Widgetized Section
Go to Admin » Appearance » Widgets » and move Gabfire Widget: Social into that MastheadOverlay zone
Several Florida Republicans Admit Voter Fraud was Subterfuge for GOP Victory
Leaks are a part of the GOP’s slow implosion. So it’s not a surprise that current and former Republicans are admitting the real purpose of the voter ID and early voting laws.
The Florida law that cut early voting was an intentional tactic to hand Florida to the GOP by inhibiting Democratic turnout, former GOP officials and “current GOP consultants” told the Palm Beach Post.
Former GOP Florida Chairman called the voter ID laws a “marketing ploy” and Crist said he was approached about changing the laws regarding early voting. Two veteran GOP campaign consultants echoed Crist and Greer’s claims.
Crist told the Post he was approached during his term as Governor by Republicans, who wanted him to change the early voting laws. Crist felt the requests may have been targeting black voters and a GOP consultant admits that black voters were a “concern”:
…(I)n a telephone interview this month that he (Crist) did not recall conversations about early voting specifically targeting black voters “but it looked to me like that was what was being suggested. And I didn’t want them to go there at all.”
But a GOP consultant who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution said black voters were a concern.“I know that the cutting out of the Sunday before Election Day was one of their targets only because that’s a big day when the black churches organize themselves,” he said.
The issue of whether or not this law deliberately took aim at minorities is a big deal because Florida is one of nine states subject to the Voting Rights Act. Five counties in the state must get federal clearance for changes to voting laws that could impact minorities.
Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer told the Post that the GOP began to push for a cut in early voting in 2009 because early voting “is not good for us.” Describing behind-the-scenes meetings at which these issues were allegedly addressed, he said, “They never came in to see me and tell me we had a (voter) fraud issue. It’s all a marketing ploy.”
Greer’s take on the laws is that Republicans targeted minorities not as racists but because they didn’t think they could ever get African Americans to vote for them. (Note: It is irrelevant in the eyes of the law why they targeted minorities voting rights.)
Greer, who is under indictment for stealing from the party and who is also suing the Florida Republican Party, added, “There is absolutely nothing with their absolute obsession with retaining power that they wouldn’t do — changing the election laws to reduce early voting, to keep organizations like the League of Women Voters from registering people, going after the Supreme Court justices.”
Florida Republican campaign consultant Wayne Bertsch described the “chill” that went down their spine in 2008 at the Democratic turnout machine and says he knew the purpose of the laws was to target Democrats. An unnamed (at his request) GOP consultant also told the Post that the goal of the laws was to beat back Democratic turnout.
Brian Burgess, a GOP spokesman, denied all of the above, including that any meetings had taken place about early voting laws and Voter ID laws, and lambasted the character of Crist and Greer. But in addition to Crist, Greer, Bertsch and the unnamed consultant, the Post also noted that Florida GOP General Counsel Emmett Mitchell IV’s deposition with the Justice Department regarding the early voting law mentions a specific meeting taking place in addition to conversations with Republicans. Mitchell is the author of the early voting law.
Greer is under indictment, accused of stealing money from the Republican Party. He is also suing the Party claiming that they knew what he was doing and they owe him money. (Sounds like the GOP in Wisconsin.)
Between 2008-2011, according to the Florida Department of State via Think Progress, there were just 31 instances of alleged voter fraud in Florida, only two of which resulted in arrest.
On August 16, 2012, federal judges ruled that Florida’s early voting law could not be implemented in several counties in Florida, which are covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, because it discriminated against blacks. But on September 13, the Department of Justice approved the early voting schedule for the five counties, provided the counties provide 96 hours of voting between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Surely you are saying to yourself that you already knew this. However, what you know and what you can prove are two different things. It is one thing to say that their reasons for these laws do not make sense and thus appear to be aimed at reducing turnout for Democrats. It is quite another to have statements suggesting that Florida Republicans may have conspired to suppress the minority vote. The former head of the state party and a former Governor, in addition to others, are saying what everyone already knew. This is not a good thing for Florida Republicans.
Related Posts :
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe released a memo today that pointed out that the early voting statistics ...
The early voting numbers in North Carolina are trickling in, and they don't look good for Romney. Democr ...
In a conference call with reporters Obama campaign manager Jim Messina dropped some devastating numbers ...
There is some good news for voters in Florida today. A Federal court partially struck down a Republican ...
Two suspicious packages caused authorities to shut down an early voting location in Winter Park, Florida f ...
11 Responses to Several Florida Republicans Admit Voter Fraud was Subterfuge for GOP Victory
KarenJ
Nov. 26th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
OK, what effect do these confessions have on the Supreme Court’s review of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby vs. Holder?
You’d think that such evidence would cause SCOTUS to dismiss the Voting Rights Act challenge by right wing/GOPsters out of hand.
www.huffingtonpost.com/do...
A Walkaway
Nov. 26th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Well, after Bush deliberately stacked the Supreme Court with “Judges” who are driven by ideology rather than the principle of law, and who are determined to turn this country over to the religious right (and their partners-in-crime), it doesn’t surprise me in the least that the Supreme Court (the conservative “Justices”) would be concerned that the Democrats are finally waking to the danger this country is in and try to strip Democrats’ supporters of their rights.
A Walkaway
Nov. 26th, 2012 at 4:49 pm
I’m also reminded of the video (the link was posted here a month or two ago) of a Florida computer programmer who was approached by the Republicans to hack the voting machines so that they’d give Republicans a win and done in such a way that the evidence of hacking would vanish after the crime was committed.
I’d LOVE to see some justice come to the monsters that have run this state for so long (and hurt so many poor people in doing so).
sachet
Nov. 26th, 2012 at 5:35 pm
When W Bush ran for president, he and his brother put a lot things in place to steal Florida. Purging eligible Dems from the voter roll, asking that computer programmer to hack the machines in favor of Bush, and then Bush going to the Supreme Court to get them to order the vote counting to stop.
Gore won Florida, and the election, Bush did not.
Reynardine
Nov. 26th, 2012 at 5:39 pm
And when the pie is opened, the birds begin to sing…
Cathy
Nov. 26th, 2012 at 6:38 pm
And the GOP have the nerve to claim the Dems. rigged the vote. It’s true – whatever a GOP is accusing their opponent of doing, is exactly what that same GOP is doing.
DocDiggs
Nov. 26th, 2012 at 8:28 pm
No surprise re Florida! The current GOP mob here in Florida is so blatant in it’s messing over The People of the state that many of us simply assume that everything it does is in it’s own favor and is done to assure that it remains in power. Charlie Crist, our past Governor was pretty good as a Repub, but now that he has switched to Dem, we believe he should run in the next election. He’s a good man and capable of turning Florida around. Florida needs a good, reliable, honest, and decent Governor.
Ingrid Buxton
Nov. 27th, 2012 at 11:26 am
We need universal registration by Social Security number.
When a person turns 18, they are automatically registered.
When a person dies, they are automatically removed from the rolls.
Social security knows where almost everyone lives. They can send out a postcard telling people where their polling places are, when voting times are.
People show up at the polls, give their name, address and last 4 digits of SS# and vote.
When a person changes their address, and/or changes their name (married) there just needs to be a computer at the polling place where a person sits down, enters their SS# and corrects the information on the spot. They then are ready to vote.
Easy, simple, cheap, and any voting twice by SS# is investigated ON THE SPOT.
Sandra
Nov. 27th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
That’s a good idea though I would suggest one’s picture on it also which can be updated as the person ages every decade or two. I would like to think it would remove all the shenanigians the R’thugs have done over the past decade and will continue to do. The DOJ should be investigating the R’thugs in Fla, Ohio and other States where they committed these illegal activities. The Constitution mandates that every citizen has the right to vote and is the law of the land, anyone or party who violates and denies said rights should be charged with treason.
Ingrid Buxton
Nov. 27th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
Dont need a picture. The SS# is unique and unchangeable. It doesnt age, put on weight, change hair color. No need for anything else.
Inez
Nov. 27th, 2012 at 9:27 pm
How low can they go? Even a . snake lifts it’s head out of the grass. Lying, seems to be the norm for these GOPers(Get Our Profits)…..After all the Mittshit, there comes another! They accuse Obama of winning the election because of “gifts” We Dems know the truth about the reason for their voter ID pretense all over the country.You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people allof the people time!!!!!!!.