Lamar Smith seen as threat to VRA

[sonias]

The Hill article 6/27
GOP splits but Dem deal on VRA holds
By David Mikhail

The prospect of a Texas House Republican chairing the Judiciary Committee motivated Democrats to compromise earlier this year on a bill that would reauthorize and amend the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

While House GOP lawmakers splintered last week on the reauthorization, Democrats have maintained their pact on the politically sensitive issue. The deal brokered by House Democratic leaders suggests that their legislative game plan for 2006 does not presume they will be in control of the lower chamber next year.

Democrats and civil-rights leaders compromised on measures regarding voter protection, including those to curb the use of photo-ID laws, to ensure that a bill would be passed before the bill sponsor, committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), gives up his gavel at the end of the legislative session, according to several Democratic sources in the House, including multiple committee staffers.

Democrats are concerned about the possibility of Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) as the next committee chairman and the prospect of a significantly weakened Voting Rights Act under his chairmanship.

Damn it, this DeLay clone can not be re-elected. You see why it's so important that Smith get tossed out of Congress this year?

:mad:

Sonia

[jobycom]

1. I once thought of moving into Smith's district just to vote against him

I dislike him more than DeLay. I have nothing nice to say about DeLay, but Lamar Smith strikes me as less of a human being than even DeLay. More phoney, more insubstantial, and with less ideological integrity. DeLay, though I don't consider this a compliment, seems to be motivated by his sick, hateful ideology. He's figured out what he believes, he acts upon those beliefs, and would even if it did not make him more popular. Lamar Smith isn't smart enough, he just spouts out the most hate-filled things he can say, seeming to believe that that's what his voters respond to.

Come on, John Courage. Prove him wrong.

[sonias]

2. Our best dream this year is to get rid of both

Tweedledee and Tweedledum of the TX republican party.

Good riddance to both of them.

Sonia

[jobycom]

3. Well, one's gone if we don't screw it up.

Tom DeLay is gone. I'm worried about the move to force his name to stay on the ballot. If we do that, he just may campaign and win, and we may force him back into office. I was talking with a political handler who has that same fear earlier today. Sugarland is a goofy place.

Hope they know what they are doing.

But darn, I'd like to see Smith lose, too.

[sonias]

4. Well I can give you some good poll news

In the latest polling data on Smith's numbers, on the informed ballot portion of the poll, Courage beats Smith in a head to head by 8% points!

Man for a 20 year incumbent this guy sure is looking like a loser.

Sonia

[jobycom]

5. Cool. Smith's redrawn district is not as safe as they hoped, apparently.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. "Informed ballot" is another name for a push poll

Information is given on each candidate and they you asked who you will vote for. This is a good way to find out which issued resonate with voters, but a terrible way to predict election outcomes. When the voter steps into the voting booth, they will not be given that information.

[niccolos_smile]

7. And often the most important thing the voter hears...

is what they hear right before they go into the booth.

[Freddie Stubbs]

8. There's the problem

If you work outside the polls on election day, who are you going to be telling voters about? Most voters aren't going to take the time to engage in a ten minute conversation with you and other poll workers on the more than a dozen candidates who will be on the ballot. Will you be telling voters about John Courage? Or Chris Bell? What about Barbara Ann Radnofsky?

For a campaign to be effective, they need to get this information to voters before they get to the polls. This can be done by TV and radio ads, direct mail, and volunteers going door-to-door. But if you are running against an incumbent who isn't facing a serious scandal and voters don't know who you and why they should vote for you before they leave to go the polls, you are toast.

[sonias]

10. Of course we're not sitting on our asses here Freddie

Do you think we're simply relying on polls to win this race? You have got to be kidding. The Courage campaign is one of the hardest working campaigns going. Like it or not, you have to do polling to find out what the voters are thinking.

We have all campaign strategy to get to the information to the voters before the race. This is not just about running a negative campaign on Lamar. He's got plenty of negatives. John is a great candidate with very good positives and a great message.


Sonia

[sonias]

9. Welcome to DU niccolos_smile!

:hi:

Soni