Pennsylvania, home to the guy who said voter ID laws would help Romney win the state, should not be worried about minorities not voting. It should obviously be more worried about white voters being intimidated by black guards at majority black polling stations, according to conservatives. Yes, the New Black Panther controversy from 2008 has lit up again today.

Conservative media are saying "New Black Panther thugs" are back at Pennsylvania's 14th Ward polling place, standing there and intimidating white voters with their black jackets and black hats and black skin. It's the same location that New Black Panthers were videotaped at in 2008, when Malik Zulu Shabazz and Jerry Jackson showed up with a nightstick because they allegedly heard rumors that skinheads would show up to intimidate black voters. The real controversy? The Department of Justice eventually dropped charges of voter intimidation after Obama went into office, convincing conspiracy theorists that Obama hates white people.

Unfortunately for conservatives, if they couldn't win that round, no way they have a case this time. Fox News shot video of Jackson at the polling place. Jackson is the only one there, is a designated poll watcher and did not hold a nightstick. He is literally just standing there. Of course, NBPP is labeled a hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center due to anti-white and anti-Semitic rhetoric. But if NBPP is seriously looking to intimidate white people, the 14th Ward is a poorly chosen  place: Slate's David Weigel points out that very few white people live there.

Conservative fear of black people standing has spread to all-important Ohio, too:

Black Panthers at Cuyahoga county Ohio board of elections.. twitter.com/katieb_william…

— Katie Williams (@katieb_williams) November 6, 2012

In case you should think that NBPP "intimidators" being black has anything to do with it, think again:

@carynbrophy @katieb_williams It's not the color of their skin. It's the attitude oozing from them as displayed by their body language

— Linda C (@LindaCinCalgary) November 6, 2012

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at sdai at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Serena Dai