Another Data Point

The headlines and blogs are full of the NAACP - Tea Party spat, but things might not be as polarized as the media and blogosphere would suggest. I did a search of the NAACP blogs and found something you might not have expected. Quentin James, a member of the NAACP Board of Directors, has this tidbit in his blog post about a South Carolina Voter ID bill.

Voting is not a Republican or Democratic issue, but rather one of integrity. The question we are faced with in South Carolina and other states throughout this great country is will we remain true to our American values? While the right to vote has always had to be extended to additional populations, we are almost at a point of true enfranchisement of all Americans. As the Tea Party says, “I want my country back!” These types of legislation further show our current disconnect to ensuring a democratic society flourishes.

Emphasis mine. If Mr. James thought the Tea Party was full of racists, I'd hardly think he'd be quoting them. Here's another interesting bit from one of his commenters.

I registered hundreds of voters in Florida for the 2004 and 2008 elections, and came across a large number of African Americans who have no form of ID. They can still register in Florida, but I believe that it takes longer for their identity to be confirmed. I would love to see the NAACP, African American churches, and other groups embark on a national campaign to encourage people to get some form of ID.

That's quite constructive and well-reasoned.

I wonder what would happen if we stopped letting the big bloggers and the newsmedia act as gatekeepers and instead engaged each other on a more personal level on our individual blogs and elsewhere.