So on Wednesday, the day after the Wisconsin recall election, “Common Cause MN” – the stealth progressive astroturf group – tweeted:

RNC fundraising email credits voter ID law in WI victories. Even they agree that it is designed to suppress voter turnout. #stribpol

That sounded serious!  There’s nothing quite as low-rent as trying to keep people from the polls that actually belong there.  And Common Cause insinuates that the Wisconsin GOP used a “Voter ID” law to keep people away from the polls (stop me if I’m wrong about the insinuation, but it seems pretty clear to me).

So I thought I’d check it out.

Someone forwarded me a copy of the email from Reince Priebus, GOP national chair.  I include the letter in its entirety, redacting only the name of the recipient (who forwarded me the email).  I bolded the reference to voter ID:

Dear [Redacted],

The Republican Party won a great victory over the Big Union bosses and Obama Democrats last night, and we could not have done it without the support you have given the RNC.

Last November, Wisconsin voters elected new leaders to get their state back on track. When they did, union bosses lost their allies in the state house and vowed to stop at nothing to return Wisconsin to the failed politics-as-usual. They orchestrated a recall election for selfish political retribution — all the while Governor Scott Walker and Republicans in Wisconsin worked to put people back to work and turned deficits into surpluses.

Yesterday, Wisconsin voters reaffirmed their support of Republican leadership in their state and rejected the reckless spending of Wisconsin Democrats and the downgrade-inducing policies of their Washington counterparts. The people have given their seal of approval to Republicans’ successful efforts to balance the budget and ensure a healthy economy.

Because of your support of the RNC, [Redacted], we were able to help the Wisconsin Party’s grassroots efforts and provide strategic resources to keep our majority in the state senate.

We provided staff on the ground;

Funded a voter ID program;

Worked with the Wisconsin Party on contact lists and a Get-Out-The-Vote plan;

Provided Get-Out-The-Vote technology and equipment to the state party; and,

Funded the absentee ballot program.

None of this would have been possible without your financial support of the Republican National Committee.

We are currently laying the groundwork to take the fight to the Obama Democrats nationwide in the 2011 state and 2012 presidential elections. We intend to challenge Barack Obama in every state, fund a robust Get-Out-The-Vote program and get the truth about the disastrous consequences of his economic policies around the liberal media filter and directly to the voters so we can defeat him in 2012. But we cannot do it without your continuing generous support.

[Redacted], help us lay the foundation to win back the White House, regain total control of Congress and ensure Barack Obama is a one-term president by making a contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more today. Please give as generously as you can. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Reince Priebus

Chairman, Republican National Committee

So the only reference to “Voter ID” in the letter is to voter identification – which means “finding out who in your district is likely to vote GOP, and making sure every last one of them gets to the polls”.

Not asking for an ID at the polls.

Further proof that the best way to tell if “Common Cause MN” is lying is to see if their lips are moving, or their fingers are touching a keyboard.  Or both.