Eugene Robinson: "The GOP is trying to pull off an unconscionable Crime Against Voters"

[kpete]

Eugene Robinson
Opinion Writer
The GOP’s crime against voters

Spare us any more hooey about “preventing fraud” and “protecting the integrity of the ballot box.” The Republican-led crusade for voter ID laws has been revealed as a cynical ploy to disenfranchise as many likely Democratic voters as possible, with poor people and minorities the main targets.

Recent developments in Pennsylvania — one of more than a dozen states where voting rights are under siege — should be enough to erase any lingering doubt: The GOP is trying to pull off an unconscionable crime.

............................

the rest:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-the-gops-crime-against-voters/2012/07/09/gJQAopcCZW_story.html

[malaise]

1. Get the to the greatest page - the truth, the truth and nothing

but the truth.
Lock them up for fraud

Bravo Eugene!!

[spanone]

2. yes they are. and these crimes won't be prosecuted till long after the election is stolen

and if it's stolen, there will be NO PROSECUTIONS

[Mosaic]

35. And they thank you for saying that

Jeez do Dems and liberals ever learn?

[1-Old-Man]

3. They read the opening 3 paragraphs of that piece on Cspan this morning

Washington Journal, sometime around 8:00 this morning, they read the lead in paragraphs from that piece. Good to see it getting a little bit of coverage.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. K&R

[ladjf]

5. Yes. But, nothing will be done about it. nt

[Fumesucker]

6. At this very moment someone is drafting a strongly worded letter..

Which will no doubt be treated with the appropriate level of respect by the recipient.

[Kolesar]

8. You add a lot of value to these threads...eom

[Fumesucker]

9. Thanks..

In fact you're the second person to tell me that today.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=924083

[UTUSN]

7. R#15 & K n/t

[INdemo]

10. When I read an article such as this my memory goes back to

2006 when Democrats regained control of congress..."we are going to eliminate any likely hood of election fraud"..welll emmmm

[Smilo]

11. Can't Holder do an emergency intervention

or something?

This is how the rethugs will win - by denying others their rights to vote.

[maindawg]

12. yes , purge the 'nail people'

from the vote. Let the SCOTUS decide. I am sure they will be fair, to willard .

[Cary]

13. Eugene Robinson is a national treasure

We need more like him.

[RT Atlanta]

14. Poll tax - all that's now missing from republican masturbatory voting fantasy

I say that half jokingly.

[SunSeeker]

16. Requiring people to pay for a certified birth certificate to vote is a poll tax. nt

[Blue Owl]

15. Remind me -- what part of democracy endorses the suppression of voting?

I think we know what kinda fascist fuckbags we're dealing with here -- the anti-democratic GOP...

[Tigress DEM]

17. We all need to make sure we are still able to vote BEFORE the election.

I've heard that people who have voted for years, one elderly lady who did not have her original birth certificate, but had voted like 20 years at the same precinct was denied her right to vote.

Guess early voting is smart in more ways than one. If there's a problem, there's time to get it resolved.

Tig

[ananda]

18. Trying AND succeeding..

It's part of the new Jim Crow, disenfranchising poor, elderly,
and minority voters.

Evil, pure evil.

[Christopher Marlowe]

19. Pennies on the dresser versus millions in the bank

That is the difference btw voter fraud and election fraud.

I don't have a problem with legitimate procedures making voters prove that they are citizens. I would even back a test that proves some minimum standard of literacy.

But what good are these procedures when there is massive election fraud done through computer voting? Anyone who has studied read the Bradblog is aware that Premier (Diebold), Hart, Sequoia, and ES & S control the systems that count virtually all of our votes. These systems are easily hacked, and there is no transparency or oversight. IMHO, Bush was never elected president. 2000 was stolen by fraud and the USSC. Then the smart congress put out millions of dollars (HR 3295 2002; HAVA) to provide electronic voting systems to all of the poor counties that couldn't afford the fancy electronic voting systems. Now the whores in black robes don't have to pretend to deliberate when a new puppet is chosen. A lever can be thrown, and the millions of votes for the D whore will be switched to the R whore, or vice versa.

As a matter of fact the Brad Blog also recently ran a story about the FL sec of state was recently prevented from running a purge of the voter rolls in FL in preparation for the 2012 election. This would have been in violation of the Voting Rights Act, and was prevented by the DoJ, but that would have been many thousands removed in one fell swoop.

I'm so tired of the political dog and pony show where Dems get upset about reasonable minimal standards being imposed on citizens, like proving you are a citizen when you vote. Big deal. But then they ignore the big picture: the small amount of voters who are "disenfranchised" because they can't be bothered to get a photo ID (?!?!) is pennies on the dresser compared to the many millions whose votes are routinely compromised through election fraud. But where is the outcry about that?

This whole two party system is a false dichotomy. It is a fraud to perpetuate the power system. We are continually pushed into a chosen direction through the Problem-Reaction-Solution that manipulates the masses into choosing options contrary to their own best interest. e.g. In 2000 there was a very close election that came down to a small percentage of votes in FL. The corporate media made much ado over these hanging chads that made votes cast on paper ballots ambiguous. The antiquated paper voting systems were in poorer Dem counties, while the rich Rep counties had fancy electronic voting machines. The paper vote counties had to slog through counting millions of ballots by hand, while the electronic vote counties could just turn a switch. After the debacle of 2000, everyone knew that we had to get rid of paper ballots and go to the space-age electronic voting systems. Congress appropriated millions of dollars to counties, who went to fine upstanding companies like Diebold and ES&S and bought electronic machines. Problem-Reaction-Solution.

[duhneece]

20. More states like NM fought for and got voter-verified paper ballots

They can't 'black-box' their candidate in too many states now, so they have to find other ways to cheat & steal elections.

[bettydavis]

21. CALL PA Governor's office @ 717-787-2500 and ask...

....when will Mike Turzai, the Pennsylvania GOP House majority leader be arrested for violation of the 1965 voting rights act. CHARGES must be filed and pressure has to start somewhere. If we call en masse they'll notice. They cannot get away with admitting it on video and noone does anything?? It's a crime.

[Doctor_J]

22. And the nation's chief law enforcment officer

is sad and disappointed.

[Coyotl]

23. WRONGO: Holder is calling it a poll tax! This is why Obama did not go to the NAACP.

And he is doing something about it, albeit he is constrained by his official position when it comes to making statements, so today's news is really BIG!

================
Eric Holder: Voter ID Laws Are 'Poll Taxes'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/10/eric-holder-voter-id-poll-tax_n_1662847.html

HOUSTON -- Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday he opposes a new photo ID requirement in Texas elections because it would be harmful to minority voters.

In remarks to the NAACP in Houston, the attorney general said the Justice Department "will not allow political pretexts to disenfranchise American citizens of their most precious right."

Under the law passed in Texas, Holder said that "many of those without IDs would have to travel great distances to get them – and some would struggle to pay for the documents they might need to obtain them."

"We call those poll taxes," Holder added

[Doctor_J]

24. Call me when one of the governors is cuffed and sent to prison

the elections are barely 3 months away. He should be acting, not expressing outrage and wagging his finger.

[JoePhilly]

25. Sure, because you "cuff a Govoner and send him to prison" in a couple days.

Geeze.

[Doctor_J]

26. OK, then announce that indictments will be sought

for violation of the VRA and any applicable RICO statues. How long will that take? Can we expect results some time before the election? Before the purges total 1,000,000 Dem voters? Do you think that shaking his head is all the Attorney General Of The US can do?

[Coyotl]

36. Wrongo again. Taking Texas to court is acting to reverse the law!

Why are you saying the opposite of the truth here?

Plus wrongo one more time---it is his job to express "outrage and wagging his finger" when this goes on.

[Doctor_J]

37. Lawsuits and finger-wagging

I will be sure to congratulate him on his brilliant, dynamic work when Rmoney is being sworn in because of election theft. Maybe Perry will be hit with a stiff fine dome time during 2015 or so.

Weak, pathetic, and likely complicit.

What is truly sad is that people like you think that the nation's supreme law enforcement official, the man entrusted to protect the constitutional rights of every fucking American, is doing a good job with this.

[Coyotl]

38. people like me

that's a real group out there?

[Old and In the Way]

27. If you are going to commit legislative treason, it helps to game elections.

Overtly, through legislation or covertly, through rigged machines. Obviously, this noble idea of a democracy does not work when you are actively trying to turn government into a for-profit enterprise for the top 2%.

[DirkGently]

28. Gene is a national treasure. (nt)

[TahitiNut]

29. Agreed.

He's invariably straight and honest, without drama.

[Honeycombe8]

30. Ditto. A calm and steady and reasoned voice in the storm. nt

[glinda]

31. Trying? Let's not mince words here. THEY ARE NOW!

Egad the Dems tend to be so soft spoken!

[Kteachums]

32. The people should ask for free ID's and free copies of BC .

It is not fair for these people to be charged to vote. A certified copy of a BC is $20.00 and there is a cost applied for a photo ID. If people are refused the right to vote because of lack of a photo ID there should be a machine right at the pole that makes these. That means Republicans will have to buy more machines. If they caused the mess they need to fund it. It's not fair to do this a year before the elections. If photo ID's were going to be required or if anything different was going to be required the people should have had a few years to be aware of this. It is illegal to not permit a voter to vote especially if he/she is a citizen, pays taxes, etc.


We need to make the Republicans fund the BC requirement and the Photo ID requirement out of their millionaire funds.

[blkmusclmachine]

33. The GOP just comes out and says it anymore.

They know the DC "Democrats" won't do squat about anything, because of "bi-partisanship," etc. Free pass!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

34. In Bush V Gore by 5 to 4 the SCOTUS said citizens didn't have the fundamental right to vote

So the Republicans figure anything they do to take away our vote is perfectly okay.