You Only Vote Twice (Rocky Mountain Mike Parody-Palooza #2)

This one is about that lady, you know the one, the Trump supporter who voted twice, proving that voter fraud happens, but rarely. And rarely is it a Democrat! Worse, Trump has been encouraging people to do this, which is sure to result in future lawsuits. Rocky Mountain Mike, perfectly, uses the James Bond theme from You Only Live Twice to put the funny to this one.



EDITOR'S NOTE: I've been neglecting the blog a lot lately, and as such, I've also neglected to post a bunch of very funny, election-related song parodies by Rocky Mountain Mike. Not that the guy made famous on The Stephanie Miller Show needs my help, or is even affiliated with this blog. I'm just a fan who loves to share! So, please enjoy this and several other parodies.

For more Rocky Mountain Mike, go here. And buy his album, Politically Incoherent on Amazon!

Republicans Keep Accidentally Admitting that Voter ID Laws are Trojan Horses

A typical Voter ID reminder. I had to show one in Ohio
to vote in the Democratic primary, my first. But I had
no issues, fortunately.

Though I really haven't posted much lately, one continuing theme is the idea of trying to figure out the politics of the day, and the intent behind them. Do politicians (and their followers) believe the rhetoric they're spewing when they pass controversial or radical laws? Do they buy their own BS, or are they being deliberately disingenuous.

In the previous post, I wondered if anyone really believes the "religious freedom" excuse with all of these new anti-gay laws and bills. And in this one, does anyone really believe that Voter ID laws have anything to do with preventing in-person voter fraud? Or are they really all clear that this is about voter disenfranchisement, as is eminently clear? It's surely a mixture, and not always the same from politician to politician, or voter to voter. And just like with the other issue, it's wholly dependent upon intelligence, gullibility for "truthiness," or a lack of interest in digging beneath the surface.

Which is a handy reminder for me. Blogging apathy is a bad thing for me, should I wish to have a voice. I may have a tiny corner of the internet, but if I reach only a few people on any given story, it has the potential to exponentially seed some truth, rather than just truthiness.

[Excerpt]

Another Republican Admitted That Voter ID is All About Disenfranchising Democrats

They keep doing it. Republicans continue to accidentally spill the beans about unspoken GOP plots to roll back constitutional rights. Donald Trump, last week, accidentally blurted something about punishing women who undergo illegal abortions. And this week, Glenn Grothman, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin, became another in a growing list of mid-level conservatives to blab about the true intention of voter ID laws: to disenfranchise Democrats. . .

Read more at: The Daily Banter

Post-Halloween Horror: The 2014 Election

I voted today, finally, after having been busy the past two weekends. We have early voting here in Nevada, and Ready, Set, Vote! voter guides, and it all works remarkably well. So far, though we have a Republican governor, there has been no attempt to curtail or change this system in the name of "protecting the vote," or "stopping voter fraud." Which is amazing when you think about it.

But not as amazing as the brazenness the GOP displays when cutting early voting, eliminating Sunday voting (known to be a big, post-church, African American voting day), requiring IDs (but only certain IDs), and more. . .with very little reason. Sure, they'll handwave the nonexistent in-person voter fraud "problem," but mostly they just make whatever changes will help them ensure that fewer Democrats vote.

Do you think that sounds radical? The fact that I'm saying it is not. The fact that they're doing it, is. Occasionally, they'll even admit it. Here's Paul Weyrich, a founder of The Heritage Foundation and ALEC, in 1980. Admitting it.



That, coupled with gerrymandering, with a politics-weary electorate, and the typical demographics of midterm voters adds up to: a bad year for Democrats, almost certainly. Maybe not historically bad, but not good. Double-plus ungood? Time will tell.

But it is baffling to me. Though I'm fairly a realist about my fellow Americans and their fickle, skewed, illogical voting patterns, I want more from them. I want them to be better than FOX "News" parroting, paranoid conspiracy theorists. I want them not to reward Republicans, when it is Republicans who have given us the obstruction, the gridlock, the governmental shut down, the lack of a Surgeon General. Many, many of the problems people complain about the state of our union, were either caused by, allowed to happen by, or are a byproduct of the GOP.

I'm with you, Jean-Luc.

And their slate of candidates? It really makes no sense to me that they're even electable, but even if they were not a clown car full of bozos, why reward them for what they themselves help come to pass?

I'm not saying that President Obama has been perfect, far from it. I'm still in his corner, and I'm not ashamed to say it (though many a cowardly Democratic candidate is). I think history will judge him well. But whatever you think of him, how does voting for say, Ted Cruz or Louis Gohmert help anyone? Sadly, for my side, Democrats don't offer a strong, defiant message to root for. To me, they are infinitely preferable, but they seem to not be trying. Why the Dems haven't pumped 90% of their cash into Get Out the Vote, I have no idea. That is all we need, matching the numbers or besting them.

I'm not optimistic. But a bad outcome will likely spur me to blog more. So, there's that.

Judge Declares Concern Over Voter Fraud Irrational

Image from source, Think Progress

You could call conservatives' concerns over voter fraud "irrational" as this judge did. Or you could go a little further and call it what it really is: a cover story. A cover story for whittling down the vote.

[Excerpt]

Striking Down Wisconsin Voter ID Law, Judge Finds ‘No Rational Person Could Be Worried’ About Voter Fraud

A federal judge invalidated Wisconsin’s photo ID requirement Tuesday, in at least the third court ruling to strike down the law. The ruling is an overwhelming win for plaintiffs, who argued that the voter ID law suppresses ballot access in the state. And while the decision could be overturned on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the law has also already been blocked by two state court decisions, one of which is still in effect. In March, Gov. Scott Walker (R) threatened to go so far as calling a special session to pass a modified law so that some ID provision is in place during the November election. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

FOX "News" Uncovers Voter Fraud in Ohio: .0003% Worth!

Image from NewsCorpse

Ah, FOX "News." Does your faux outrage know no bounds?

[Excerpt]

War On Voting: Fox News Exposes Voter “Fraud” In Ohio
 
Husted revealed that records indicate that seventeen undocumented immigrants actually voted in the 2012 election. In a swing state like Ohio that translates to about 0.0003% of the more than five million votes cast. Since President Obama won the state by 449,000 votes, the seventeen “fraudulent” votes would have had a negligible effect on the outcome. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

Daily Show Unmasks GOP's Motives Behind Changing Voter Laws

Don't let the door hit ya, dude. Image from source, News Observer.

You wouldn't think it would be possible for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart's correspondents to take interview subjects off-guard. In the early days, a state politician could be forgiven for not knowing what the show is all about, or keying in on the interviewer's shtick. But they keep getting "gotcha-ed," and this time a guy ended up getting fired.

Aasif Mandvi interviewed both Congressman John Lewis (who seemed a little baffled, but held his own) and Don Yelton, a Republican Precinct Chair from North Carolina. Mandvi kept feeding Yelton rope, and he just kept stringing himself up with it. In the course of the interview, Yelton made very clear his own personal, overt racism. And he also laid out the real reason behind the state's tightened voting laws (and no doubt behind those spreading to states across the country). I wonder now, if we can finally drop the pretense that Voter ID laws (and their sibling voter restriction laws) have been enacted because of some rampant (phantom) voter fraud. Oh, and Yelton got fired the day after this aired. Poor guy.

Anyway, whatever your politics, this is worth a view, just so you know what's going on.

[Excerpt]

After 'The Daily Show' targets NC's voting law, precinct chair resigns

A five-minute segment of the Comedy Central show Wednesday night about the state’s new election law, focused a good bit on Yelton’s racial views. On Thursday, as the video went viral, Claude Pope, chairman of the N.C. Republican Party, called for Yelton’s resignation. . .

Read more at: News Observer

Texas Voter ID Law Nearly Prevents Judge from Voting

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: the idea that ID might be required to vote sounds perfectly fine and reasonable. I can't conceive of going through my daily life without an ID in my wallet. So, when people get exasperated with people objecting to the idea that ID should be required, I do get it. But I wish they'd just think about it a little bit. Delve a little deeper than the obvious, and maybe do a little reading about it.

I know that's not the first instinct when you draw an initial conclusion that seems to make sense. But when you find out that in-person voter fraud is almost non-existent, and yet in state after state, Voter ID laws (with a whole list of attendant voting restrictions) keep getting enacted as though there is some sort of problem. As Colin Powell said, voter fraud can't be both widespread AND undetected. It just doesn't make sense.

So, it stands to reason that if tough legislation around a treasured, fundamental right is sweeping from state to state, you have to ask why. And if the laws seem to continually affect the same groups of people, it's not too hard to put together a theory. These laws are being enacted to have an effect on final vote tallies. It's not a nutty, out-of-left-field conclusion. Especially when you get to this Texas law, that cracks down on women. The Texas driver's license for married women has their maiden name as their middle name, but if it doesn't match their actual middle name on other documents, they can't vote? And they have to produce their original marriage license to set it right? Hmmmm.

Now, what's going on in Texas right now? Could there be a popular lady running for Governor that the GOP establishment might want to kneecap? Wouldn't making it hard for women to vote cut into her base quite a bit? See, not crazy.

[Excerpt]

Texas Judge Almost Blocked From Voting Because Of New Voter ID Law

A Texas district judge who has been voting for the past five decades was almost barred from the polls Tuesday, thanks to the state’s newly implemented, stricter voter ID law. The law kicked in on Tuesday as early voting in Texas’ November 5 election began. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Attention Conservatives: THIS is Why Liberals are Howling About Voter Rights Changes

It's not just about "Voter ID," though that is part of it. While actual voter impersonation fraud is virtually unheard of, I'm aware that the argument for Voter ID sounds good. You need ID for everything else, right? Right. But when you put it into context with the whole list of things that they tend to pass along with Voter ID laws, you start to see that the actual reasoning behind the law has nothing to do with protecting the integrity of the vote. It has to do with stopping people from voting, or hindering them at least. Dissuading them. And it is a certain demographic.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

North Carolina Passes Laws Restricting Voting

Image from source, CBSNews

I'm getting to the point where I'm having trouble figuring out conservatives. Well, it's always been difficult, but I'm beginning to think that the elected officials and behind-the-scenes conservatives are working from a whole different playbook from the rabble. And their media lapdogs? I'd always assumed that they were in on the real story, while passing on talking points to the sheeple.

But how to parse this one? North Carolina has passed a whole bunch of restrictions on voting rights, from Voter ID to limiting early voting, to limiting what students can vote, and other measures. I watched All In With Chris Hayes, who had invited a Republican woman from North Carolina. Chris interviewed her, trying to pry out the reasoning behind the laws. All he got were the standard "protecting the sanctity of the vote" and anti-voter fraud answers. Was she feeding him what she wanted him to hear, or did she really have no other answers?

Steve Deace, an Iowa conservative (and how) talk show host posted on Facebook that he was truly baffled how anybody could be against Voter ID, since you need ID to rent a video at Blockbuster (how quaint). Is Deace really clueless as to the whole raft of other voting restrictions that came along with Voter ID? Has he really never heard why liberals are against these sorts of laws? Does he really believe that voter fraud is rampant in America?

Listen, folks, I know that the arguments for having ID to vote sound really, really good. You do need ID for all sorts of things less important than voting. But the fact remains--though it's hard to personally imagine--that tens and hundreds of thousands of voters don't have the ID. Some have been voting without it for their whole lives, going back to the fifties or earlier. In many cases, these people live in areas where the locations and times for acquiring legal ID is restrictive, sometimes purposefully so. You know how they pass tough restrictions on abortion clinics, like the width of hallways, or admitting rights at a hospital, and then they pass a law that hospitals can't grant admitting rights? It's often like that, a catch-22.

It is also true that voter fraud is vanishingly rare. The motives for passing Voter ID laws is not voter fraud. The proof is in the admissions of several conservatives saying things like "Voter ID is going to win for us in Pennsylvania," and in the fact that so many other restrictions are passed along with them.

If you honestly think that wiping out voter fraud is the primary reason for Republicans passing all of these laws, you have got to be hopelessly naïve.

[Excerpt]

N.C. sued soon after voter ID bill signed into law

North Carolina Gov. Patrick McCrory has signed a sweeping voting reform bill that imposes strict photo identification requirements on the state's 4.5 million voters, rolls back the early voting period and repeals one-stop registration during early voting.

Almost immediately following the signing, civil rights groups filed lawsuits in federal court challenging the law. . .

Read more at: CBS News

 

4 Years Ago Today: Voter Rolls in at Least 19 States Being Purged

The more things change, the more they stay the same. . .

ORIGINAL POST: October 2, 2008

Conservatives often rail about "voter fraud," where dead people, illegal aliens, criminals, and unregistered voters allegedly vote--apparently for Democrats. The cases have been pretty thin, with people convicted of voter fraud numbering somewhere around a few handfuls. Maybe not even enough to matter in Palm Beach County, Florida in the 2000 election.

But election rigging--a specialty of Republicans--is real, and much more effective. By various means, they attempt to sway elections, and probably (almost certainly, by my estimation) even decided both elections for George W. Bush.

Image from source, BradBlog

Unfortunately, the issue apparently isn't very sexy to your average American, and only crops up in the news right before an election. Usually to late to do anything about it. And just as unfortunately, even when the rigging becomes known, very few people go to jail for it (Karl Rove, anybody?). You'd think in America that people messing with thousands of legitimate voters would be a big deal. But if they care at all, they're worried that Mickey Mouse cast one vote in Chicago or something. If they're going to focus on an illegal voter, you'd hope they'd finally go after Ann Coulter.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Even if you don't want to read this article, I urge you to click the link at the bottom of the story, and find out if you are registered to vote. Even if you know you are, it doesn't mean you haven't been "purged." It's an easy and useful tool, and took me all of two minutes.

[Excerpt]

BS News: New Study Details Massive Voter Roll Purges Underway in At Least 19 States

Tonight's CBS Evening News finally covered what may well be the November Surprise that we've been trying to warn about for months here at The BRAD BLOG: Massive voter roll purges being done in secret, with little or no oversight, and often under federal Justice Department cover, in states and counties around the country. . .

Read more at: BradBlog

Sarah Silverman on Voter Suppression (NSFW)

This video is Not Safe For Work, unless you have a very forgiving boss or a pair of headphones. But who cares, it's everyone's favorite vulgar comedienne, Sarah Silverman! And she's got a very important message: just about the only actual voter fraud going on is  voter suppression, and it is a Republican-sponsored activity.

Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Halted (For Now)

Image from source, Addicting Info

Republicans have enacted laws all over the country that make it harder to vote. Though it is done under the guise of "protecting" the vote by weeding out voter fraud (and I will admit, their storyline sounds good), it is increasingly clear that this is not the main reason they're doing it. First and foremost, actual in-person voter fraud is a vanishingly small problem. It almost never happens. And secondly, more and more conservatives have copped to the fact that it is in fact an effort at voter suppression.

This is not surprising, when you realize that all of the new laws had the side-effect of making it more difficult than it has ever been for groups of Democratic voters to cast their ballots. We've all seen the news stories of 92-year-old ladies who voted for FDR, and this year would be ineligible without significant effort. In Pennsylvania, there were an estimated 750,000 voters who would not be able to vote in November with each of them taking the initiative to meet the new standard. All in the name of preventing a handful of theoretical fraudulent voters. Of course this has nothing to do with Pennsylvania being a swing state. . . Ahem.

Fortunately, these laws are being squashed by sane courts and legislatures in most of the places they've been enacted (if they weren't shot down before). And finally, Pennsylvania has seen the light. It's not a done deal, but it's a really good chance that it's gone, at least for this election cycle. Here's hoping what has really been going on here gets a little more widespread before they try again.

[Excerpt]

BREAKING: Pennsylvania Supreme Court Remands Voter Photo ID Law

. . .The Supreme Court has ordered that the state’s controversial new voter ID law be returned to a lower court for a speedy hearing on how the state is implementing it to ensure all voters have access to appropriate state-issued photo identification. . .

Read more at: Addicting Info 

Chris Hayes Shines a Light on Supposed "Voter Fraud"

The reasoning for Voter ID laws sounds really good, I'll give them that. But it presupposes there's a rampant voter fraud problem--which there isn't--and that Voter ID would stop it--which it won't. Besides, the "official" reasons behind Voter ID aren't the real ones anyway. It's voter suppression. You knew that, right?

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rachel Maddow Asks Mitt Romney 5 Questions

I reference The Rachel Maddow Show frequently, I know. But this is a perfect clip to showcase for two reasons: 1) There is no preamble or lead-in, Rachel gets right to it; and 2) Rachel asks 5 pointed, direct questions that Mitt Romney has so far avoided answering. And for bonus points, a couple of them are not questions you usually hear from mainstream cable news. We're waiting for your response, Mr. Romney!

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Pennsylvania Latest Voter ID State

This sort of thing used to really bother conservatives.
Image from BartCop.

See, here's the thing I don't get. . . Several years ago, here in Nevada, there was a battle being waged by the American Independent Party to be recognized as a force in the state. Not independents, mind you, this was a party that used the word in their name, probably to confuse voters into think they actually were independents. No, they were extraordinarily fringy right-wingers, and they also seemed to be related to each other. Hanson? Hansen? Something like that. Anyway, the AIP was really irritated about having to have government IDs. No driver licenses for the AIP! It's downright un-American!

So, it's weird that there is a GOP-headed effort to pass voter ID laws all over the country. The funny thing about it is, they have a really good messaging campaign behind this one. It make sense, sounds reasonable (but contains just a hint of that GOP-brand meanness). I mean, who doesn't have ID? Honestly! You need an ID to rent a video (if people still did that). You need an ID to buy Jägermeister. And who wants a bunch of phony voters using dead peoples' names, cartoon character names, voting once, twice, a dozen times? So, it sounds like it makes hella sense, right?

And it does. Except that there aren't throngs of fake voters out there (other than Ann Coulter and perhaps one Willard Mitt Romney, but more on that later). In fact, actual voter fraud is vanishingly rare. So, is this one of those "solutions in search of a problem" laws that conservatives are always accusing liberals of? Yes and no. Actually, this was the solution to a different problem: how do conservatives prevent at least a slice of the Democratic electorate from voting? Because that is the reason for Voter ID laws, no matter how good the justification for them is. And it isn't just guesswork, or some wacky conspiracy theory either. They're actually admitting it.

[Excerpt]

Smile, Pennsylvania, You No Longer Have To Suffer The Agony Of Voting!



Good video, Pennsylvania! Very melting pot and clear-skinned and chipper, we’re sure! There may be a little bit of an omission about how 10 percent of your voting populace won’t get to actually vote under your new voter ID law, but we’re sure if they just show up with the birth certificate and the marriage certificate and the name-change order from when they got their sex change and also four other forms of photo ID all notarized and with the raised seal (AND DON’T FORGET THE LONG-FORM!), they too can get state-approved papers in order to exercise their constitutional right of suffrage. . . 

Read more at: Wonkette

Texas Purging Voters Too

Republicans have a really good story for why they are enacting so many new voting restrictions in many states. Voter fraud. We have to prevent ineligible people--illegal aliens, dead people, felons, fictional people--from voting. So, it is vital that we shorten or eliminate early voting, tighten regulations regarding ID, and purge the rolls.

It sounds good. But the fact of the matter is, actual voter fraud--votes cast by ineligible people--is vanishingly rare in America. It barely happens, and when it does, it is not some organized conspiracy with the intent of rigging an election. So, if there is no pressing need for all of these voting restrictions, and there's no public outrcry, why have there been so many in the last two years? And why is it, that in each and every case, the people most affected by the restrictions are likely Democratic voters? That's a fairly easy question to answer. When voters show up en masse at the polls, Democrats tend to win. Suppressing the vote--almost entirely on one side--makes that less likely. Simple really.

And the galling thing about it (beside the fact that it often works) is that it shows that the GOP doesn't care if they actually win fair and square. They don't care if they only win by rigging the game. To them, a win is a win, dirty or not. For evidence, look to Florida in 2000, when there was another voter purge. Eligible voters were purged in much larger numbers than the margin of "victory" for President Bush. And in a couple of months, they were referring to Gore/Lieberman as "Sore/Loserman." Jeb Bush ordered the purge, and his brother benefited. And if the same thing had happened in Libya or Cuba or Iran, not a soul in the United States would see it the same way.

[Excerpt]


In Texas, 300,000 Eligible Voters Targeted In Purge

Florida voters are not the only ones who should be worried about whether their state has erroneously purged them from the list of eligible voters; the state of Texas also has a voter purge policy that erroneously targets eligible voters. The Houston Chronicle reports that, in a two year period, 300,000 eligible voters were warned that they may be removed from Texas voter rolls. Texas voter registration rates are already among the lowest in the nation, and one out of every 10 Texas voters’ registration is currently suspended. The almost 1.5 million voters who are suspended could be purged if they fail to vote in two consecutive general elections. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Rick Scott Purging Elligible Voters in Florida

Image from Wonkette

Florida's Rick Scott (pricelessly pictured with his lookalike, Voldemort) is one of the odious GOP Governors class of 2010. Though he had a hideous past, and seemed thoroughly unlikeable, he benefited from 2010's dual political realities: disaffected, apathetic Democrats and Tea Party, Obama-hating Republicans. So, we got a whole boatload of arch-right, ideology-first Republican Governors. They all seem to think that being as nasty and mean as possible is the key to political fortunes.

Scott is second only in my book to Wisconsin Governor Scott Wanker Walker for douchiness. And he's proving it now by purging thousands of Florida voters from the rolls under the guise of preventing "voter fraud." Voter fraud is a vanishingly rare occurrence in the United States, but politicians like Scott have used very rational-sounding arguments to ram through many voter rights restricting laws in the short time since they gathered power. But now, Scott is going further. He's purging actual legitimate voters. And if they don't take the effort and time to prove that they are eligible, they just won't get to vote. If they didn't get the memo? Tough. They don't get to vote.

I can hardly think of anything more un-American. And he's getting away with it.

[Excerpt]


Rick Scott Bravely Purges 91-Year-Old War Hero Criminal From Voting Rolls

Oh look, there they go again! By “they” we mean the Democrats, always crying about voter suppression. Look, is it our fault that their supporters are all vicious thugs, pot smokers, illegal immigrants, white slavers, people whose names end in vowels or “z,” vicious illegal immigrant thugs, and liberals? . . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Idiot Proves Voter Fraud is Possible, Doesn't Prove it's Common

When Andrew Breitbart died, I thought maybe we'd be spared from ever hearing of his minion, the twerpy James O'Keefe, ever again. He's the one who stages sometimes elaborate, often dishonest "exposés" from an extreme right-wing perspective. But he's such a douche, that even if he had all his ducks in a row, he'd still just come off as a jerk. Here, he's proving that you can vote as somebody else if you know their address. Yeah. I've always known I could do that. . .provided I knew that person hadn't already voted, and provided that I wanted to commit a federal crime. I've never felt that inclination. And neither have very many other people.  [Story continues below]



The right has a very convincing argument for strict voter rules, with picture IDs, etc. "Who doesn't have an ID? You need an ID to get a movie at Blockbuster!" Yeah, nobody goes to Blockbuster anymore, but that isn't the point. The point is, there are large groups of people who do not often have photo IDs, whether you think that's stupid or not. And those people disproportionately vote Democrat. The fact of the matter is, Republicans didn't dream up voter ID laws because of some rampant voter fraud. More people win the big prize in MegaMillions and PowerBall in a given year than are busted for voter fraud. If it is a problem at all, it is amazingly small one. No, the laws are to disenfranchise particular voters.

I've been a voter for 28 years, first in Ohio, then in Nevada. I've never needed anything more than my name and my address to vote. When I registered, I filled out a card. I don't think I even needed ID then, just a bill with my address on it. I do have a photo ID, and can't conceive of not having one for myself. But since when do conservatives mandate official government papers for anything? And if you have to pay for them, isn't that an individual mandate? Not to mention a poll tax? And if they're given away for free, isn't that a giveaway?

[Excerpt]

James O’Keefe Proves That Pointless Form of Voter Fraud Is Possible


In a new video, a member of James O'Keefe's "Project Veritas" manages to enter a D.C. polling station and receive a ballot for none other than Attorney General Eric Holder, simply by providing Holder's address. . .

Read more at: New York Magazine

FOX "News" Host Suggests Democrats are for Voter Fraud

The FOX "News" Brain Trust. Image from Raw Story

No, you stupid oaf, Democrats are just pointing out that actual voter fraud is almost non-existent. When states put Voter ID bills before voters, it sounds so innocent: we just want to keep the elections fair! What's the big deal? You need an ID to buy a pack of smokes! Which is all true. . .sort of. The fact is, the reason so many (shhhh. . . .Republican-controlled) states are putting restrictions on voting is because they know that the people most likely to not have a photo State ID are more likely to vote Democrat. And FOX "News" knows this. They're just playing all innocent, "Why don't Democrats care about voter fraud?" They would. If there actually were any measurable voter fraud. But there isn't. You'd think this widespread push to enact legislation on a fundamental right, would have a tangible reason, other than suppressing Democratic voter turnout.

[Excerpt]


Fox News host suggests Democrats are ‘for voter fraud’

Fox News host Gretchen Carlson says she can’t understand why Democrats would be against discriminatory voter ID laws unless they are “for voter fraud.”

Earlier this week, the Department of Justice blocked a law requiring Texas voters to show identification on the grounds that it could disenfranchise Latino voters.

Similar Republican-backed laws have also been blocked or temporarily barred in South Carolina and Wisconsin. . .

Read more at: The Raw Story

Conservative Ass, James O'Keefe, In Deep Trouble Over Voter Fraud

Voter fraud, oddly documented by the perpatrator. Image from TPM.

This James O'Keefe twerp has been running "sting" operations on many supposedly "liberal" people and groups for a while now. Unfortunately, since he's a protege of douchebag Andrew Breitbart, and because the right-wing spin machine is so much of a bubble, O'Keefe has had some success. But I have to qualify "success." Yes, his efforts got ACORN to disband. NO, he did not prove his case at all, having sleazily edited the video to show something as it didn't happen. Almost anything this creep does gets lauded by the right, but most of the time it is dishonest, skeevy and just plain wrong. He's gotten into trouble before, when his scams stepped a little to far astray from the law. But now? Voter fraud? Somebody is in big, big trouble. But will it be O'Keefe, or his lackeys?

On a side note, O'Keefe's sting this time was to show how easy it is to vote without ID. What he didn't prove (because it's almost non-existant) is how this even matters. Voter fraud of this sort is so rare as to be almost unmeasurable.


[Excerpt]


Election Law Experts Say James O’Keefe Allies Could Face Charges Over Voter Fraud Stunt

It was one of the few — if not the only — coordinated efforts to attempt in-person voter fraud, and it was pulled off by affiliates of conservative activist James O’Keefe at polling places in New Hampshire Tuesday night. All of it part of an attempt to prove the need for voter ID laws that voting rights experts say have a unfair impact on minority voters. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo