The Republican Hail Mary Pass: Racist Mailers and More Vote Suppression

Last updated on February 8th, 2013 at 02:20 am

Romney used every deceitful trick in the book, albeit with a little help from other people who believe in an America that should be run like a corporation, rather than led as a country.

As I reported previously, Romney’s poll watchers are being trained to deceive voters and election officials in Wisconsin. However, the deception doesn’t end in Wisconsin. That would be asking way too much of the Romney Campaign.

Romney workers in Iowa were told to ask for voters’ ID.

Here is the Romney campaign’s training video for its poll watchers in Iowa.

There is one problem with that. Iowa doesn’t have a voter ID law. Actually, there are many problems with that, as there has been with the nationwide effort by Republicans led by Romney to suppress the vote.

With everything from ALEC inspired legislation, most of which was struck down by the courts because these laws had a disproportionately adverse effect on Racial minorities, students, the elderly, single mothers and single women in general; people who work for a living.

It’s no coincidence that these identifiable groups are more likely to vote Democrat, than for the corporatist/theocratic alliance of the Republican Party.

Most elections are about a choice between leaders and wannabes. This election is no exception.

Our choices are very clear cut. Either we can choose to a real leader in Barack Obama, or Corporate America’s wannabe, Mitt Romney.

Either we can chose a leader, in Barack Obama, who may not tell us everything we want to hear, then moments later deny he said it. The other choice Mitt Romney who changes his mind about his strongly held convictions = sometimes within minutes of stating them.

This election is just as much about who the candidates believe should have a voice in deciding our future. This is about so much more than a contest between two candidates and their immediate policies. It goes to the heart of what we value as a nation.

You can tell a lot about a candidate’s vision by their views and actions on voting rights.

Again, there is a sharp contrast between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. While Barack Obama and Democrats have fought for your right to vote, Mitt Romney and the Republicans used every trick in the book (and made up a few more) to silence you.

Throughout this campaign, we have documented the laws that Republican legislatures passed in the name of suppressing your vote at the polls.

Some expressed contempt for the notion that their state should have to “contort” the system to make voting equally accessible to all voters.

Whether it was new voter ID requirements, restrictions on registration drives, early and absentee voting, Republicans offered disingenuous claims that the purpose of these measures was to protect your vote from alleged in person voter fraud.

Yet, when given a chance to provide evidence of voter fraud in a court of law, Republicans always came up empty. It seems that while they have no problem lying to the people of America, the courtroom was as effective, if not more so, than a polygraph machine.

They hired Nathan Sproul to manipulate voter registration in a manner that they hoped would deny Democrats their vote, when the voter suppression laws failed. (At least the few that were not struck down by the courts.)

Voters who survive the first endurance test to the vote, will be met by right-wing foot soldiers, be they from the Romney campaign or from the Koch Brother financed True to Vote and similar organizations. While claiming to be “concerned citizens” whose purpose is to intimidate you into silence, be it with false challenges to your vote, or delaying your vote by virtue of raising false challenges.

These individuals do not have standing to ask anything of you. They sure as hell don’t have a right to see your ID (whether or not your state has a voter ID law.) Don’t let them steal your vote, or anyone else’s. Once you pass the Republican endurance test for voting, the struggle ends if you live in a state that uses paper ballots. If you live in a state that gives you a choice between a paper ballot and a machine, always choose the paper ballots.

If you live in a state with machine ballots only, there is reason to be concerned about whether the machines were rigged. If you live in Ohio, this is worth noting.

According to The Free Press:

Untested, uncertified and “experimental” election tabulation software was installed on ES&S machines in 39 districts.

You’ll just love the justifications offered by Ohio’s officials. According to Election Counsel, Brandi Laser Seske,

Its function is to aid in the reporting of results that are already uploaded into the county’s system. The software formats results that have already been uploaded by the county into a format that can be read by the Secretary of State’s election night reporting system.”

“Because the software is not 1) involved in the tabulation or casting of ballots (or in communicating between systems involved in the tabulation or casting of ballots) or 2) a modification to a certified system, the BVME [Board of Voting Machine Examiners] was not required to review the software.

According to Seske, “It is not part of the certified Unity system, so it did not require federal testing.”

Because the software is not 1) involved in the tabulation or casting of ballots (or in communicating between systems involved in the tabulation or casting of ballots) or 2) a modification to a certified system, the BVME [Board of Voting Machine Examiners] was not required to review the software.”

In English, Seske is saying that the “experimental” software will transmit “custom” election results to the Secretary of State’s office, bypassing normal election night reporting methods.

Moreover, it’s pretty clear that Seske is trying to justify a deliberate attempt to skirt Federal election law to benefit the Republicans.

Considering that the Secretary of State in question is Jon Husted, it’s safe to say this custom reporting serves a partisan purpose. After all, Husted’s idea of election integrity would ideally only count Republican votes. The fact that he found an excuse to avoid certification, considering Husted’s history, suggests that he is up to no good.

As noted by Gerry Bello and Bob Fitrakis,

The software, although not communicating actual ballot information, facilitates communication between systems upon which votes are tabulated and stored. Although the software purports to not modify the tabulation system software, it is itself a modification to the whole tabulation system. This is why certification and testing is required in all cases.”

The Romney campaign has more post-Halloween tricks for Ohio – including their latest flier, complete with
with Chinese food containers and chopsticks, all the better to tar Democrats with.

Sam Stein explains the symbolism behind this blatantly racist mailer.

Anti-China sentiment can be politically persuasive in the Midwest, which is still stinging from years of manufacturing jobs being outsourced. It’s why President Barack Obama’s super PAC spent the summer focusing on Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital, accusing him specifically of being a pioneer in the field of outsourcing. It’s why the Obama campaign soon followed suit. And it’s why the Romney campaign, in the closing weeks, has launched surreptitious ads suggesting that, under the president’s watch, America’s auto companies are sending production to China

The mailer in Ohio adds that extra ugh factor with the takeout container with money, chopsticks and the stereotypical Chinese font.

Well, no one can accuse the Republicans of being classy, nor can one accuse Mitt Romney of being a leader.

No one can compel you to vote. That is your choice and your choice only. Just bear in mind that if you choose to stay home, you will be giving the plutocratic/theocratic alliance that is the Romney Republican Party exactly what they want.

Using your vote matters because it is your chance to choose between leader and someone who views you as nothing more than a means to an end – whether that be his personal profits or his personal quest for power.

True leaders comfort the downtrodden, rather than talk about them disparagingly, when they think no one is listening.

True leaders give a hand up to the less fortunate because a strong society is built by all of us – not one per cent, 2 per cent or 10%.

A true leader listens to all voices, – not only to his cheering section. When a true leader talks of bipartisanship, they mean working in a cooperative spirit for the good of the country.

A united country is built when everyone has a stake in it as citizens, not because they have the money to buy a voice. Politicians who seek unity while listening to those who mirror their views create animosity.

A leader has the judgment to recognize that on matters of National Security, it’s a good idea to get the facts first. A politician sees tragedies like Benghazi as a political opportunity.

A leader works with others be they members of another political party within his country or leaders of allied nations across the world. The wannabe in this election alienated Democrats while serving as governor and found a way to offend our closest ally at the Olympics. Romney’s actions show that his idea of cooperation ends with talking about it.

Leaders take responsibility for their actions, while wannabes blame everyone but themselves.

Leaders see their position as one in which they were entrusted to use power wisely and to the benefit of the people they lead. Wannabes sees the power and status like shiny objects – without showing any interest in understanding the responsibilities of the job.

Leaders insure opportunity is available to everyone who wants to take them. Wannabes see opportunity as a privilege for those who already have everything.

If you want a leader, there really is only one choice in the election – Barack Obama.