John McCann used to be a good columnist. I know. I hired him. But since the Paducah crowd bought The Herald-Sun he has become increasingly irresponsible. John is black but in the past he didn’t consider himself a “black columnist,” just a columnist who happens to be black. But now he’s opened a Barry Saunders franchise in Durham and journalism is the worse for it.

Today, for instance, his entire election day column is about black and white. He feeds the irresponsible and incorrect view that massive vote fraud has taken place since 2000. But he ignores the ACTUAL vote fraud committed by Democratic supporters in Missouri this year. He bemoans the fact that more whites are registered in Durham than blacks. And why is this? Because blacks think their vote doesn’t count. No wonder, with columnists like McCann making that irresponsible charge election after election:

But maybe it says something about the notion that many black folks don’t vote because they believe the system is rigged.

And what a shame here when desperate Democrats are itching to win back the once loyal African-American voter base — here when some pundits believe black people could decide whether control of Congress stays with the GOP or swings the other way.

But because of what’s happened in past elections — shenanigans in Florida, hanging chads, voter suppression by misinformation — there is no shortage of black people who may exercise their right not to color some ovals on Tuesday.

UPDATE: Already there’s an example of vote shenanigans today, and it’s not the kind of shenanigans that benefit conservatives or Republicans. It’s Democratic supporters trying to make it possible for people to cast a vote who haven’t even registered.