Penn. state Rep.: Photo ID law only disenfranchises the 'lazy' 47 percent

A Republican state representative in Pennsylvania is defending the state's voter photo ID law by claiming that people who were too "lazy" to have identification were probably included in the 47 percent of Americans who Mitt Romney claims don't pay income taxes.

During a radio interview with KDKA on Wednesday, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe defended Pennsylvania's controversial photo ID law by bringing up a recently-released leaked video of Romney telling wealthy donors that it wasn’t his job to worry about the 47 percent of people who refused to “take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

"I don’t believe any legitimate voter that actually wants to exercise that right and takes on the according responsiblity that goes with that right to secure their photo ID will be disenfranchised," Metcalfe insisted. "As Mitt Romney said, 47 percent of the people that are living off the public dole, living off their neighbors’ hard work, and we have a lot of people out there that are too lazy to get up and get out there and get the ID they need."

The lawmaker added: "If individuals are too lazy, the state can’t fix that."

Earlier this year, state officials estimated that 758,00o registered voters in Pennsylvania did not have valid photo IDs.

Listen to this audio from KDKA via Think Progress, broadcast Sept. 19, 2012.

(h/t: Philly.com)

[Photo: YouTube]