This time on MSNBC.

“We’re hopeful. We’re very hopeful. The good news is that we really believe there’s bipartisan support for amending the Voting Rights Act to try and deal with some of these issues. Ongoing discussions have been happening almost since the Supreme Court’s decision. We’ve been very heartened by public stance of Congressman Sensenbrenner.”

The purpose of this bill is to discourage fraud and to provide the most basic, common, and reasonable security for voting. It is my belief that by requiring a valid photo ID at the polls, we could significantly discourage and defeat voter fraud of all types whether that is voting under false names, voting twice by individuals registered in more than one state, voting by persons who are in the United States illegally, etc. This bill would increase the public’s confidence in election results which is an essential element in a stable democracy.

…At this point you might be wondering, “How do you present a photo ID when voting absentee?” When casting an absentee ballot at a board of elections, an individual would be required to show photo ID and in the case of a mailed absentee ballot, the voter must provide one of the following: their driver’s license number, state ID card number, the last four digits of the their Social Security number, or a copy of the photo ID.

Merry Christmas to all.  Things will slow down here over the holidays from me.  Perhaps Lex and Tabella will have something to say.  I’ll have my Christmastime posting at PJ sometime but not much else.  Blessings of Christmas and Happy New Year.

Months of controversy and irregularities at the Shelby County Election Commission evidently has kindled the interest of the FBI, though the probe’s focus remains unclear and is now a source of even more contention at the embattled county agency.  Link (full story requires subscription)

My latest at PJ Media:

“Michael E. Horowitz, the Department of Justice Inspector General, published a memorandum to Attorney General Eric Holder and Deputy Attorney General James Cole about “challenges” facing the Justice Department.  On the list of challenges were misconduct and malfeasance by DOJ employees and units which PJ Media has been reporting about for years. . . .

PJ Media reported years ago that the Obama administration brings lawsuits attacking voter ID but brazenly refuses to enforce other voting laws such as Section 8 of the National Voting Registration Act which requires states to maintain clean voting rolls.  This policy was announced in my presence when I was at the DOJ by then Deputy Assistant Attorney General Julie Fernandes (who now works for George Soros’ Open Society Foundations spreading his billions to leftist groups to further undermine election integrity).

Kscbnews.com reports: It was a partial victory in federal court Friday for Kansas’ Secretary of State Kris Kobach after a federal judge ordered action be taken within a month on the state’s request to change a federal voter registration form.  The federal form is used in less than 1% of voter registrations in Kansas but provides a loop hole to Kansas’ requirement demanding proof of citizenship.  The federal form only requires a sworn signature.

North Carolina ID opponents, including the Department of Justice, want a trial in 2014 over voter ID and other election changes that would potentially disrupt state preparation for the 2014 federal congressional races.  On the other side, North Carolina wants to push any litigation over the election laws to 2015, a off election year that does not involve any significant federal elections.

Parties who are a gulf apart over what laws should be in place to ensure fair and open elections are just as widely divided about how quickly a lawsuit challenging new voter laws should be heard in federal court.

On Thursday, attorneys for the NAACP, League of Women Voters, the ACLU of North Carolina and other voter rights advocates will gather in a federal courtroom in Winston-Salem to talk about one early point of contention – whether the trial will happen before or after the 2014 elections.

Attorneys representing Gov. Pat McCrory, the N.C. Board of Elections and other state officials have laid out a proposed schedule in a report to the federal court, suggesting that a two- to three-week trial could be held no sooner than the summer of 2015.

 Fox News.

 National Review: “New Black Panthers. Fast and Furious. NSA domestic spying. Spying even on reporters. Solyndra. Pigford-settlement fraud. Contempt of court concerning offshore drilling. IRS harassment of conservative groups. E-mail lawbreaking at the Environmental Protection Agency. All sorts of reversals, embarrassments, and scandals at the Department of Justice, including egregious trial misconduct. And, of course, the incompetence and cover-ups related to Benghazi. . . .

In all of this, Obama’s key thought will be to effect Saul Alinsky’s eighth rule for radicals: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.” Keep the opposition off balance. Attack from all sides, never letting the opponents catch their breath or regroup.

 Link.