Well well well we have no “proof” that the Republicans intentionally disenfranchised any voters in Florida. In fact, the problems occurred mostly in Democrat counties with Democrat officials, but where is the outrage when Democrat officials and leaders attempt to get Nader off the ballot. Is this the kind of America we want? An America where the Democrat stormtroopers rush to file legal claims against anyone who disagrees with them to stifle and silence their voices? Is that democracy? No wonder we have a vice presidential candidate who is a trial lawyer. The better to shut up dissenting voices through the legal shenanigans that the party and its representatives specialize in.
Looks like the Republikkkans can’t take any reponsibility for anything. During the 2000 election, Florida Secretary of State Harris was also the state campaign manager for George W. Bush… and in charge of running the election. Harris was intimately tied to the requests for “felon” names to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush’s state. Her office ensured that the names were taken off the lists. When caught with their hands in the cookie jar the first time, they had no choice but to reach a desperate settlement with the NAACP over their efforts to disenfranchise blacks. They’re being caught doing it again… with another Republikkkan secretary of state in charge.
Fred, let’s have some facts instead of the mushy sorts of things you usually rely upon.
Every time you have asked, I have supplied facts. Now, this time, the topics is Democrat leadership disenfranchising voters by keeping Nader off the ballot in a number of states through legal shenanigans. How do you feel about that?
Fred, last time Florida Bushit was being discussed, you ran like a fraidy cat after referring to black people as a subset of “felon”. Not even Tiredman could defend you.
Off topic. Moderators I demand that these comments by MFGR be removed.
Okay sufficient time has gone by so I will assume that MFGR’s comments will remain and will therefore grant myself an equally wide latitude in future posts and comments.
First, MFGR, you tried to make it sound like I was making such an assertion but I was not. You still do not understand what Hispanic means and I was the one first to ask you why you were so interested in Black felons. It sounds to me like you are the racist? Why only be concerned with Black Felons? I mean there are other ethnic groups that commit crimes too. What’s your beef with blacks?
There, now are you going to answer the question: How do you feel about the Democrats trying to keep Nader off the ballot in so many states and how do you feel about these legal shenanigans? Isn’t this a way of disenfranchising voters? or limiting their choices?
Fred, you started off this thread with a mention of the Republikkkans in Florida. I can feel free to counter anything you post in trying to start up discussion of the relative culpability of the parties. You founded this thread on a debatable premise, i.e., “[W]e have no “proof” that the Republicans intentionally disenfranchised any voters in Florida. In fact, the problems occurred mostly in Democrat counties with Democrat officials… .”
The proof of the Bushit is in the eating. 4 years ago, Republicans were in charge of the Florida elections and there was a widespread attempt to block black voters from being able to vote by falsely characterizing them as “felons”. Just when we thought that couldn’t happen again, a new Republikkkan secretary of state in charge of the Florida elections for 2004 is caught red-handed a second time. It’s a current issue, and you’ve opened the door to it by raising it in your initial post.
If you don’t feel secure defending the Grand Old Partei when they’re keeping down the blacks, then don’t bother with it.
With regards to Nader, as long as he follows the correct procedures for getting on the ballots, I hope he is on those ballots. Why on earth would anyone object to Nader having to comply with the law – Nader’s a lawyer.
Tiredman: Fred opened the topic to discussion by raising it himself. I responded. It’s as simple as that. He wants to try to compare an effort by a couple of lawyers in Pennsylvania to keep Nader honest to the Republikkkan effort in 2000 and 2004 to falsely label blacks as “felons” so they can’t vote on Election Day.
I responded. That’s a lot more than I can say for the way Fred’s been hiding ever since he was caught out referring to blacks as a subset of felons. Lord knows I gave the man the opportunity to say he mistyped, but no… he didn’t even take a second to defend the indefensible.
I am very worried that you feel the need to keep talking about Blacks as felons. There are many other criminals out there too and I think this desperate attempt to paint me as the racist after I took issue with the incredible remarks that you made in another post is shocking. Get over this Blacks = Crime thing. You really should try meeting some Black people some day. You might be surprised that they are people just like everyone else. In this day and age, this type of racist bile that you spew is very very out of place.
I asked you to explain this. I had even hoped that you had mistyped when you wrote this. You offered no explanation whatsoever.
The context of my posts clearly show that I stridently do not believe blacks are felons and that I dislike the attempts by Florida Republicans to falsely label them as such to deny them their rights to vote. I didn’t like it in 2000, and I sure don’t like seeing the Republicans do it again in 2004.
Unlike Tigerman’s pelt, yours only has one yellow stripe running right up the back.
You can take my remark and twist it whatever way you want but I think that it is clear that my meaning was that not just Black “felons” but all “felons” were being barred from voting in Florida. But keep banging away at the pot and trolling away. I will not be biting on this anymore.
By the way, for everyone else, this is the FULL quote…
So change the law. Right now, not just blacks but all felons are barred from voting. Why is it that blacks are the only group that interests you? Are your racist?
Well, Fred, the point is that the Republikkkans were falsely labeling decent, honest law-abiding non-felon blacks as “felons”, thus preventing them from voting.
I don’t have any particular problem with felons being blocked from voting, but I do see there being a problem with decent black Americans being disenfranchised because a Republikkkan Florida secretary of state gets sloppy in a way that ensures as many blacks as possible are falsely characterized as “felons”.
If you have a shred of decency, you would support allowing the maximum number of non-felon American citizens who have legitimately registered as voters to actually vote. But I guess that’s asking a bit too much for Republikkkans these days…
mofangongren (and anyone else), please refrain from using the term ‘Republikkkans’ instead of ‘Republicans’ in future as the implied relation to the KKK can be seen as offensive.
The same applies to ‘America’ which I have noticed some posters have turned into “Amerikkka” before.
MaPoSquid: A big difference between Senator Byrd and most racist southern Republicans is that Byrd has repudiated that part of his past. To Strom Thurmond’s credit (he was a Democrat, Dixiecrat and then a Republican in case you don’t know…), he repudiated his racist past as well. Frankly, Trent Lott sure seems a lot prouder of Thurmond’s segregationist past than Thurmond.
However, you do raise an interesting point. Once upon a time, the Democrats were THE racist southern party and the Republicans were the “party of Lincoln”. Somehow that all got switched around, starting with Truman and the Dixicrat splitoff but continuing after LBJ pushed through the civil-rights legislation. Pretty funny how things work out.
Somehow, we got to an interesting point in history in which the Republicans have been caught red-handed trying to stop the black vote in Florida in 2000 … and then caught again in 2004 doing the same nonsense. Fred’s been trying to misstate the situation as being simply a matter of blocking felons from voting when it is, in fact, a matter of blocking honest, non-felon black citizens from voting.
Guess what? Everyone who investigated found no proof of intentional disenfranchisement of any voters in Florida, nor were all the hallaballooed intimidation of voter charges found to have any basis in fact, true or otherwise (in deference to Rascal).
Now, you keep bringing this issue up but you have no proof, no evidence and you willfully deny that other felons black, white or yellow are also taken off the roles. Your big story was that this was again happening in FL, and the whole thrust of this particular story (which quickly disappeared in case you have not noticed) is that there was no evidence that only Black felons were being purged from voter registration lists. The charge was brought up because so few Hispanics were on this purge lists so ERGO FRAUD!!! Discrimination!!! Could this be because Hispanics vote Republican and Blacks tend to vote Democrat!!! the story thundered but unlike you everyone realized once they looked into it that there was a very simple explanation. Hispanic is not a race. Ergo the roles of felons are still all purged from voting but the reason the Hispanic figures is so low is because they are classified as either white or black. Do you have this now? Do you get it? If you insist on continuing along these lines then prove that what I have said is not the case. Prove that there is disenfranchisement. Prove that the Justice Department has found substantial evidence to justify an investigation. Put up anything you want or can find. Then, and only then, can we proceed to discuss this issue.
Fred, your basis for “everyone who investigated” is from that John R. Lott Jr. fellow, the guy with so much integrity that he was spending hours online under the name “Mary Rosh” posting book reviews of his own books and telling all and sundry that John R. Lott Jr. is a genius. Great. You and Tiredman rested your support on a far-right kook whose moral clarity could fit in a thimble. I applaud you both for such “moral clarity” on this one.
The Republican efforts to keep the Florida blacks from voting in 2000 were well documented, Harris’ office had to settle the federal suit against them from the NAACP because otherwise they would have lost. I have already given you numerous articles documenting what happened.
Regarding the 2004 efforts by Republicans to keep blacks from voting, many newspapers reporting on this were responsible in pointing out that there was a good reason why the number of Hispanics on the voter purge list were so low – i.e., Hispanic was a category not provided for. When I raised this issue, I linked to articles that responsibly reported this issue, and I have certainly never raised this non-issue. Ironically, Fred, it seems to be you who has the Hispanic fixation. What gives?
The real issue, of course, is the concept that the Republicans were caught redhanded in 2004 trying to go forward with a voter-purge list that included lots and lots of non-felon blacks. How much longer will southern Republican racists keep trying to get away with barring legitimate black voters from the polls? What’s up with this “Jim Crow” approach to Republican governance?
Fred, now you’re being silly! Go back and look. A little reading is good for you.
It has got to be terribly embarrassing for you that the Republicans have now become the party of George Lincoln Rockwell more than than they are the party of Abraham Lincoln.