Well, I’ve probably written worse. “Flare” and “flair” sound exactly alike, and their meanings can cross pretty easily. Steve might have first written “Rev. Barber launched a scorching rhetorical flare,” and then decided that that was a bit much. These things happen. On the other hand, Steve does get a pretty good salary, not to mention the fact that he has a half dozen copy editors and other assorted hands to help him along. And, of course, you usually have to pay to read the Wall Street Journal as well, so you might expect them to be more careful.
Sloppy writing, of course, doesn’t have to mean sloppy thinking, but in this case, well, even if there isn’t any causation, there’s plenty of correlation. For example, Moore himself says that the proposed election law changes being pushed by Republican rowdies in the Tar Heel State “appear motivated to suppress minority and Democratic turnout.” Sort of like 21st century poll taxes, Steve?
Steve makes one exception, calling a proposed voter-ID law “a sensible and popular anti-fraud measure.” In fact, this anti-fraud measure so beloved of Republicans is itself a fraud. Real examples of voting fraud almost invariably involve absentee ballots—people voting in two states or one person filling out ballots for other people. Voter-ID laws presume that people frequently show up at the polls and vote under a false name. The fact that there’s virtually no evidence of that happening in the modern era doesn’t count, thanks to those friendly folks at the Supreme Court, who have decided that it’s OK to circumscribe the right to vote in order to prevent imaginary crimes. Well, it isn’t the first time the Court has fucked with an election, and it may not be the last.
Afterwords
As senior economics writer for the WSJ, Steve naturally has quite a few opinions on tax policy, which he is happy to pass along to readers as unimpeachable fact. After listing Republican plans to cut both state income and corporate tax rates, along with eliminating the North Carolina estate tax entirely, Steve “explains” “All of this will spur growth and job creation.” Funny, I don’t remember that happening when Bush cut taxes. Also, Steve complains that the lefties are claiming that this a giveaway to the rich. Excuse me, but why isn’t eliminating estate taxes a giveaway to the rich? Only rich people inherit substantial estates, and the taxes that are paid on estates now are far lower than the taxes paid on regular income, for no reason other than that the rich like it that way. It’s already a giveaway!
