Voter ID has wide support. Why are Republicans struggling to pass it?

Millions of Americans are asking this question. Voter ID is one of the most overwhelmingly popular reforms in the country. According to Gallup, a stunning 84 percent of Americans support showing photo ID at the ballot box. Not only that, but 83 percent also want proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Strong majorities of Republicans, Independents and even Democrats want action.

But Congress is standing in the way. The SAVE Act, one of Republicans’ top priorities, is stalled in the Senate. Never mind that the GOP has a majority. Never mind that Democrats feel pressure from public opinion, too. They know they’re on the wrong side of this issue. But not a single Democrat feels compelled to help Republicans overcome a filibuster and pass voter ID.

Why does this keep happening to the Republican Party? Why can’t the GOP meaningfully change the country’s direction — especially when the public is decisively on their side?

The answer is what I call “the political vise.”

The reason Republicans keep getting stifled is because they’re being pressured from three different directions. On one side, they have the public, which strongly supports what the GOP is trying to do. But on the other two sides, the pressure is working against them. The media is almost completely hostile to everything Republicans want to accomplish. So are the elites who shape our cultural, economic and educational institutions.

The combination of these forces creates the vise that restricts Republicans. It doesn’t........

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