U.S. District Judge Gregg Costa ( an Obama appointee, of course) partially blocked new Texas registration laws designed to prevent voter fraud in the Lone Star State.
Costa blocked blocked the state from enforcing five provisions of the laws with a preliminary injunction on five sections of the law until a trial on whether the entire law violates the plaintiffs' civil rights and the 1993 National Voter Registration Act.
Translation...let's block enforcement of the law until after November 2012.
The plaintiffs, two hand picked Galveston County residents were lawyered up by left wing partisan Democrat group Voting for America.
Under the ruling, the state of Texas may no longer require that deputy voter registrars live in Texas, so the state can be flooded with 'activists' conducting targeted voter registration drives aimed at selected,Democrat friendly groups like Latinos and blacks.
Deputy registrars will also now be able to register voters who live outside their county be able to offer cash incentives based on the number of voters registered, be able to make photocopies of completed voter registration forms 'for their records' and even mail completed applications.
Essentially, it's a license for voter fraud. There's a nothing to stop these 'activists' from mailing completed forms to anyone they want, whom can then be registered as whomever they say he or she is..because the Texas voter ID law is still tied up in court and likely will be until after November.
You just thought ACORN was history. The Democrats just resuscitated it under a few new names.
Meanwhile, the Obama Department of Justice in is diligently working across the country to do everything they can to suppress the active duty military vote.
Felons, illegal aliens, dead people and people too inept to score a photo ID even when they're given out free? That's the Democrat's preferred constituency, for very obvious reasons.
Active duty military? Not so much.
The Democrats aren't so much concerned with voting rights or vote suppression. They just want to make sure that the right votes are suppressed.
There are 25 million voters in Texas. There have been a total of four cases of voter fraud in the past three years. These proposed laws will end up disqualifying thousands upon thousands of otherwise eligible voters. No election has ever been swayed by four votes, but thousands? Well, kicking minorities and poor people off the rolls surely couldn't hurt the GOP's reputation any more, right?
ReplyDeleteI expect the usual 'even one case of voter fraud is too many' spiel. And I agree with that in principle, but when the cure is far far worse than the disease - if you can even call it that, considering it makes literally no difference in an election - it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand the true motivation. The problem that people who understand math have with your scheme is these laws do have the potential to swing an election, and the refusal to admit to it flies in the face of logic.
Everyone knows the real agenda here. Some republicans have even been stupid enough to admit it. I suppose you can stick to your guns by complaining about four votes, but why stop there? The Diebold machines have had a much worse failure rate, and I haven't seen peep out of the right about that.
These laws will keep getting overturned until the right can prove that 4 > thousands. Until then, it's obvious that this is all about keeping as many democrats away from the voting booth as possible.
As a thought experiment, imagine that I advocated blocking the military forces from voting because of ten fraudulent votes. Or if I advocated spending millions of dollars to get welfare recipients bus rides to the polls. Surely you would see that as political, right?
Well, maybe you should leave the echo chamber for a bit and see that this comes across to the general public as nothing more than electoral manipulation. When the average voter sees you guys trying to expel thousands of predominantly democratic voters from the polls, Occam's razor tells us one thing only, and it's not a pretty sight.
If you would be so kind as to respond to this, I would love to hear more beyond the usual 'one case is too many' generalities. How is this is a disease? How is the cure not far worse? How is four greater than a thousand? If voting machines are worse, where is your crusade there? How does the GOP expect to ever reach the minority vote when it treats them as criminals on voting day?
Hello Roland,
ReplyDeleteFor one thing, there is no proof whatsoever of how many cases of voter fraud have occurred in Texas or anywhere else. There are just those that have been caught. As I 've documented before ( and I'm sure you know the articles of mine I'm referring to; if not, just do a search on this site under 'voter fraud') Contrary to what Democrats would have you believe, voter fraud is a time tested Democrat technique and not at all uncommon.
For instance, voter fraud in Texas and in Cook county Illinois is widely admitted to have given John Kennedy the 1960 election.
So far,none of the new voter ID laws have been 'overturned'.In fact, the one they're all based on, the Indiana law has already been approved by the Supreme Court. What we've seen is partisan hacks like this judge and AG Eric Holder waging lawfare with injunctions and frivolous lawsuits to keep these entirely just laws from being applied until after this November.
If we examine the aspects of the Texas law that this judge just blocked, as I demonstrated, they are an open invitation to ACORN-type voter fraud on a grand scale.
Do you support that? If so the logic is the same as opposing traffic laws, because there's no recent evidence anyone is going to speed if they're not in place. In other words, this law is a preventive measure.
Since voter ID's can be had for free and both political parties are usually downright anxious to transport their voters to the polls free of charge if their assistance is requested, your point about welfare recipients or indigents unfortunately holds no water.Not only that, but the last time I checked, absentee ballots were a great way of voting in all states..that is, unless it's a Blue run state and you're active duty military.Then, you have real problems getting your vote counted when Democrats have their way.
Frankly, I don't want someone voting who's too inept to score themselves a free voter ID and a way to get to the polls or mail in an absentee ballot.
Voting, to my mind is a privilege. If some people are unwilling to exert themselves the least little bit just to exercise that privilege, well...
And why mention race, Roland? Do you think black people or Hispanics are less capable somehow of getting a proper photo ID and voting than whites? That they somehow need to be 'prodded' and 'assisted' in order to vote?
Or is it just that Democrats want to make sure they vote as they're 'supposed to'? Look up the Mississippi voter fraud cases the Obama DOJ refused to prosecute involving entrenched black politicians and what literally were 'vote wranglers'(pardon, 'voting assistants'), collecting black voters in buses, driving them to the polls and telling them exactly how to mark their ballots...while they were in the polling stations.
BTW, just as an aside, I don't favor electronic voting machines in the least, but there's no evidence whatsoever of deliberate tampering for partisan purposes or of votes being permanently lost, except in the mind of lefty conspiracy theorists.They liked the machines just fine in 2008 when they won. The problems with the machines are more just the temporary and occasional failure of yet another aspect of 'progress' that really isn't.
I prefer paper ballots.But I digress.
Occam's razor clearly applies here, just not the way you think,IMO.
The simplest reason most Democrats adamantly fight every effort to eradicate voter fraud is because they benefit from it.
Illegal aliens, convicted felons and dead voters who should be purged off the rolls are their preferred constituency.
That's been true since Tammany, Roland. No one who cares about the health of our democracy should support that, IMO.
Regards,
Rob
"Voting, to my mind is a privilege."
ReplyDeleteAnd your mind in this case is unambiguously wrong. 100% wrong. So very very wrong. Not even a little bit right.
And speaking of rights, that's *exactly* what voting is.
As for your claims of commonplace voter fraud, if you have the evidence why don't you simply take it to the state or federal DOJ in question? Could it possibly be that your "evidence" really consists or innuendo or at best is circumstantial?
Yeah, that was rhetorical.
No, you do not get to disqualify thousands of voters just because you *think* voter fraud may occur. Sorry. Prove the problem exists then we'll fix it. In the mean time it does look an awful lot like voter caging taken to an extreme (one might almost say unconstitutional) level.
But hey with all that super duper evidence you have about voter fraud it should be a snap for you to convince every judge, jury, and politician in the land, right?
Yeah, still rhetorical.
If you're basing your argument on the number of cases of voter fraud you think there might be rather than actual documented cases, then I'd like to state that billions of people will be disenfranchised. I mean, why not? Why bother with facts when we can use our fevered imaginations?
ReplyDeleteWhen the number of documented voter fraud cases rises above the number of documented shark attacks, I'll pull out my tin-foil hat and join you.
And I bring up race precisely because blacks are most affected by laws that make it enough of a burden to keep them away from the polls. And that's the whole point. Traveling over 10 miles with no car to an office that's only open one day a month to pay $25 to vote is ridiculous and I can only imagine how loud right-wingers would scream if we asked them to do the same to get their precious guns.
www.tinyur.com/cg55deg
This whole exercise is like cutting off your arm because you have a hangnail. Republicans are trying to cast laws nationwide that will keep millions of poor blacks from the polls. No matter how much 'voting is a privilege' flowery window dressing you put on it, the motive couldn't be more obvious.
PS - My point about voting machines is not conspiracy-oriented, but practical. The number of mistaken ballots they've created exceeds the number of voter fraud cases. But those mistakes probably affect both parties equally, so republicans don't care about that. But if voting is so sacrosanct, as you claim, it strikes me as curious (not really) that you're not concerned about this. Then again, if millions being turned away doesn't bother you, maybe my concept of 'greater than' is flawed.
Roland and Mr. Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteNo evidence of voter fraud? No proof?
http://joshuapundit.blogspot.com/2012/03/ag-holder-and-doj-strike-blow-to-help.html
http://joshuapundit.blogspot.com/2012/04/voter-fraud-white-man-in-dc-offered-ag.html
http://joshuapundit.blogspot.com/2011/03/study-at-least-5000-non-citizens-voted.html
http://spectator.org/archives/2012/03/14/holder-upholds-voter-fraud
http://www.amren.com/news/2012/07/mississippi-naacp-leader-sent-to-prison-for-10-counts-of-voter-fraud/
Nah...never happens, ever. (sarcasm off)
I could have included a dozen more links easily. And I didn't even have to search under ACORN.
QED.
There's absolutely nothing that stops people from voting whom want to vote, barring a flood, a hurricane or other act of G-d.
Nothing. Not the lack of a vehicle, not being able to get the polls, not the inability to get an ID or pay a fee for an ID, nothing.
Anyone whom says so is either simply lying or not someone with the sort of mental capacity I want voting anyway.
My mother will be 80 years old this October, doesn't drive, and gets around with the aid of a walker.She has no problem voting,or renewing her photo ID, which she gets for free because she qualifies financially. Not only that, but there's no DMV office I'm aware of that is only open '1 day a week', and here in California, they make special expedited appointments for seniors and others with disabilities, something that is federal law under the AWDA.
Both parties routinely send registrars to senior centers and community centers to organize rides to the polls.
If my mother needs a ride to the DMV and I'm not available, she gets free subsidized dial-a-ride access and/or taxi coupons.
And if she needs a ride to the polls and I'm not available, aside from the subsidized transportation I've mentioned, her local Democratic party office is always downright eager to get her there...I've even heard her turn down offers of a ride from them in my presence,because she has me there to take her.
Not only that,but if she didn't actually enjoy going out to vote, she could easily cast an absentee ballot.
Your premise is that somehow, blacks and Hispanics are a lot stupider and less capable than my mom and unable to do the same thing.
I call that the racism of low expectations.And it's frankly rather disgusting.
The real reason Democrats fight against voter ID and other laws designed to combat voter fraud is because they desperately need the votes of corpses, illegal aliens, and convicted felons in Democrat run machine jurisdictions in order to offset votes from areas they don't control. Chicago's a classic example.
In addition, considering the efforts Democrats make to disenfranchise the votes of active duty military, their claims of being worried about 'people being disenfranchised' are sheer horse manure.
But keep on believing.
-Rob-
There were 3 instances of military voter fraud in 2008. Therefore, using your logic, stricter laws against military ballots are entirely justified, no matter the cost. Voting is sacrosanct, even one case of fraud is too much, blah blah blah. I have a feeling that your principles might take a pass on this one.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the link I had above (I left the 'l' out of 'tinyurl', sorry) you will see that my concerns about blacks are not racism, as you rudely claim, but based on studies that find unreasonable barriers to voting. Again, could you even imagine the fit that the NRA would throw if they had even half these requirements on gun purchases?
I'm glad your mother has no problem voting, but I'm going to assume that she's not black, poor, or a college student. Study after study shows that these laws are keeping these voters away from the polls. Why not just institute a poll tax and be done with it?
But if you want to call me a racist (the last resort for those on the losing side of an argument), then I might point out that your statement that 'voting is a privelege' isn't dissimilar than the position of our founding fathers - a privilege for the privileged, no blacks or women need apply. I suppose you qualify as patriotic.
Keeping thousands of blacks, poor people, and college students (read: democrats) away from the polls in order to fix a fabricated problem. Is there anyone who doesn't see straight through this?
Hello Roland,
ReplyDeleteThe real problem with military votes is not voter fraud but the suppression of those votes, actively aided by Democrats.
You can find studies to prove just about anything. Many times, it depends on who's doing the study and especially, who's funding it.
I've taken apart a number of bogus polls that show how that works.
Let us again examine the points you raise.
1. I provided a number of links showing that actual voter fraud occurs. You continue to claim that it is a negligible and even non-existent problem, both directly and by inference. The jump to the second amendment is a fairly huge giveaway..especially since one cannot purchase a firearm legally without a photo ID and background check.
2.You have yet to disprove my statement that no one whom really wants to vote is prevented from doing so ( Unless they're active duty military, thanks to the Democrats).
In response to your arguments about how lack of means, lack of transportation and even physical disability keep people from voting or getting a photo ID, I gave you a clear example of someone who is challenged by all three yet manages to vote and renew her photo ID quite nicely, as well as citing the laws that are specially crafted to facilitate her doing so. And she's far from the only one.
There's nothing causing anyone to be excluded from voting who wants to vote.
3. I understand where you might be upset at my citing your belief that somehow, blacks and Hispanics are somehow unable to take advantage of the same things my mother does in order to vote as a racist attitude.
To clarify, I doubt you're consciously racist, but IMO assuming that people are somehow incapable of doing the same thing my 80-year-old mother does because of their race is a racist attitude, unconscious though it might be on your part.
That's why I referred to it as the bigotry of low expectations, something many people who think of themselves as liberal and non-racist are frequently guilty of. This is a classic example.
In contrast, I see blacks and Hispanics ( in fact, anyone) as perfectly capable of doing what's necessary to exercise their voting privilege. The existing laws and programs available, absentee ballots plus the desire of both parties to get every one of their voters to the polls make it easy.
In closing, voting is indeed a privilege, one that is extended to every legal voter.Again, there's nothing stopping anyone whom wants to vote from doing so, and that would include the proposed voter ID laws.
All they do is keep partisan Democrats from cheating the system.
The Obama Administration and many Democrats obviously have a vested interest in keeping certain people from voting and allowing other, non-legal 'voters' to cast ballots.
If you wish to support that, you're certainly entitled. But it's ultimately damaging to our Republic.
Not to mention illegal.
Regards,
Rob