Where There's Smoke

October 18, 2004
Where There's SmokeLet's see....so far we've had
a Republican campaign worker accused in irregularities regarding absentee ballot registrations resigne, then get promoted to head of GOTV operations in Ohio,
an outfit paid for by the national Republican party was apparently ripping up registration cards collected from Democrats instead of turning them in, and
Jim Tobin, the New England campaign chairman for the re-election of President Bush, resigned after reports that he'd been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in a 2002 vote suppression case in New Hampshire. He was reportedly named in the plea bargains filed by Chuck McGee, former executive director of the NH Republican party and a GOP consultant.And now, Philadelphia. Kerry needs heavy turnout in the Philly area to win Pennsylvania, and it has now been reported by the Philadelphia Daily News that "high-ranking state GOP and Bush operatives asked local Republicans to try to move 63 polling places at the last minute. Some 53 of the 63 polling places are in districts less than 10 percent white." And they were so open about their reasoning! Consider this quote:
"It's predominantly, 100 percent black. I'm just not going in there to get a knife in my back." -- Matt Robb, Republican ward leader in South Philadelphia, on his last-minute request to move five Philly polling places in African-American neighborhoods. Or this one:
In addition to Robb, the GOP ward leader who acknowledged that race played a role in the request, another Republican ward leader behind the effort was North Philadelphia's Listervelt Ritter, who is black. He said the move isn't aimed at suppression, but he adds:
"The black neighborhoods are the ones that do the funny stuff. What are you supposed to do?" What are you supposed to do? Well, not run a criminal enterprise would be a nice start. Posted by Mike Jones at October 18, 2004 10:39 AM TrackBack