Fox News host Tucker Carlson responded to former Vice President Joe Biden’s assertion that voter ID requirements is a new version of Jim Crow, during a Monday’s episode “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
“Democrats running for the nomination this year are obviously in an arms race to see who can make the most flamboyant statements and push the most aggressive racial incitement. Joe Biden is the presumptive frontrunner,” Tucker said, introducing the clip of Biden’s comments. “The guy is an idiot, obviously. The question is what does it do to the country when you say things like that and what exactly is he talking about? Is a single word that you just watched on television is it true? Is it rooted in reality in any way? That’s a real question because you are going to hear more of it.” (RELATED: Former Bernie Staffer Wants Biden To Answer For ‘Worse Than Jim Crow’ Crime Bill)
Carlson debated Democratic strategist Max Burns on the issue, and the party consultant took Biden’s side on the matter.
“Joe Biden is only wrong in the sense that thinking that Jim Crow was ever actually gone away. I mean, African-American voters, Latino voters have experienced having their votes invalidated for decades. I mean, look at North Carolina, where they just throw their votes directly in the trash. There is nothing more suppressive than that,” Burns opened, painting a grim picture of race in voting.
Tucker was quick to fight back. “There’s no evidence anyone’s votes were thrown away in this generation and in North Carolina and in the specific case you are talking about on the basis of race. That’s a lie, as you know,” he rebutted. “There is no evidence—just to restate as someone who is familiar with exactly what you are talking about—that anyone’s votes were discarded because of the color of their skin. That’s just not true. To say otherwise is to suggest you don’t know what you are talking about or you’re misleading our audience.”
Burns rejoined with an argument that it’s harder for black voters to have their ballot counted because of harmful voter ID laws. The Democrat also asserted that it’s harder for black citizens to obtain a driver’s license.
“How patronizing can you be? How difficult is it for black people to get a driver’s license?” Carlson responded disdainfully.
The conversation took place after Biden made the comments about Jim Crow laws coming back before a largely black audience in a rally in South Carolina on Saturday.
“Folks, last year, 24 states introduced or enacted at least 70 bills to curtail the right the vote. And guess what? Mostly directed at people of color. You see it. We have Jim Crow sneaking back in,” he told the crowd.
The former vice president went a step further and argued that the reason such laws were making a comeback was that Republicans understood that if black voters had their way, Democrats would win.
“You know when everybody has an equal right to vote, guess what? They lose,” Biden said of Republicans. “They lose. Folks, it’s just absolutely wrong.”