Chad’s Morning Brief: Texas Voter ID Blocked by the Obama Administration, Tuesday GOP Primaries, & More

Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of March 13, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty for these and many more topics from 6-9 am.

1. Voter ID Blocked (link)

The Justice Department has blocked the new Voter ID law here in the State of Texas. The move by the Justice Department wasn't surprising given the current war on Texas that the Obama Administration is conducting. South Carolina also had their Voter ID law blocked by the DOJ just months ago.

Democrats were quick to praise the action and agreed with the Justice Department that the law would have hurt Hispanics. Conservatives were outraged by the action that was taken.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, accused the Justice Department of playing “statistical games” and said the decision was based on “ideology.”

“The Texas law isn’t any different than the Georgia and Indiana voter ID laws, and both of those laws have been in place more than five years,” von Spakovsky said. “Turnout of Hispanics and blacks went up dramatically after voter ID laws went into place. The Justice Department is ignoring all that.”

Governor Rick Perry released his own statement:

“Texas has a responsibility to ensure elections are fair, beyond reproach and accurately reflect the will of voters. The DOJ has no valid reason for rejecting this important law, which requires nothing more extensive than the type of photo identification necessary to receive a library card or board an airplane. Their denial is yet another example of the Obama Administration’s continuing and pervasive federal overreach.”

You can read other TX reaction here.

I really don't understand how Democrats and the Obama Administration can say with a straight face that this law hurts any law abiding citizen. As Gov. Perry pointed out, you have to have an ID in order to do a lot of things in life. Boarding a place, writing a check, getting money out of the bank, are just a few examples of places were you need an ID. No one ever asks the Democrats about that though.

2. Alabama, Mississippi, and Hawaii Vote Tonight (link)

Another big night of primaries tonight and the two biggest states up for grabs are in the South. Alabama and Mississippi will test Romney's strength and as of right now, it's looking pretty good for Romney.

According to polling out Monday by American Research Group, Romney is statistically tied with Gingrich in Mississippi, 34-32 percent. Santorum has 22 percent and Paul has 8 percent among the 600 likely GOP primary voters surveyed on the weekend.

In Alabama, Gingrich leads Romney 34-31 percent in the ARG poll with Santorum at 24 percent and Paul with 6 percent among the same size sample.

The Romney camp is trying to argue that this process is all but over. Santorum and Gingrich aren't buying it and don't look to drop out anytime soon. If Romney does well tonight, it will be huge for him. Winning one of the states or even coming in a close second will help Romney's argument that even in the South, people are warming up to him.

3. Latest from Afghanistan (link)

President Obama doesn't want to leave Afghanistan too early in the wake of a U.S. soldier who killed Afghan civilians. According to Politico:

"It's important for us to make sure that we get out in a responsible way, so that we don't end up having to go back in ... but what we don't want to do is to do it in a way that is just a rush for the exits," Obama told KDKA, the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh.

At the same time, though, he told Denver's CBS affiliate, KCNC, "I think it's important for us just to make sure that we are not ... in Afghanistan longer than we need to be." Obama said that U.S. forces are still working on a timeline to leave Afghanistan by 2014, something that other administration officials have also said.

"Obviously what happened this weekend is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic," Obama told KDKA.

"It appears that you had a lone gunman who acted on his own in just a tragic, tragic way," the president said in another Monday interview, with Orlando ABC affliate WFTV. Obama said he expressed his "deep condolences" to Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a Sunday phone call.

4. George P. Bush for Land Commissioner? (link)

Another Bush rising in Texas?

George P. Bush is said to be weighing a bid for Texas land commissioner in 2014, but he told the American-Statesman on Monday that he has “no firm plans” to run.

A source familiar with Bush’s plans, who is not authorized to discuss them and therefore requested anonymity, said Bush has been talking about running for state land commissioner when that office is on the ballot in two years.

Bush pushed back against that chatter Monday, although he didn’t fully close the door on a 2014 campaign.

Bush told the American-Statesman in an e-mail, “I am flattered that my name keeps surfacing for public office but I have no firm plans to run this election year or in 2014.”

Bush, 35, is the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the nephew of former President George W. Bush. He is a partner with Pennybacker Capital, a real estate private equity firm based in Austin. He is the national co-chairman of Maverick PAC, a group of under-45 Republicans that supports conservative candidates, and he is a founding co-chairman of the Hispanic Republicans of Texas.

“Helping ensure that our Republican nominee defeats Barack Obama and supporting the work of MAV-PAC and the Hispanic Republicans of Texas is my top political focus right now,” Bush said.

5. Dumb story of the morning (link)

How many times do you really have to tase a 9 year old?

Officials in the Madison County village of Mount Sterling expect a packed house tonight when the village council meets for the first time since suspending Police Chief Mike McCoy and essentially disbanding the police force on Friday.

Mayor Charlie Neff issued the suspensions after he was told that a village police officer had shocked a 9-year-old boy with a Taser earlier in the week during an arrest. Neff said McCoy should have immediately reported the incident to Neff and council members. He did not.

Officer Scott O’Neil, who used the Taser twice Tuesday morning on 9-year-old Jared Perry, did not respond to calls on Friday for comment. Village officials, however, released a copy of O’Neil’s report this morning.

The sheriff’s office had requested an officer check the boy’s S. Market Street address on because there was an outstanding unruly juvenile complaint filed against him because he was truant from school.

According to O’Neil’s written account: He arrived at the home just before 8:30 a.m. to take the boy into custody. Jared refused to cooperate and wouldn’t put on his shoes to go with the officer. He begged his mother, Michelle Perry, to let him go to school rather than with the officer, but Perry told her son it was too late.

O’Neil wrote that after repeated warnings, he pulled Jared from the couch but the boy “ dropped to the floor and became dead weight ... flailing around.” The officer wrote that Jared — who is listed as between 5 foot 5 and 5 foot 8 inches tall and between 200 and 250 pounds — laid on his hands to prevent being handcuffed.

Not sure how I feel about this. While I don't think you should have to taser a 9 year old twice, this was a BIG 9 year old. Maybe I don't blame the cop too much.

6. Good Brews Good News of the Day (link)

Tim Tebow is just a good guy.

Preston Winslow, a four-year-old boy with acute myeloid leukemia, received the surprise of a lifetime on Saturday when Tim Tebow invited him to play some football.

The Daily Mail recounts:

“Taking the boy’s hand, the two walked onto the indoor sports field together which – to his parents’ surprise – led to the two running and playing around.

‘Are you ready to catch it?’, Tebow asked the boy, according to WPTV. ‘Are you chasing me?’

‘It amazes me at how much energy he had out there playing and running around. He didn’t even want to stop,’ said Mrs Winslow.

[...]

Leaving no opportunity missed, Tebow also took time to show the boy how to ‘Tebow’ with him, as it’s called – a popular reference to the athlete’s kneel for prayer during games.

Preston mimicked the stance, with both resting their left elbow on their left knee while their right knee stayed firmly on the ground.”

Everyday, Good Brews Coffee & Tea Lounge brings you the Good News of the Day!

Other Top Stories:

Obama Defends Energy Policies

Senate to Debate Hutchison's Ban on Tolls

Gingrich and Perry Deny Ticket Talk

Pink Slime is Good for Kids

Obama's Woman Problem

These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.