# College Republican punches Kerry supporting teacher's foot with his leg **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 1, 2004, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296 "2004-11-01T10:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/61 "2004-11-01T18:35:29Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > I’d like to know **Bricker** ’s reaction to widespread chicanery by the GOP. Since he’ so shocked and horrifed by one Democratic partisan’s misbehavior, I’m sure he’ll denounce massive vote suppression and downright fraud orchestrated by the RNC. Doubtless he can find a way to interpret the Constitution such that it’s not only acceptable, but a downright moral imperative. Then he’ll call every liberal in the country a hypocrit for disagreeing. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/62 "2004-11-01T18:38:55Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > Imagine what would happen if we didn’t have a political process that settles these things peaceably among the populace in general. A nationwide epidemic of shin-kicking? Seriously, I agree with you that we need the political process to forestall violence. I disagree that this episode is a cautionary tale. > [@Liberal](#): > > It’s bad enough that you talk like there’s only two sides, but you both systematically exclude independents, third parties, and dissidents from participation in the process. Just try getting on a state ballot as a Libertarian or Independent sometime. Even if you jump through the hoops of fire in every state, their BIpartisan commission won’t let you debate. There ain’t even a judge anywhere who gives a shit. This I agree with you on. It is shameful that third parties are excluded from the process, and I wish I knew a way to change this. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/63 "2004-11-01T18:39:13Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > First, from my source: > It said that when I posted it, too. > > Second, carrying out a plan that a judge has forbidden you from carrying out is illegal. Maybe you should check out how the law works sometime before calling other people liars. The judge declared that their plan was illegal, by which I obviously mean they don’t have the legal right to carry out their plan. > > Note that if the judges’ decisions are overturned on appeal, the appeals court will be saying that their plan was legal. This ain’t rocket science. It’s just law. > > I’ll accept your apology now, since I doubt I’ll get a chance to accept it later; you’re not famous for admitting when you overreach. > > Daniel Control-F brought up nothing when I searched for “appeal”. The report was marked as “3 minutes ago” when I opened it. You are mistaken when you say that I do not admit when I’m wrong, as you can document by searching through my posts. I will expect your apology. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/64 "2004-11-01T18:42:25Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Control-F brought up nothing when I searched for “appeal”. The report was marked as “3 minutes ago” when I opened it. You must’ve mistyped it or something, because that passage was in the article when I linked to it. > [@](#): > > You are mistaken when you say that I do not admit when I’m wrong, as you can document by searching through my posts. I will expect your apology. You can bugger flies all you want, but the fact remains that I did not say that. Live by the pedantry, die by the pedantry, Lib. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/65 "2004-11-01T18:43:00Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Nah–I’m satisfied with [two judges telling them that their plan was illegal](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=4&u=/ap/20041101/ap_on_el_pr/ohio_voting). Course, that’s just my pansy-ass liberal spin on things. > > Daniel It is, actually. The judge ruled that the law permitting challengers was unconstitutional, since it did not permit a challenged voter time to appeal. Now, that ruling may be correct, or not - we’ll see. But up until that ruling was made, the law permitting challengers was presumptively valid. You cannot suggest that anyone following it was acting illegally. > [@](#): > > I point you at the felon list that was skewed to favor Republicans heavily. Yes, it’s been discontinued; at the same time, it was an action by Republican officials that may well have been intended to be an illegal subversion of the democratic process. Will you condemn the Republican party for that? Absolutely, as I have before. That was a highly improper tactic, and I cannot believe it was so much as attempted. > [@](#): > > The Republicans are not denying their voter suppression efforts, so it’s hardly “just spin” that they are sending people to the polls to challenge voters, slow down the lines, etc. Actually, I am unaware of any Republican statement to the effect that they are trying to slow down lines. Challenge illegal voters - yes. That’s the intent. Slow down line? That’s NOT the intent. So yes, it is just spin for you to say otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/66 "2004-11-01T18:45:48Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > A leftist source? Of course, of course… Ok, I disagree, but this made me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/67 "2004-11-01T18:46:06Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Damn, you people are going to need a gyroscope. The court ruled that the law itself is unconstitutional, not that their plan was illegal. Making plans was completely legal, but now carrying out their plan depends on court rulings. The leftist source you cited, Yahoo!, does not report whether the ruling will be appealed. From Daniel’s link: > [@](#): > > Weaver called Dlott’s ruling erroneous and said the party would ask the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (news - web sites) in Cincinnati to overturn it. If the appeals court agrees to keep challengers out of the polls, the party was prepared to appeal Adams’ ruling. > “The law is clearly in our favor,” Weaver said. “The 6th Circuit has already had to correct some of the bad decisions made by district court judges and we think they’ll do it again.” ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/68 "2004-11-01T18:48:59Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > You can bugger flies all you want, but the fact remains that I did not say that. Live by the pedantry, die by the pedantry, Lib. > > Daniel Huh? You said that two judges ruled the plan was illegal. That’s what I said you said. If you point out an error, I’ll admit it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/69 "2004-11-01T18:50:21Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > The judge ruled that the law permitting challengers was unconstitutional, since it did not permit a challenged voter time to appeal. Now, that ruling may be correct, or not - we’ll see. But up until that ruling was made, the law permitting challengers was presumptively valid. You cannot suggest that anyone following it was acting illegally. I suspect that it all depends on what the meaning of “was” was. (That line never grows old!) After I typed my message, I realized that people may misinterpret my use of the past tense to be saying that the judge was saying that **prior to the judge’s ruling** it’d be illegal for them to carry out their plan. That was not my intent: my intent was to say that the judge said that **after the judge’s ruling** it’d be illegal for them to carry out their plan. Their plan was, therefore, **after the judge’s ruling** , an illegal plan. Perhaps I should have phrased it differently; perhaps it would have been clearer if I’d said that “two judges telling them that their plan **is** illegal.” While what I said was technically correct, it was ambiguous; I apologize for the confusion. > [@](#): > > Absolutely, as I have before. That was a highly improper tactic, and I cannot believe it was so much as attempted. What I have not seen you do is to use it to impugn the entire Republican party, as you have used this incident in your first post in this thread to impugn the entire Democratic party. Personally, I think doing either is inappropriate (although it’s better to impugn a party **based on the actions of its official members acting in their job capacity** ); I was just pointing out what I believe is a double-standard. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/70 "2004-11-01T18:50:23Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Doubtless he can find a way to interpret the Constitution such that it’s not only acceptable, but a downright moral imperative. Then he’ll call every liberal in the country a hypocrit for disagreeing. Ah, yes - the psychological phenomenon known as “projection.” Because you and your ilk are happy to re-interpret the Constitution every time the winds changes, naturally you assume that others are similarly inclined. I believe in strictly and narrowly interpreting the Constitution. I know that’s a huge comprehension gulf to cross - that words mean wimply what they say, and no more - but try to focus your mind upon it until it becomes clear. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/71 "2004-11-01T18:51:05Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Ok, I disagree, but this made me laugh. Thank goodness! 😃 I hope that, after tomorrow, we can all have a good laugh. The tyrant is dead. Long live the tyrant. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/72 "2004-11-01T18:52:18Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > From Daniel’s link: Yeah, but it wasn’t there at “3 minutes”. My Control-F still has “appeal”. (Copied and pasted.) ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/73 "2004-11-01T18:52:44Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > The student says he plans to sue the school. The Republicans are right, we need tort reform to protect us from frivolous lawsuits from Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/74 "2004-11-01T18:54:41Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Huh? You said that two judges ruled the plan was illegal. That’s what I said you said. If you point out an error, I’ll admit it. I should know better than to enter into this hairsplitting contest. Take it as a lesson: your confusion at my abstruse post mirrors other folks’ confusion at your own abstruse posts. I said: “you’re not famous for admitting when you overreach.” You said: “You are mistaken when you say that I do not admit when I’m wrong.” I said: “the fact remains that I did not say that.” Got it? Unless you think you ARE famous for admitting when you overreach, you got no quibble with the denotation of my words. As for the connotation of them–well, I think your behavior here bears it out. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/75 "2004-11-01T18:58:12Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Yeah, but it wasn’t there at “3 minutes”. My Control-F still has “appeal”. (Copied and pasted.) There are several explanations for this, the least likely of which is that Yahoo had the paragraph about appeals when I read the article, took it out when you read the article, and put it back in when I reread the article. Far likelier is that you didn’t search properly. Maybe you clicked somewhere near the end of the article, below the “appeals” paragraph, and it searched downward from there. At any rate, you’re blaming technology for your own error. Had you **read** the article instead of Control+Fing it, you would’ve found the paragraph (assuming there’s not a leftist Yahoo plot out to discredit you, that is 🙂 ). Daniel ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/76 "2004-11-01T18:58:38Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Doubtless he can find a way to interpret the Constitution such that it’s not only acceptable, but a downright moral imperative. Then he’ll call every liberal in the country a hypocrit for disagreeing. Speaking only for me: I don’t want felons to vote if same is a violation of state law. I don’t want _anybody_ who isn’t _legally entitled_ to vote casting a vote. I don’t give a fiddlers fuck if they want to vote for Bush, Kerry, or C. Estes Kefauver, or if they are registered by the Democratic, Republican, or Naked Coed Keg party! Why is this such a goddamn brain-breaker? I treat the checking and verification of true elegibility no differently than I do a DUI checkpoint. I’m not intox, my license and reg are valid, but I’ll submit to the inconvenience because the process catches people who shouldn’t be on the road. Let both sides check to ensure that only those who are legally entitled to vote, cast a vote. Then perhaps we will have a final outcome which isn’t tainted. Is that an unreasonable request? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/77 "2004-11-01T18:58:47Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Ah, yes - the psychological phenomenon known as “projection.” > > Because you and your ilk are happy to re-interpret the Constitution every time the winds changes, naturally you assume that others are similarly inclined. > > I believe in strictly and narrowly interpreting the Constitution. I know that’s a huge comprehension gulf to cross - that words mean wimply what they say… A superb observation derailed by a most amusing typo. Of course, in a sense it still applies…if the words of the Constitution are to be so easily re-interpreted due to changes in the wind, they truly are “wimply.” ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/78 "2004-11-01T18:59:38Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I know that’s a huge comprehension gulf to cross - that words mean **wimply** what they say, and no more - but try to focus your mind upon it until it becomes clear. O **Gaudere** , how do I love thee . . . ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/79 "2004-11-01T19:00:09Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > What I have not seen you do is to use it to impugn the entire Republican party, as you have used this incident in your first post in this thread to impugn the entire Democratic party. Personally, I think doing either is inappropriate (although it’s better to impugn a party **based on the actions of its official members acting in their job capacity** ); I was just pointing out what I believe is a double-standard. Well, it’s harder to punch a ghost. By that I mean that by the time I came along to comment, the plan had already been withdrawn, so any comment along the lines of, “Ah, the party of ‘respect for the law’ strikes again” would simply seem like a lame attempt at a strawman – attacking something that the other side had already repudiated. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296/80 "2004-11-01T19:03:07Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Let both sides check to ensure that only those who are legally entitled to vote, cast a vote. Then perhaps we will have a final outcome which isn’t tainted. Is that an unreasonable request? Perhaps not: if it’s done in a way that’s fair, and that doesn’t place significant unreasonable burdens on one segment of the population, it’s entirely reasonable. For example, if Republicans had made it a hallmark of their tenure in control of the entire US government to streamline and clean up our elections, I would’ve been entirely behind it. Get rid of all the fraud and intimidation going on; make voting as simple and clean and efficient as possible. But that’s not how it happened. What’s happening isn’t an attempt to clean up elections; what’s happening is an attempt to use loopholes in voting laws to **influence** an election. Or do you think the Republican party is doing equal scrutiny of polls in Houston? It’s a scummy partisan trick. Clean up the scummy tricks on all sides of the political equation, and you’ll get my support. Call for a specific trick, and you’ll gain my ire. Daniel [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/college-republican-punches-kerry-supporting-teachers-foot-with-his-leg/272296.md?page=5)