail ballots to make them late and declare them not to be counted, but Trump failed as election officials said all votes must be counted!
tjack47
It will take voters who can more freely vote, for the GOP to understand that they are so tone deaf, so out of touch, so far behind by kowtowing to Trumpsters for them to eventually realize their party is split and dead. They have 3 factions: establishment conservatives, moderates and the Trump voters who haven’t been able to pry their lips from his ass. My fervent hope is he will become irrelevant.
woodroad34
The GOP, while the membership is loud, it is not a majority party…they depend on moderates and some democrats to help them–but they’re currently pushing them away due to the GQP faction. The other course of action is to stop people from voting. The GOP has to lie, cheat and steal to win elections because the majority of people just… do… not… like them.
Lightbulb
The GOPQ is NEVER OUTRAGED by massive school shootings or AR-15’s and semi-automatics? MM lots of places you don’t even need an ID to buy a gun let alone have a background check?
Where in the GOPQ Constitution does it EVEN say you need an ID to vote or can’t vote by mail or can’t vote early???
They always quote the Constitution when it meets their lies…Despicable!
sillyme
I’m a disabled older man with an expired DL and can’t get the DMV here to respond to phone calls or emails, and most of my state is in urban areas and I have to be able to get around and have to ride the bus often and they aren’t cleaned much and have as yet to be cleaned properly due to Covid-19 and the city just sprays water and maybe a wipe with a wet towel and that to them is cleaned? Laughing joke for my former neighbor worked for the transit company/city and said that’s how they clean them and have to come home and wash my hands after being on them just so I can pet my cat and use the toilet and then wash again so I can eat something or get something to drink. I’m on SSD and that I don’t get much after paying rent and bills plus buying cat food and litter for a month with food for me it’s not easy.
ShiningSex
HE is SCUM
Flamingo Falls
I worked as a poll observer for Nevada’s Voter Protection Program during Early Voting and on Election Day. State law requires first-time voters to provide a state-issued voter ID. Several people, who had recently moved to Nevada, did not have one. Fortunately, the nearby DMV was open and was providing temporary state IDs to people with valid out-of-state IDs, passports, SS cards, and other legal ID. One young man had walked from his apartment about a mile from my polling place, because he didn’t have a car. I caught up with him and directed him to the DMV. So he walked another 1/2 mile to the nearest bus stop, caught the bus to the DMV, and returned in time to vote about 30 minutes before polls closed. I truly welled up as did the official poll manager, whose sole concern was ensuring people were able to vote.
Openminded
I don’t ask this to be argumentative, I’m just curious. What prevents people who live close to state lines from voting in their home state, then driving to the next state, requesting a quick DMV I.D. using their home state’s I.D., then going and voting a second time with that I.D.? I realize this sounds like a lot to go through, but when you consider how many people were determined enough to travel to D.C. and attack the Capital building, you have to realize there are a lot of people willing to do whatever it takes to get their candidate elected. I’ll admit, I’m in the minority here, as I really don’t see it being that difficult to obtain and maintain a valid voter registration card thru a system that ensures everyone who is voting, is 1. the registered voter, and 2. voting in the correct precinct so that we all have proper and fair representation.
Ginger Tom
Like almost every other Republican, Scalise wants to stop black people voting because, surprise, surprise they mostly vote Democrat. When people shout “voter fraud” they mean “black people are voting.” If the Democrats get out the black vote they usually win. That is the dreadful arithmetic staring racists like Scalise in the face and they can never get over it.
Openminded
I don’t think the GOP wishes to stop blacks from voting. I do believe (and they won’t say this outloud) that many in the GOP and at least a few Dems, silently feel that if a person doesn’t care enough to do the tiny amount of work required to get registered to vote, that person shouldn’t vote because they are not invested enough in making the country run better. I believe everyone of legal age is able to vote if they want to. At one time, I believed everyone should be required to vote. I believed that when you voted you should be given a voter receipt that had to be attached to your income tax return. If you didn’t attach a voter receipt, you would be charged a nominal fee for not voting. I later realized, there is no good to come from forcing people to vote when they don’t care enough to vote. Personally, I feel that the majority of those who claim they have been prevented or suppressed from becoming registered voters aren’t really trying very hard.
OhHellNo
Dear Openminded: Mail-in ballots are NEVER “auto-generated”, you have to request them to get put into the mailing system. Your mind may be open, but it might need a tune-up.
missvamp
this whole voter id thing is total bs. texas is hardcore about the dps(what most people call the dmv). you need your birth certificate to update your id or dl. with everything closed or impossible to access, it’s a real pain in the butt. you can’t even take a copy- it has to be the real document. i got mine done before all this mess(literally the month before the pandemic started). my husband & mom still need to do the whole real id mess. both are high risk & getting their vax tmrw(thank satan), since our idiot governor is lifting restrictions- don’t even get me started on that insanity. voter registration is done automatically when you get your id- it’s easy. but if you don’t get an id- it’s much harder to register. see- that’s that loophole. they try to make sure that people get an id, but doing that is the hard part. right now it’s impossible to get an id or dl. so yeah- make it as hard as possible. this last election, it was 100x harder than normal.
GreekKeys
I’m outraged that shooter missed.
BoomerMyles
The shooter didn’t miss. He was just off by a few milimeters.
Phillip
The irony of this racist is it was a black, lesbian cop who saved his lily-white butt and one would think that would have been an event that would change his miserable life around. No, not him; he continued his racist ways the second he was able to go back to work.
There is nothing good about this white supremist or his GOP party.
Kangol2
You got it. Don’t forget that this racist scumbag met with a known White supremacist organization and then tried to talk his way out of it by claiming he had no idea what their beliefs were. Of course it was a Black lesbian who then saved his vile @ss. Steve Scalise is putrid, like his rabidly racist and anti-gay party.
cuteguy
Everybody should be outraged that the GQP is trying to disenfranchise voters. It’s been reported that more and more ppl are leaving the GQP so this is an obvious attempt to suppress legal votes from coming in. But I’m sure Faux News will report differently. Let’s all pray that the GQP don’t get their way for next years mid term elections
butchqueen
I have been voting by mail in Washington state ever since I moved here. It is fantastic.
Openminded
Does “banning voter I.D.” mean that, if your name is on the voter registration rolls, you will be able to walk up and vote with no proof of I.D? If so, what will keep somebody from voting under my name before I get to the polls and void my opportunity to cast my vote? If it just means a valid I.D. is all you need and no voter card, I’m fine with that.
GayEGO
All votes must be counted including ones slowed down by Postmaster General DeJoy who tried to make them late and then Trump ordered the late ones not to be counted. Election officials said all votes must be counted causing Trump to fail in his attempt to rig the election.
sadiedog63
This clown is about anti American as one can get. It’s time we the people vote this nazi POS out of office. Its time for the facist GOPQ to be destroyed, let’s put these rodents in the city dump where they belong. I’m sick of these violent parasites telling me what I should be outraged about, I’m outraged about the dirty GOPQ being complicit in the insurrection of the Capitol and the destruction of our democracy. Time for scalise to be put out to pasture.