Historical Perspective on Real ID

In 1932, Joseph Stalin instituted an "internal passport" system in the Soviet Union to fight the threat of "counterrevolutionaries." Based on a hated czarist system abolished by Lenin, this internal identification paper quickly became the basis of state control over every aspect of life in Russia. Police could demand this passport at anytime and there were severe penalties for those who didn't carry it. Travel and employment was impossible without this document. You needed the passport to board a train. You were required to show this ID for even the lowliest kind of job. For a resident of Kiev to travel to Leningrad without an obvious reason would attract the attention of the police.
Photo: Nazi Kennkarte, Citizen Identification document.

In 2003, the Department of Homeland Security hired Yevgeny Primakov and Alexander Karpov as consultants. Both former ranking officials in the Soviet KGB, they were tasked with developing internal security programs for the United States. See also. (This falls under the category of persistent rumor. I can find no hard news source but there are dozens of separate sources, including Primakov himself on a British radio broadcast. There is so much smoke I tend to believe there is fire beneath it.) Primakov is quoted as openly comparing the DHS Real ID system to the old Soviet system.

Uses of Real ID
This internal passport will be a required document to travel by airplane anywhere within the United States (see below), to check into any hotel, and to rent a car. It will be a required document for entry into any government building. This government identity paper will be required for any job, even the most menial. It will be required to be allowed to vote. It will be require to receive medical treatment. It will quickly become the single most important piece of plastic in every American's life. The police will be able to turn someone into an unperson by the simple act of confiscating their Real ID. See also prisonplanet, Charlotte Iserbyt, Real Nightmare, and Privacy Digest.

Add in the "Secure Flight" System
The Transportation Safety Administration has proposed a system where every American traveling by airplane within the United States must first gain federal government permission for travel. Called "Secure Flight" it will require airlines to report all travelers to the TSA and boarding passes can be issued only if the government grants permission.

Candidates and Real ID
Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul are the only Republicans to oppose Real ID. John McCain loves it. All Democrats except Hillary Clinton have expressed strong opposition. Clinton dislikes the cost of the program but has no objection to the purpose. Source.