Monday, November 3, 2014

The Great GOP Voter Purge

The GOP generally does better when fewer people vote, especially fewer women and racial minorities. So rather than changing their execrable policy goals to appeal to a greater portion of the electorate, they set out to purge the voter rolls of people likely to vote for Democratic candidates. Ian Millhiser at Think Progress tells us about "The Enormous, Secretive Effort To Purge Thousands Of Minorities From 27 States’ Voter Rolls."

It's small comfort to know that if the GOP takes the Senate, they will do so much the way GeeDubya Bush took the 2000 presidency... specifically, by cheating. C'mon, get to the polls and at least make them sweat.


12 comments:

  1. http://billmoyers.com/episode/bernie-sanders-breaking-big-moneys-grip-elections/

    Full Show: Bernie Sanders on Breaking Big Money’s Grip on Elections
    October 31, 2014

    Bernie Sanders, Vermont’s independent senator, is angry about what he sees as big money’s wholesale purchase of political power. It’s a grave threat, he believes, not only to our electoral process but to democracy itself.
    Two weeks ago, Sanders visited a town hall meeting in Richmond, California, to fire up supporters of Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and a slate of progressive city council candidates. They’re running against a ticket backed by the energy giant Chevron, the third largest corporation in the United States. Chevron owns an enormous refinery in Richmond and is spending $3 million to defeat the progressives, who have charged the oil company with damaging the city’s economy and environment.
    Chevron’s Richmond money – they’re spending more than $100 per voter – is just a fraction of the billions being spent this year on the most expensive midterm elections in history, money unleashed by Citizens United, McCutcheon and other court decisions that have turned voting into what feels more like an auction than ‘one person, one vote.’ Because the Supreme Court says money is speech and big business can buy all it wants, corporations are trying to drown out the voice of anyone trying to speak out against them, whether in Congress or a state legislature, on a judge’s bench or in city hall.
    “Apparently for these guys, owning and controlling our economy is not enough,” Sanders told the rally. “They now want to own and control the government. And we are not going to allow them to do that. Not in Richmond, not anywhere.”
    Producer: Gina Kim. Segment Producer: Robert Booth. Editor: Rob Kuhns. Intro Editor: Sikay Tang.

    ReplyDelete
  2. City in the shadow of Chevron fights back: Vote Team Richmond
    http://sfbayview.com/2014/10/city-in-the-shadow-of-chevron-fights-back-vote-team-richmond/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Big-money Chevron muscles local government election
    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/watch/big-money-chevron-muscles-local-government-341981251673

    ReplyDelete
  4. Purchase of Election by Chevron Shows We Have 'Oligarchy, Not Democracy': Sanders
    http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/10/17/purchase-election-chevron-shows-we-have-oligarchy-not-democracy-sanders

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Enfant; I'll read them tomorrow morning, as my schedule is free after Stella's operation was postponed (or canceled; we won't know which until late this week). I particularly look forward to Moyers's interview of Sanders; I admire both of them very much.

      Delete
    2. BTW, regarding the other articles, I have canceled two gasoline credit cards in my life, one Exxon, one Chevron, each for the company's "bad behavior" in environmental matters. Mostly these days I pay cash; that gives me complete freedom to switch instantly if I become dissatisfied with one or another company. I'd love to buy a new car, a Tesla, Nissan Leaf, etc., and be rid of oil-burning altogether, but in Houston that would mean my electric car would be nuclear-powered... besides, those are out of my budget for the foreseeable future.

      Delete
  5. US midterm elections: Undercover investigation exposes 'easy' electoral fraud in North Carolina
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-midterm-elections-undercover-investigation-exposes-easy-electoral-fraud-in-north-carolina-9837753.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Replies
    1. Sorry, Enfant; between an election, Stella's medical problems, and my full-time housekeeping job while Stella is incapacitated and cannot share the duties, I haven't gotten around to reading the articles. I would offer the (American) student's classic answer, "The dog ate my homework," but I've never had a dog...

      Delete
    2. I took a break and watched Bill Moyers interview Bernie Sanders. Listening to these two magnificent men, I was reminded of what Gandhi said, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." But we don't win. Over and over again, the powers-that-be (Obama, for example) sententiously preach all the right words at us, then do things that assure that we are ignored, laughed at and fought against... but never allowed to win.

      It also occurs to me that Moyers and Sanders are OLD... Moyers is 80; Sanders, 73. I believe the bastards in charge here in the US may just be biding their time, waiting for all the truly committed troublemakers like Moyers and Sanders to die off. "No man, no problem," Stalin is quoted as saying; women live longer, of course, but I suspect the Koch brothers would just as readily tell their friends, "No woman, no problem."

      The 1% has been doing this, moving toward a fascist state, since at least 1980, and they know they have all the time in the world. Democracy is a powerful metaphor for a form of government that has the potential to work in the real world, but whatever its virtues, democracy is not quick to remedy problems, and democracy is fragile. The wealthy can bide their time, enjoying their eight homes, 15 cars, four-star restaurants and $200 bottles of wine (for comparison, my car was built in 1994 and I usually spend $3.33 on a bottle of wine) while their money does the real work for them toward their ambition to take over the world. I suppose it's a great life if you can get it, and they are doing every thing possible to assure that you do not get a lifestyle even remotely comparable to theirs.

      I do not know what happens next. But I am too old and jaded to believe that Bill and Bernie and you and I will actually win within our lifetimes.

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. "No problem, Steve!"

      But not (at least not yet) no (wo)man! All in good time; read what William Oldys had to say in the 18th century.

      Delete

USING THIS PAGE TO LEAVE A COMMENT

• Click here to view existing comments.
• Or enter your new rhyme or reason
in the new comment box here.
• Or click the first Reply link below an existing
comment or reply and type in the
new reply box provided.
• Scrolling manually up and down the page
is also OK.

Static Pages (About, Quotes, etc.)

No Police Like H•lmes



(removed)