I knew things were bad, but this puts it into one place.
Got Democracy? Not if the GOP can help it.
Hmmm. Well, a Democratic insider confided in me yesterday that the Democratic tactic will be to accuse the GOP of vote fraud on the slightest pretext. If none exists, this insider went on, the preferred tactic is to mention past GOP vote suppression allegations and let the listener infer they are talking about the present.
How about that?
“It became necessary to destroy the village in order to save it” …Anonymous U.S. Army soldier, Vietnam
By the way, I love this “under an archiac law…” business.
“Under an archiac law, murder in Ohio is technically illegal, and the GOP-dominated legislature vowed to continue to enfore this archiac law.”
Look, if you don’t like the law, change the law. The law’s been around for a long time - it is, after all, archiac - and has survived both Republican and Democratic-controlled governments. If these archiac laws were so terrible, where were the Democrats trying to repeal them? It’s as though the Dems just woke up last month, and said, “Oh, my! Look - there are all these evil old laws! I had no idea! I’m shocked, shocked to discover that election officials and observers may challenge a voter’s legitimacy.”
Here’s my new take on this nonsense: the Democrats were apparently too stupid to notice the existence of these laws until now. Being too stupid is almost always a major strategic error. So, good on the GOP for working within the law to ensure that only legitimate voters are permitted to vote. Too bad for the poor befuddled Democrats, who can’t get their illegal voters to the polls in such high proportions.
If both the Republicans and Democrats are allowed to do it, why don’t the Democrats fight back? Why don’t they post their own thugs at polling places to intercede on behalf of voters? Why can’t the Kerry/Edwards/Times ticket ever do anything but whine?
Two things.
First, enforcement of old laws left on the books may be technically correct, but it’s still shitty. Nice strawman with the “murder is is technically illegal…” but there are plenty of instances of bad laws left on the books but ignored for years. Legislatures have enough work to do (and enough partisan bickering and pork-barreling) that they often don’t get around to fixing problems in current legislation, let alone updating the old law that requires a specific weight of paper for voter registration forms.
Second, do you really think that these are illegal voters? Specifically, do you really think that someone who submitted a voter registration form on lightweight paper should not be allowed to exercise their right to vote?
As a lifelong Democrat, I am rather happy that my party’s response to shitty, underhanded tactics is to point out that they are shitty and underhanded, rather than engaging in them as well.
Would you prefer a party that did whatever it could to win, or one that reserved itself to ethical tactics?
Not that I am claiming my party does this, mind. It’s ust that I prefer that as a course of action, so that’s one of the ways they keep me on their side.
Hmmm. Well, a Republican insider confided in me yesterday that the GOP tactic will be to accuse the Democrats of vote fraud on the slightest pretext. If none exists, this insider went on, the preferred tactic is to mention past Democratic vote suppression allegations and let the listener infer they are talking about the present.
How about that?
[sub]Your move, Rick :D[/sub]
What’s shitty about interceding to defend people? Note that I did not advocate Democrats go in and do to Republican voters what Republicans allegedly are doing to Democrat voters. Re-examine the suggestion: “Why don’t they post their own thugs at polling places to intercede on behalf of voters?”
It’s the use of the word “thugs”, Lib. Carries certain connotations, no?
My apologies, then. I had misunderstood your use of “it” in the first sentence to apply to all of the tactics, rather than one of them.
And your use of “thugs” in the second one threw me as well.
If all you’re suggesting is that we (the Democrats) put some folks into the polling places to prevent miscarriages of justice, then I think it’s a fine idea.
I think the thugs at the polls should be met by violence. This is no joke, assholes. This is our right to vote. Do you not know that Americans will kill for it?
And they’re doing so.
Don’t know about the rest of the charges, but the part about 80# paper stock has been rescinded by Blackwell - and some counties had found creative ways around it, anyway, just because the people there believed in preserving the right to vote. In one office they taped lightweight registrations to the heavier paper.
Hopefully some of the other information is inaccurate as well. I did read about a ballot with a printing problem similar to the one described, and that it had been fixed - don’t know if that was Ohio or not.
On the good news front, I personally know of people who have never been politically active before, but are participating now. I almost fell out of my chair when my retired Father-in-Law in Cincinnati called yesterday from MoveOn.org’s offices, where he was doing some volunteering. It’s not a scientific survey by any stretch – but I have the impression a lot of people are pissed off and taking action.
Equipoise is on the Democratic ticket, Liveral? Or is it the Columbus Free Press that is on the ticket?
As someone who on Tuesday morning will vote as many times as I can for Kerry (I suspect that under archaic Colorado laws, this will only be once), this article is 70% bullshit, 20% innuendo, and 10% fact.
This law is by no means archaic. Poll watchers are a valid part of the electoral process. As far as I know, all 50 states allow them. Here in Colorado, Denver Election Commision officials have stated that if the poll watchers begin to abuse their powers, they will be stopped.
This mass challenge that was supposed to happen Thursday? How’d that work out? By the way, how does one register to vote absentee? Is this about registered voters in Franklin County who are students in other parts of the country? Students in Franklin County who are registered in their home county elsewhere in Ohio? What?
Undetermined appears to equal one.
Whoever designed this ballot should be taken out back and shot. That said, pay attention while you vote! Why is this too much to ask?
This is a valid issue, and should be addressed no matter what happens in this election, whether their are questions or not. I am curious, though, which two Congressional elections did they malfunction in? Did the malfunction have an effect on the election?
Proprietary software is by definition secret. Quote marks are unnecessary. The CEO of Diebold is possibly the stupidest man in the world to have said what he did. For the issue of no paper trail, see above. Notorious?
This is certainly possible. Given the tone of this article, I see no reason to believe it without evidence. Nor am I familiar with Ohio laws on felons voting. (I only lived in Dayton for a year, and there were no elections while I was there.) Perhaps you could fill me in on those laws? Dispell some ignorance and all that?
As above. Do these cancellation letters state what the voter must do to show that they are allowed to vote? I got a cancellation letter once (for missing an election); all I had to do was contact the Election Commision to be placed back on the active list.
I’ve heard of this. Wasn’t this reversed?
Cite? I mean, I believe this could happen in limited numbers, but why would someone listen to a call out of the blue telling them where to go to vote? Doesn’t Ohio send out voter cards giving the polling place?
So? What happens if they show up to vote? Are they reactivated?
I’ve heard of this too. I know this was reversed.
Look, I’m worried about Republican shenanigans, too. This sort of Chicken Little nonsense only leads to a boy who cried wolf attitude. Concentrate on real issues and leave the innuendo and speculation to the tinfoit hat brigade. I don’t think I’m naive to believe that the democratic process in this country is the glory of the world. We’re open, we’re transparent, and we’re able to bitch about it. The only result of ridiculous articles like this is to lead to a lack of faith in the process, thereby destroying it instead of improving it.
The electronic voting machines with no paper trail, or with no audit system at all are a real issue. It’s too late for this election. Whether or not there are any issues with the accuracy of these machines, this needs to be addressed, and it will be.
Voters should display the ability to use the brains they were born with. Democratic poll watchers should be in place to crack down on Republican poll watchers if necessary.
And, finally, this here is the kind of attitude from the other side that grates on my last nerve as well:
Why the assumption that Democrats are arguing only to get illegal voters to vote? Do you not believe that Democrats are honest and reputable citizens?
Well, shit. I did preview, but I must have only been looking at the quote tags. Sorry for the typo, Liberal.
In related news, Pubbies and Cratters still wonder why the public is so apathetic and don’t feel like their votes count. One voter Kyle Broflavski had this to say, “I’m not going to vote for a douche or a turd sandwich. And my vote doesn’t count anyway!” Another voter fell asleep while listening to John Edwards and James van Praag make psychic announcements about who actually won.
Vote or you lose indeed. Looks like I’m voting Socialist or Libertarian again. Who’s got a penny for flipping?
It’s not in Ohio, and I am certain that it is not an official GOP-sanctioned action, but the perpetrator of this deserves a special place in hell.
Not a strawman, an analogy. He was just saying that the fact that a law is old doesn’t make it a bad law. Which is true. I don’t believe he was saying that anyone is actually trying to repeal murder laws.
No problem. Anyway, I don’t know the answer to your question, i.e., whether she’s on the ticket.