Topic: Disenfranchisement

During the late-night Senate budget session, Senator David Vitter proposed an amendment requiring photo IDs for federal elections. The amendment was opposed by Democratic senators who argued it would disenfranchise voters and was inappropriate for a budget resolution debated at 3:15 AM. The hosts highlight the absurdity of the "vote-a-rama" process.

The hosts discuss Michelle Alexander's book *The New Jim Crow*, which argues that the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a racial caste system. They highlight the disenfranchisement of black men and the use of low-wage prison labor by American corporations.