Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has called on fellow Republicans to drop an aggressive focus on voter ID laws, saying the party is alienating African Americans. Speaking after a meeting with black leaders in Memphis, Paul said: “Everybody’s gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing. I think it’s wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it’s offending people.” Paul is the most prominent Republican to criticize the party’s push for voter ID laws, which opponents say disenfranchise people of color. Paul’s views on civil rights stirred a controversy as a candidate in 2010 when he publicly opposed enforcing the Civil Rights Act on private businesses.