Likewise, you can bring a citizen to the polls, but you can’t make him pay attention to how to punch a whole in a ballot.
The Democratic party has been dragging otherwise uninterested voters to the polls for years. Because these people were not particularly concerned about their votes, they did not take the few seconds to inspect their ballots.
We have heard so much about the “voter’s intent.” In many cases it seems that the most important thought on the voter’s mind was to get the heck out of the polling place and get back home.
We are spending millions of dollars trying to count the votes of people who did not think they were worth two more seconds of their time. Somehow it simply doesn’t add up.
And I’m spending seconds of my time reading a post by someone who didn’t think it was worth his time to spellcheck?
That doesn’t add up either.
This isn’t, by the way, an ad hominem argument, I’m trying to point out that human error is something that must be accounted for. Your post doesn’t take into account age, infirmity, poor equipment, bad user interfaces, and unfamiliarity with voting procedures.
Now for the ad hominem part. Your post was mean-spirited, partisan, and remarkably clueless.
Ah, well. Yes. Let’s take a single incident and therefore assume it’s been happening for years all over the place. Not to mention assuming that the people involved were “otherwise uninterested.”
I think the term used is “the get out the vote money.”
Usually it’s construed as a Democratic term, but that’s probably not the most accurate interpretation.
The technique is probably only effective among underprivileged groups, who tend to have democratic sympathies.
The Republican version probably consists of a charity dinner with political overtones at the country club. The biggest difference between the two being that at the the intent is unstated.
Scylla, would you care to synthesize whatever your thoughts are into one message that actually explains what you’re talking about, rather than putting three fragments in separate messages? It would be a lot easier to hold a discussion that way…
Getting out the vote has been a political tactic for just about as long as there’s been voting. For the most part, it tends to be a Democratic phenomenom.
Besides the two examples I’ve mentioned in our most recent election, getting out the vote is practically a tradition in Chicago, Atlanta, New York, and Louisiana.
How many cites of specific instances over how many years would you recquire to grant the point?
I’ve heard it referred to as “walkin’ around money.” I’m from Louisiana, and it’s pretty much accepted that the Democratic machine does a really good job of rounding up voters. There are many ways to do it; but it boils down to making sure the traditional Democratic community leaders (labor chiefs, activists, black religious leaders) get the big money, and have it filter down through the ranks.
I wasn’t around to witness the Long machine in its heydey; but Edwin Edwards picked up the ball better than I would have thought possible in this day and age of public and press scrutiny. He is so crooked, and doesn’t even try to hide it. He wears it as a badge of honor that he is able to get away with all sorts of cronyism, kickbacks, and, of course, the influence of “walkin’ around money.”
One of the more famous Edwards quotes is his bragging that he is proficient at using “white power to get green power to purchase black power.” Nothing especially revealing here. He uses the Democratic political machine (white power) to score the money (green power) to distribute throughout the traditionally Democratic support base (not exclusivey black; but in Louisiana, this is the Democratic power base) in exchange for votes.
Of course Edwards is no longer in office, but the framework of corruption is still in place. I’m sure someone from Chicago has similar stories of the Daley machine.
I don’t think the Republicans are very good at playing this game. The closest comparison I can think of is the Christian Coalition voting score cards distributed throughout conservative Protestant denominations. But even they don’t slip $5 bills into the envelope!
Are you saying that “getting out the vote” is the same as “dragging otherwise uninterested voters to the polls”? If so, you have an interesting use of the language. And I’d also like to know how you consider it to be a Dem phenomenon. Contrary to what divemaster said, the Repubs are quite good at getting out the vote – especially when it comes to the religious right folks.
Considering that you still haven’t explained your point, I obviously require some examples. You seem to still be putting in fragmentary thoughts, as if we’re supposed to fill in the blanks. Well, stop it. If you have something to say, just friggin’ say it already. If you don’t, then never mind.
Scylla, for the sake of the debate, are you stating that the only party to exercise get out the vote tactics is the democratic party? Are you also stating that no other party exercises these same tactics?
No, the difference is that one is full of rich folks. I will now take a moment to weep for them, cheated of thier rights by the nefarious, cunning Democrats. If poor people need to get to the polls, why don’t they drive thier SUV’s? Don’t they realize that Bush opposes inheritance taxes for thier benefit as well, that they may pass on the accumulated misery of a lifetime to their children?
Don’t know who’s quote it is, some Frenchy:“The law impartially protects the rights of the rich, as well as the poor, to sleep under bridges.” Amen, brother.
Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable!! And that, brothers and sisters, is What Jesus Would Do!
Said hypothesis posted by Kid Gilligan and challenged by David B.
Evidence:
-Rounding up the homeless, bussing them and paying them to vote for Gore in 2000 Presidential campaign, several instances documented.
-Cemetary Daly
-Chicago 1960 Presidential campaign.
-Alabama, 1994 Democratic party officials Forge absentee ballots in Supreme court case. Voters turned away at polls, and told they had already voted. Judge overturns election.
-PA, 1993 Senate Race overturned after judge found Democrats illegally preparing and forging absentee ballots
-PA, 1998 Democratic Representative Austin Murphy of Pa convicted of voter fraud.
Methodology:
Used Google, searched for “Historic vote fraud.”
Control:
Used Google searched for “Hot Monkey Sex.”
Conclusion:
-A casual search of the internet using search engines suggests that Democrats have been guilty of voter fraud for “years.” Since nonexistent, senile, or dead people can be construed as disinterested, Kid Gilligan’s statement is substantively true.
-Four pages of google search using my criteria suggests that instances of voter fraud by Democrats outnumber those by Republicans by about 3 to 1. Either that or Republicans are simply better at it.
-No instances of voter fraud were found within the control search (though I don’t think those boobs were all real.)
Ahhhh, Scylla, you beatiful nymph! Ever ready with a rabbit-punch! Cite please! Keep in mind, “documented” means a bit more than firmly asserted by Limbaugh, et al.
Homeless people can vote, there is no reason to mention their unfortunate status, unless you seek some unstated implication. (aside: ever been homeless, Scylla? Sucks like you wouldn’t believe). Of course, its true, our Founding Fathers did believe that only property holders should vote. In that regard, our Founding Fathers were full of shit.
Bussing them? So what? They need a ride 'cause they don’t have a car? Do you object to the guys that pick up old folks and give them a ride to the polls? (Scylla opposes little old ladies! Scylla hates your grandaddy!)
Paid them! Prove it, bust them, throw them in the slammer, you’ll get no objection from me. But where, exactly, are homeless people registered to vote?
(By the way, how much $? $10? $20? 100?)
A lot of homeless people have severe mental problems or chemical abuse issues. How would you go about herding those strays into a group and getting them to the polls, never mind insuring they vote correctly? Do you know where to look for them? If you spent all day at it, how many would you get? 20? 30? Come now.
But we both know, don’t we, that if you could prove this it would be all over the news, it would be in court, etc. Nice try, no cigar.
Tsk, Scylla, this is beneath you. If it isn’t, damn sure oughta be. Think about losing my high regard, and crying yourself to sleep at night.
Scylla sez Republicans are conniving cheaters! Scylla cruises for monkey porn! I have the cite!
