A few moments ago, in the lobby of the hotel I'm staying at in Washington, I ran into an old friend who’s become a conservative Republican. He’s incensed at the news that billionaire investor George Soros has committed $5 million to lawsuits attacking voting restrictions put in place by Republican-led legislatures and governors -- including ID requirements and limits on early voting. “You criticize the Koch brothers,” he said. “Soros is doing the same thing, but he’s a liberal so you don’t criticize him.”
“There’s a huge difference,” I said. “The Koch brothers’ political machine is spending over $900 million on the 2016 election – much of it to dismantle environmental and safety regulations, and cut taxes on the wealthy, in order to further enrich themselves. Soros is spending $5 million to help preserve the voting rights of the poor, minorities, and young.”
“That’s a lot of crap,” he said. “Soros just wants to give Democrats an advantage, even if it invites voter fraud.”
“Voter fraud is a red herring,” I said. “It’s nearly non-existent. These restrictions were put in place to make it harder for millions of low-income Americans to vote. Soros deserves the thanks of everyone who cares about our democracy. The Koch brothers are intent on stealing our democracy.”
At this point he turned around and walked away, muttering to himself.
