Eric Holder and and whether this is so you know
Eric Holder's legacy or whether this is just Eric Holder doing something that he
thinks is right or whether this
in honour I don't know if this is a change in position to this
administration
but he is pointing out that we have states
in the United States and as such all the states but it's a bunch of them
where a its its baby
well let's see in Florida Iowa
again Kentucky all felons lose all their rights to vote
and then the in see in
something Tennessee Mississippi and Alabama some felons was the right to
vote
and then in New York California Colorado it's alright once you're on probation
you can vote
and parolees can vote in most the rest the country
its it's a its kinda a mishmash and so Eric Holder is saying
any it points out i mean this is served from their news release up
states like Florida Kentucky and Virginia as many as one in five black
adults have been stripped %uh voting rights
I he said his time this is a quote from
Eric Holder himself he said the Attorney General United States america's is time
to fundamentally rethink was the permanently disenfranchise people
who are no longer under federal or state supervision these restrictions are not
only unnecessary and unjust they're also counterproductive by perpetuating the
stigma and isolation
imposed on formerly incarcerated individuals these but laws
increase the likelihood that they will commit future crimes
at worst these laws with a disparate impact on minority communities
echo policies enacted during a deeply troubled period america's past
attire post-civil war discrimination and they have their roots and centuries-old
concept conceptions of justice that were too often based on exclusion
animus and fear so
shareholder course himself african-american speaking about the
impact of that
on african-americans a horse Cooper is himself
african-american and a conservative commentator in it and trying
account as a commentator and senior fellow at the National Center for Public
Policy Research National Center .org
and Horace welcome back to the program good afternoon thanks for me on Dec
yeah I I'm curious your thoughts on this it seems that
the conservative position I'm in historically conservatives have been
all about you know like like david Vitter you know after you get busted
with a hooker he
apologize he promised never to do it again he confessed his sins
and got a standing ovation from his conservative colleagues
the republicans in the united states senate many walked back into the Senate
chamber after that
now is running for governor it seems like the conservative position is to say
you paid your debt to society you have pager price you've served your time
you've been through probation
you are now embraced back by society again
would it not be I'll I think it's really true I'm just not clear on example if
user from
where what prison I will serve senator Vitter far into in
how only serve them well that's that's one of the things he was a rich powerful
white guy so he never was prosecuted
I but he did confess to a crime
who wielded ready he did confess he did confess to the crime
only if they deliver a rich powerful
black guy but he was prosecuted but he missed a beat the charge to
and were right to have kept his nose clean sterile
engaging in our future criminality he would have been allowed to go forward
welcomed the idea is a bill clinton-era holder no no I said OJ Simpson
OJ Simpson oh yah yeah I'll let me know they had to deal with night
with a civil lawsuit and I have I think if this if
and i think is intended to are create the false impression
that the criminal justice system actually
singles out minorities I for treatment that's unfair
well I'll let you know after by a horse for me interrupt you for a second for an
actual thoughtful conversation here
arm you mention OJ Simpson and
I don't hear from over the book you know when the when the Irish became white
but not for okay well the the basic premise the book and I think it's a
really fascinating anthropological
sociological analysis is that quote whiteness in america has been defined a
whole lot of different ways over the years
and there were long periods in American history where Irish were not considered
white where
where high it Jones rockets are dwight worker
were Catholics were not considered white at where poor people were not considered
white
that white really was a socio-economic designation
not AV not 8 not not as much a racial designation during the 1890s the Italian
immigrants are not considered white
so OJ simpson being very wealthy
might be considered if you put it through a purely socioeconomic lines
part about white class in quotes that that used to be
ball about race that now is more about class and income we think
I'm for everything in sight are what I
find most attractive about it here that it demonstrates that
the actual he may have isn't necessarily going to be the determining factor
up your status in american society but I think mister
I holders idea of pursuing this
I as if this is the big problem facing our nation
I if his %uh design more arm to
energized are disaffected groups if the thinking
that there's this unjust system in operation there
and if we can set aside the so-called war on drugs
and talk about felony prosecutions in general
I'm back rate that's robbery arm
that a I am breaking and entering
with a value of other a couple thousand dollars they're couple jurisdictions
where that as little as $250
but I'm and most government for over are a few thousand dollars
in damage when one looks at their
you'd have to be arguing that the police
simply are on interested in felonious behavior
on the part I'll farm the why to leave
well as a tester if you look at drug arrest assist X
for me if you look at drug arrest istics white sand and afro-american whites are
more likely to use pot that african-americans but after earns her
eight times more likely to be arrested for
yeah I have letter for the war on drugs I think I for valor
are a rabbit hole I i'm just talking about felony
activity in general okay and in order to get a felony drug arrest
the amount have to be actually significantly hot
so company in a state that for but depend on the state that from
but you don't have to do that with regard to breaking and entering a
robbery rape
or other kind no I I got my heart of hearts apart provider of you but we just
I just got a one minute cue from Shane we
your heart breaks in this minute we have left what should we do with people after
they paid their debt to society should we let them vote or not
well it is a mistake and I have no problem with the petition basis
I have no problem with the system itself in this state to let you automatically
do it
I guess I do have a problem with places like her but
let you vote even absentee even while sitting in the press
why I'm the stolen our society
%uh yeah a.m. but yet you're actions demonstrate that you'd appreciate that
me right but you're paying your price:
no well thumb up these places
people pay the price others are the faces
sorry for a lengthy time out and I think I'll vermont might do that because
matthew lyon got
you know john adams sent Matthew line to jail a seven per month jail cell and ran
real Rhiannon successfully for the election the election 1800
I don't know bars Cooper is always interesting conversation National Center
.org is the website parts thanks for being with us today