I cannot find the thread on Real ID, but IIRC, the anti argument went like:
1) It will give too much new power to gov
2) It will generate privacy issues
3) gov is incompetent to handle it
I don't see either of the arguments. If you are paying taxes, are registered for conscription, driving a car, owning a home, having a phone number, having a bank account, using a credit card, etc., your information is already stored in multiple places under less than perfect security. You'd be amazed how much info about you is already available through the White Pages or even google. We live in an information age. I want to hear what is this new capability that the fedgov would acquire through Real ID, which it does not have now.
As far as privacy and incompetence go, the credit card companies seem to have been dealing mostly successfully with that issue. The gov can follow example or just rent their services.
IMO, the overall effect of Real ID would be positive, not negative, because it will solve a bunch of other issues that we have, such as national security, work verification, immigration, identity theft problems.