HOW DESPERATE ARE THEY?:
The Republican Party is running very scared this year. Since surveys show most Americans agree more with Democrats on most issues, including Iraq, they have turned to voter suppression. This effort began months ago. Greg Palast, who uncovered the purging of tens of thousands of votes in Florida for 2000, says that kind of "pre-disqualification" is still going on.
Their latest scam is phony, annoying robocalls. Here's one example: "The call purports to be for John Hall, the Democratic challenger, but makes negative assertions about Hall. If the caller hangs up, they are called again and again, as many as seven times, according to one report. So either the recipient hears a negative message about Hall, or they think Hall is harrassing them with repeated phone calls. Either way it's a win for Hall's opponent, Republican incumbent Sue Kelly."
These calls are already getting them in trouble for breaking the law in several states, like Indiana, and New Hampshire, and "also violate a Federal Communications Commission rule that says automated calls must identify their source at the beginning of the message. ... The NRCC is using "robo calls" in at least 53 competitive House races nationwide." The Democratic Party "is preparing to file civil suits and pursue this to the fullest extent of the law." (See the video here.)
That's not even the most vicious thing they are doing. In the tight U.S. Senate race in Virginia: "Tim Daly from Clarendon got a call saying that if he votes Tuesday, he will be arrested. ... The transcript from his voicemail reads: "This message is for Timothy Daly. This is the Virginia Elections Commission. We've determined you are registered in New York to vote. Therefore, you will not be allowed to cast your vote on Tuesday. If you do show up, you will be charged criminally." Daly has been registered to vote in Virginia since 1998, and he has voted for the last several cycles with no problem. He has filed a criminal complaint with the Commonwealth's attorney in Arlington." Illegal calls like this have been made across the state to Democrats.
Just in case their efforts fail, the GOP pundits are announcing they plan to be poor losers: Evans and Novak write "expect a few recounts". But if they do manage to run up seemingly winning numbers that just look funny, they are priming their true believers to shout that all is well: "Enormous Republican efforts to encourage early and absentee voting could dramatically skew exit polls. Do not be surprised if the apparent results Tuesday night are overturned by Wednesday morning in several close House races." One of their own sites warns their dupes: "Beware Of Exit Polls ... Biased And Inaccurate Predictions Have Led To Poor GOP Exit Poll Showings In Past Three National Elections". Never mind that exit polls are what the U.S. government itself uses to spot stolen elections in other countries.
They have nothing to fear but voters themselves. Their support for "democracy" abroad doesn't seem to extend to actual free and honest elections here at home. Go vote, get all the non-Republicans you know to vote, and then come celebrate tonight at our Victory Watch Party when we see the results come in of the people rejecting this gang of very un-American crooks and bullies.
UPDATE: There's more, including that wonderful picture above, at Firedoglake.
The Republican Party is running very scared this year. Since surveys show most Americans agree more with Democrats on most issues, including Iraq, they have turned to voter suppression. This effort began months ago. Greg Palast, who uncovered the purging of tens of thousands of votes in Florida for 2000, says that kind of "pre-disqualification" is still going on.
Their latest scam is phony, annoying robocalls. Here's one example: "The call purports to be for John Hall, the Democratic challenger, but makes negative assertions about Hall. If the caller hangs up, they are called again and again, as many as seven times, according to one report. So either the recipient hears a negative message about Hall, or they think Hall is harrassing them with repeated phone calls. Either way it's a win for Hall's opponent, Republican incumbent Sue Kelly."
These calls are already getting them in trouble for breaking the law in several states, like Indiana, and New Hampshire, and "also violate a Federal Communications Commission rule that says automated calls must identify their source at the beginning of the message. ... The NRCC is using "robo calls" in at least 53 competitive House races nationwide." The Democratic Party "is preparing to file civil suits and pursue this to the fullest extent of the law." (See the video here.)
That's not even the most vicious thing they are doing. In the tight U.S. Senate race in Virginia: "Tim Daly from Clarendon got a call saying that if he votes Tuesday, he will be arrested. ... The transcript from his voicemail reads: "This message is for Timothy Daly. This is the Virginia Elections Commission. We've determined you are registered in New York to vote. Therefore, you will not be allowed to cast your vote on Tuesday. If you do show up, you will be charged criminally." Daly has been registered to vote in Virginia since 1998, and he has voted for the last several cycles with no problem. He has filed a criminal complaint with the Commonwealth's attorney in Arlington." Illegal calls like this have been made across the state to Democrats.
Just in case their efforts fail, the GOP pundits are announcing they plan to be poor losers: Evans and Novak write "expect a few recounts". But if they do manage to run up seemingly winning numbers that just look funny, they are priming their true believers to shout that all is well: "Enormous Republican efforts to encourage early and absentee voting could dramatically skew exit polls. Do not be surprised if the apparent results Tuesday night are overturned by Wednesday morning in several close House races." One of their own sites warns their dupes: "Beware Of Exit Polls ... Biased And Inaccurate Predictions Have Led To Poor GOP Exit Poll Showings In Past Three National Elections". Never mind that exit polls are what the U.S. government itself uses to spot stolen elections in other countries.
They have nothing to fear but voters themselves. Their support for "democracy" abroad doesn't seem to extend to actual free and honest elections here at home. Go vote, get all the non-Republicans you know to vote, and then come celebrate tonight at our Victory Watch Party when we see the results come in of the people rejecting this gang of very un-American crooks and bullies.
UPDATE: There's more, including that wonderful picture above, at Firedoglake.
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