Hammer Wins One

Marion Hammer scored her first victory this session for the NRA. She got the Florida Senate to pass a bill that would let tackle and bait shops provide voter registration cards. I didn't have a problem with Hammer's proposals. That is because I thought this would be voluntary. The bill makes it legally mandatory for shops voter registration forms.

Hammer's early version of the bill (she maybe a lobbyist, but she wrote it) would fine bait shops. There is nothing about this bill that strikes me as conservative. This is the state government forcing Mom & Pop shops to register people to vote. Conservative principles disappear when the mighty NRA money machine comes knocking.

Jeb Bush will mostly like sign the bill. His spokesman Russell Schweiss said, ""He tends to support policies which would broaden opportunities for voters to register." The man deserves an Oscar for saying that with a straight face. See here and here for what I have written about Jeb blocking people from voting.

Related: NRA v. Business