Madison Cawthorn took a break from bashing Rachel Maddow this week (more on that in a moment) to say something really stupid about voting rights on Twitter.
There’s been a lot of talk about the issue lately, with President Biden giving two major speeches about it this week and the Senate set to debate both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act sometime next week.
Related: Ex-LGBTQ ally Tulsi Gabbard is having a meltdown over voting rights, which she apparently opposes
But Cawthorn, bless his heart, doesn’t seem to get what all the fuss is about. Especially when the issue of vaccine passports seems to be dividing the nation.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“Please don’t tell me asking for a photo ID to vote in elections is racist while simultaneously supporting vaccine passports just to eat inside a restaurant,” the 26-year-old Nazi enthusiast tweeted.
Please don't tell me asking for a photo ID to vote in elections is racist while simultaneously supporting vaccine passports just to eat inside a restaurant.
— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) January 12, 2022
OK, first, voter ID laws are a vestige of the Jim Crow era that Republicans continue to use to disenfranchise low income and minority voters who might otherwise vote for Democrats.
Second, vaccine passports are easily obtainable documents that anyone can get by simply walking into their local Walgreens and asking the pharmacist for a free COVID shot.
(BTW, if you need help finding where to get a COVID-19 vaccine near you, click HERE.)
And, third, this is a false equivalency. Voting in an election is not the same thing as eating at a restaurant.
People were quick to point out the many glaring fallacies in Cawthorn’s argument. Here’s what they’re saying…
Vaccine passports don’t disenfranchise large groups of people from participating in our democracy.
— Rerun (@Buffaloknuckle) January 12, 2022
If you had gone to college you might know that vaccines are required to attend.
— GOPSux (@GOPNoMor) January 13, 2022
Anyone can get a vaccine passport, because anyone can get the vaccine. Not everyone is able to have a photo i.d. In most cases (if not all) you need proof of address in order to get a state i.d. That doesn’t make it very easy for the homeless people to obtain a photo i.d.
— Geni Torriano (@genicacciatore) January 13, 2022
That depends on what photo ids are allowed by the government. Restricting ids that mostly poor and minority people usually have is racist.
— D Sheppard (@sheppadl) January 12, 2022
Photo ID is not free and not convenient. Vaccine passport can be issued at any CVS, Walgreens, Grocery Store, etc. But you knew that already, you just don’t care.
— Gimme Caffeine (@8bitAmethyst) January 12, 2022
The fact that you think these two things are the same explains why you flunked out of college.
— Science Matters (@trustscience92) January 13, 2022
Different issues Maddy, voting and eating may be the same thing to you. Voting is a right, dining out isn’t.
— Mike Peacock (@MikePea94793942) January 13, 2022
Let’s compromise Sparky. A person can only vote if they show their vaccination record.
— Seth 🇺🇸🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (@SethMcFarland87) January 12, 2022
Now, about Maddow…
Earlier this week, a leaked email showed a producer on The Rachel Maddow Show saying they didn’t want to ask Cawthorn for comment on a recent effort to invalidate his future candidacy for office because they didn’t want to “risk” him asking to appear on the show.
“We don’t have a relationship with his office and between you and me are a little worried that if we did inquire he might ask to come on and explain,” the producer reportedly wrote. “I know that is HIGHLY doubtful, but don’t want to take that risk.”
Related: Rep. Madison Cawthorn and wife to divorce after eight months of marriage
This is probably due to the fact that Maddow is a journalist who likes to report on the truth, and Cawthorn is a political hack who likes to spew hate and misinformation. So it makes perfect sense to us why they wouldn’t want him on the show.
Still, Cawthorn has spent all week bashing Maddow for being “afraid” of him.
Progressives are too scared to debate America First conservatives like me.
That's why @maddow was afraid to have me on as a guest on her show on MSDNC.
— Madison Cawthorn (@CawthornforNC) January 13, 2022
Honestly, we’d love to see Maddow go head-to-head with Cawthorn on some of his policy ideas. Maybe she should extend an invitation just to see what happens?
Lol, this guys gonna crush Maddow… pic.twitter.com/vIvG7pRs8i
— Kaiser Soze (@Mr_Kaiser_Soze) January 13, 2022
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
drmiller
Folks, this kid was born and raised in the deep red. He is 100% a product of his environment and he isn’t actually serving anyone but himself. He word-vomits up lines delivered to him by the RNC because he gets a reaction every time. His allegiance to them is based in entirely selfish reasons: to further his name and his career. Every single time he opens his mouth, he gets a response from Liberals which blusters his media attention. STOP FEEDING HIM. Trump did the same thing, and it works because we are so fking triggered! Enough! Roll your eyes and go about your day, these people do not deserve our attention nor our time. We are playing right into their hands and enough is enough.
woodroad34
And when attention to Trump was taken away via his expulsion from Twitter and other social media, he was madder than a hornet at a dragonfly swarm. He craves attention and not giving him attention is his kryptonite. Cawthorn is pretty much the same–bullying aggressive behavior to hide a lack of real manhood.
QDaBirdz1st
Is Cawthorn a person? Well, look at it like this. A real person — a mensch, if you will — if someone who has integrity, empathy for others and who has a deep understanding of the value of ethical/moral behavior? Does any of that sound like Madison?
KyleMichelSullivan
Exactly. It’s best to ignore his ass. Isolate him, like you would a mad dog. He is not a rational creature.
johncp56
Yes he and his other incompetent clan MTG can go also
Ken A.
The dude wasn’t willing to take a break to save his marriage and he speaks of God and Christianity a lot and the #1 sin of Christianity is divorce, it’s in there, one wonders if the people who voted for him are getting anything in return. NC GOP has labeled him a coward. So it is possible and probable he is a 1 term guy.
LMG
With a name like “Madison Cawthorn” does that sound like a real person to you? Abbott of Texas and Cawthorn of NC are both in wheel chairs and one might wonder if that has something to do with their crazy behavior – trying to overcome their handicap by trashing everyone else and trying to make life difficult for others….BUT…Look at the late FDR. He was wheel chair bound and see what he accomplished and did for this country and the world!! Simple truth…Abbott and Cawthorn are just plain NASTY and Bats*!t Crazy.
joverit
Madison Cawthorn is Madison Cawthorn… it’s the toothless cousin-lovin’ homeschooled voters who put him in congress that are the problem
SamB
He’s right though. Anyone can get a photo ID.
cliche guevara
Friendly reminder that using your own stands of credibility, you don’t see yourself as a credible person.
SamB
You don’t have to believe me, but it’s easily verifiable with a quick search. Homeless people can get State ID’s using addresses of shelters, or even with a letter by property owners stating the homeless person can pick up their mail at the following address.
Many states will even give a driver’s license to a homeless person using a shelter address or even just coordinates of the area you usually inhabit (This is California of course).
So if a homeless person can get a State ID, then absolutely anyone who wants an ID can get one.
cliche guevara
It’s a straw man fallacy. The argument is that voter ID requirements disproportionately impact certain groups of people and effectively disenfranchised them not that getting an ID is impossible.
Also, friendly reminder that by your own standard you are not a credible person.
Jaquelope
They can’t get one if they don’t have the money for one. They aren’t free, you know.
SamB
Jaquelope: Doing a quick search I found the following states do not charge the homeless for state ID, Oregon, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Wisconsin, Texas, Maine charges $5 for their state ID. Main charges homeless people $10 for a state ID.
Chliche: You stated, “The argument is that voter ID requirements disproportionately impact certain groups of people and effectively disenfranchised them… ” What groups are you talking about and how are they impacted?
cliche guevara
There various was this works out.
11% of the U.S. citizens lack a photo ID. That comes out to about 21 million people. When looked at nationally on racial lines about 25% of Black citizens do not have a photo ID as opposed to about 8% of white citizens. So, it disproportionately impacts Black voters. In addition a 2014 study found that voter turnout among racial minorities declined in places after photo ID laws were put into place.
Further they require people to get an ID which will disproportionately impact lower income people. They need to pay for an ID and even if an ID is offered for free there are other costs associated like the documents required to get an ID, transportation and time away from work.
Lastly the laws can be discriminatory on what types of IDs are accepted and in how they are applied. I live in Texas and a concealed weapon permit is a valid form of voter ID but a student ID is not. There was also a Caltech/MIT study that showed people of color were more likely be asked for an ID at a voting station than a white person.
All of this may be an acceptable trade off of it were effective at preventing voter fraud, specifically voter impersonation. But there have been less than 50 cases of voter impersonation since 2000. This type of voter fraud isn’t an issue.
The long and the short is everyone that is legally allowed to vote should be encouraged to do so and there should be as few obstacles as possible. Voter ID laws are known to reduce turnout and disproportionately effect certain groups. Since they offer no tangible benefit and imped people’s about to exercise their rights they really don’t make sense.
SamB
Cliche: I agree with you 100% when you said that everyone who is allowed and wants to vote, to have the opportunity to do it. I don’t think voter ID hinders people from voting but lack of motivation is the bigger issue. Organizations on both sides need to go into communities with low voter turnout and try and encourage them to vote, and help them get what they need before they go to the polls.
cliche guevara
It’s fine that you don’t think that it does. What I posted wasn’t a matter of opinion it was actual data that shows the adverse impact of these laws. I prefer policy be made based data than people’s opinions.
SamB
Cliche: Other than the number of people without ID and the alleged 50 cases, you haven’t provided any data to support your idea that people were being disenfranchised. You’ve just provided opinion as well, that’s all this is.
Openminded
Cliche, I’ll accept your 11% claim as fact if you will accept my claim that the majority of those 11% likely don’t have an I.D. because they don’t want an I.D., not because they can’t get an I.D.. It’s way too easy to get free acceptable I.D. for voting purposes and for purposes of receiving Federal financial assistance. The claim that voters, especially low income, are being disenfranchised is false. The group that is allegedly impacted by voter I.D. laws are low income people. Low income people have the highest level of government financial assistance of any other group. The same I.D. and paperwork that these people use to get government assistance is more than enough to acquire a voter’s card. Now incentivizing them to keep up with that card and going out and voting is a whole other issue. If you want to really point out voter suppression, look into the gerrymandering issues that is practiced by both parties any time they have the power to do so. My state representative lives 34 miles away from me “as the crow flies”, but if I were required to stay within my voting district to visit him for business, I would have to drive 127 miles in a horseshow direction to reach his home. Obviously this results in basically no fair representation for anyone in his district.
cliche guevara
SamB –
If 25% of Black people don’t have an ID they are impacted by voter IDs. Your question groups were impacted and that 100% answered your question. There is no opinion there.
I also listed other impacts including those that were backed by studies.
Your response was that you didn’t believe it and that people were lazy. It’s curious that you found out that black people and people color in general were the people that impacted and you responded that they were “lazy”. Black people are lazy is a pretty standard racist trope. I’ll be honest, we have went at it before and I certainly didn’t take you for someone that would go full on racist, but here we are. So, when people say these laws are racist it because racists like you support them. Glad I could connect the
cliche guevara
@Openminded.
Thanks for offering your conjecture. Not super interested in debating your opinion.
SamB
Cliche: I didn’t say “lazy” anywhere. I said “So if a homeless person can get a State ID, then absolutely anyone who wants an ID can get one,” and later I said I think lack of motivation was an issue. I never said lazy nor did I imply laziness. Many people now are apathetic to voting and that needs to be turned around and I don’t care who they vote for.
cliche guevara
Lack of motivation implies laziness. You got busted for your racism. Feel free to spin it all you want. Friendly reminder, by your own admission you aren’t trustworthy.
Brian
I was living in a majority-black neighborhood of a majority-black city in a swing state in 2008. Republicans didn’t just pass a voter ID law last-minute. They *also* changed the services offered by our DMV so that it could only renew existing IDs and not issue new ones. If you wanted a new ID, you had to go to just a small number of DMVs around the state (and how interesting that they were all in majority-white cities). At the same time, Republicans *also* ended several public bus routes. I was pissed because I had been willing to pay higher rent on my apartment because there was a bus stop immediately outside our building. Suddenly, there was no bus service. (And how interesting that they restored bus service after the election was over.)
Remember also that southern states used to segregate pregnant women. White women gave birth in hospitals that issued birth certificates on-site. Black women weren’t allowed to give birth there. Black babies didn’t necessarily get birth certificates. Those practices ended a long time ago, but those black babies have since grown up to reach voting age. They now need to prove who they are in order to get the proof of who they are.
You need to consider the full context of what they’re doing. It is blatantly racist.
Bosch
Regardless, he’s using the voter ID debate to excuse anti-vaxxers from taking responsibility for their potentially harmful choices. And do we really want to take advice on discrimination from a guy who gets hard for Nazi Germany?
Openminded
Cliche, In other words, I’m right. Thanks for the confirmation.
cliche guevara
Oh… you are Right, in a Marjorie Taylor Greene kinda way. Can’t get much more Right than that.
Openminded
Cliche, you still offer no reason to not debate my comment other than you can’t.
Heywood Jablowme
That producer was being overly cautious. I agree with Queerty that Rachel Maddow would have no trouble making MadCaw look foolish on TV. He does generally that on his own anyway.
Mister P
They close the close the state ID offices in the neighborhoods where they don’t want the people of color voting so that it makes it hard to get the ID. If one has to take a long bus ride he or she may just not bother.
It isn’t just about the money.
SamB
There is no proof state offices are being closed to prevent people from voting. I’m sorry, if someone wants to vote, but won’t take a bus ride to get the ID, then they don’t really want to vote.
Openminded
Not true. In Tennessee, there are plenty of groups who offer FREE rides and assistance to acquire both I.D.s and voter cards. In fact, unless it has been stopped in the last 2-3 years, everyone who gets their first time driver’s license is asked if they want to automatically be registered to vote and if you ever update your D.L. info with change of address, that is automatically sent to your county election commission so that they can keep you up to date on your voting precinct. All of this in backwards Tennessee, imagine that.
Godabed
WTF do you keep writing stories about him??? He’s not gay. This is not a gay issue? Is it because YOU find him attractive? Don’t push that onto the rest of us, we don’t need to see him.
americontrarian
Amen, perfect comment. It’s the editor, Graham Gremore. He’s a far left type that loves all this political crap that, as you correctly point out, has no connection to anything remotely gay.
americontrarian
Not posting a comment here to defend this guy – he seems exceptionally underqualified for any responsible position and appears to have become famous solely for being a provocateur and, frankly, a tool.
However, I don’t understand why this specific tweet is of any particular trigger interest for lefties. I don’t think an ID requirement is the same today as maybe it was 70 years ago in terms of a barrier to voting. Maybe Democrats just need to try a little harder to get out the vote if they are so concerned for all of the apparent underrepresented homeless people there are. Maybe organize carpools to the DMV to get IDs for the people who don’t somehow have one. You can’t do anything anywhere in Europe without an ID, as a comparison.
If you’re going to diminish and belittle every Republican raised concern as some big evil racist conspiracy, don’t be surprised when independents side with the Republicans to say no to such nonsense. This exact tendency for Dems since 2016 has people like me running for the exits of the Democratic Party.
I for one welcome any and all criticism and thought exercises for the ridiculous vaccine passport and other Covid restriction excesses. I am not cheering on Omicron and fresh misery, but I love how finally we got the variant that broke the narrative that these particular vaccines are very effective at preventing spread. They are not.
Mister P
The Republicans are definitely trying to suppress the vote in multiple ways.
Openminded
NO they are not. Both parties believe getting voters registered is in their respective best interest.
Prax07
I don’t see any issue with requiring an ID to vote. How else are the volunteers supposed to identify that you’re actually who you claim you are, and that you’re voting in the correct location? But, but, but the homeless? So? IDs should be a mandatory requirement.
dinard38
I think back on the last few election cycles. I don’t recall voter ID ever being an issue. I don’t understand why the democrats keep harping on this issue. I understand the history of IDs to suppress the black vote. But it is 2022, not 1950. Every documented citizen of this country needs some kind of state issued ID. Even the poor on welfare need an ID to get their welfare.
I’m more concerned about the other tactics, like gerrymandering. In Georgia where I live, they’ve closed up many poll locations, a high percentage being in areas of high populations of minorities. After the 2020 election the state now won’t allow the use of drop boxes for ballots. They also shortened the window for early voting. All of these tactics to force voters to stand in incredibly long lines on Election day, hoping that will discourage people from coming out to vote and hoping that will give the republicans an advantage.
It’s tactics like these and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act that concerns me more than this damn ID non-issue.
Jim
wait wait! So Maddows is afraid of Cawthorn. Interesting.
ChrisGMN
Instead of this endless debate about voter IDs, why isn’t our government setting aside funds to provide photo IDs for those who can’t afford them? BOOM. Problem solved.
Heywood Jablowme
That’s the way to go. Poor people can definitely benefit from having IDs. Check cashing, transit discounts, etc.
SamB
Chris: Most states do offer it free for poorer people. Others at a reduced price. There is no reason for anyone to not have a valid state ID.
trojanboy
Is he gay yet?
fredk3
maddow is most certainly not afraid of this little guy. he’s just not worth her time. like the annoying kid in elementary school who would scream “chicken!” to try to pick a fight, cawthorn is just simply crying for attention.
TheAbsoluteTRUTH
You liberals should be ashamed and embarrassed thinking blacks are too incompetent to have ID’s… pathetic