Question About DeLay Regurgitation

[Helga Scow Stern]

From the transcript on 1/6

"Remember, preelection memos revealed that Democrat campaign operatives around the country were encouraged by their high command in Washington to charge voter fraud and intimidation regardless of whether any occurred."

Does anyone have any background on this charge or where it came from? I know there was a NYT article from 10/27/04 (in $-archives):

Wednesday, October 27, 2004 10:53:01 AM:

Republicans Claim Democrats Are Behind Office Attacks
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

Citing incidents of violence at Bush campaign offices around the country, Republicans are asserting Democratic partisans have deliberately tried to intimidate voters, potentially storing ammunition for future arguments about the fairness of the election.

Yesterday, the Bush campaign provided a list of more than 40 examples it said had occurred since July, including the burglary from campaign offices of several items: two laptop computers in Seattle; a banner in Thousand Oaks, Calif.; petty cash in Spokane, Wash.; as well as break-ins last Friday in both Flagstaff, Ariz., and Cincinnati.

snip:
Denise Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the A.F.L.-C.I.O., called the allegations "outrageous," accusing Republicans of "trying to confuse the issue about who is really blocking voters' rights on Election Day."

Republicans and Democrats are dispatching armies of lawyers to polling places to lay the groundwork for fights over reports of voter fraud and intimidation if the election proves close. But Republicans, who typically benefit from smaller voter turnout, are more focused on charging fraud and challenging potential voters.

Voter intimidation is typically raised by Democrats, who benefit from higher turnout. This year, Republicans have made public a Colorado Democratic Party handbook suggesting that even without immediate evidence of intimidation, Democratic operatives might launch "a pre-emptive strike" by having local minority leaders discuss the issue.

In response to the Bush campaign's incident list, Democrats countered with a list of 19 incidents aimed at the campaign of Senator John Kerry, including a bullet that was fired into a supporter's house, graffiti at campaign offices, the smashing of a mailbox bearing Kerry campaign stickers and the theft of a laptop in Norristown, Pa.

Phil Singer, a spokesman for the Kerry campaign, called all the events isolated incidents. "There is a lot of passion, and we shouldn't let these incidents taint what appears to be one of the most energetic electorates in decades," he said.

The Bush campaign is much more focused on the issue. It has set up a hot line to collect information about any examples of "intimidation or harassment" of Republican voters or "destruction of Bush-Cheney property."

A group of 50 Republicans in the House led by Representative Tom Feeney of Florida sent a letter on Oct. 7 to Attorney General John Ashcroft suggesting the existence of "a plan to intimidate volunteers who were supporting their candidate" and requesting an investigation.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70614FF3F590C758EDDA90994DC404482

[kuozzman]

1. This is all I could find in Lexis Nexis

Other than the one you've got. What the hell was up with the Rethugs and their references to "Ohio Newspapers"? I put some excerpts/comments up on my website and some links to editorials supporting Tubbs-Jones/others, even though "EVERY Ohio newspaper editorial says this is wrong"......blah....blah
http://ignorantusa.tripod.com/

There is just one sentence similar to what Delay said. But a few sentences later, there is another interesting comment (Bold).

St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
October 24, 2004 Sunday
PERSPECTIVE; Pg. 3P
COLUMNS
PHILIP GAILEY

Political hurricane may strike Nov. 2
(Entire Article)

I want this presidential campaign season behind me almost as much as I want this year's hurricane season to end. Both seasons have been nasty and destructive. So far this year, Florida has been battered by four consecutive hurricanes and their political equivalent - legions of lawyers, partisan activists and interest groups who appear determined to make Florida the punching bag of this election.

The Democratic Party's war manual instructs its lawyers and poll watchers to look for evidence of voter intimidation and suppression, especially in African-American precincts, and to file a complaint even if they don't find any. This "stolen election" crowd portrays Florida as a sinister banana republic where elections are rigged and stolen by a vast right-wing conspiracy to disenfranchise minority voters.

Even former President Jimmy Carter, the world's foremost elections observer, has added his sanctimonious voice to the debate, suggesting that Florida's voting system is still so flawed he doubts that the state can conduct a fair and honest election this year. Meanwhile, John Edwards, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, is crisscrossing the state assuring black voters that he and John Kerry have "a plan" to make sure black votes are counted this time.

Democrats filed 10 election-related lawsuits in Florida weeks before the first vote was cast, alleging that elections officials are trying to game the system to favor President Bush, who is in a close race with Kerry for Florida's 27 electoral votes. On the first day of early voting, two weeks out from Election Day, the kind of human errors and technical problems that are common in most states were magnified and distorted and cited as evidence that Florida is still up to its old tricks.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[No Exit]

3. Oh, I love this--

From the article:

"Democrats don't like to be reminded that most of the ballot spoilage in 2000 occurred in South Florida counties where Democrats were in charge of the elections. For example, the infamous "butterfly" ballot that confused many voters in Palm Beach County was designed by the county's elections supervisor, a Democrat. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 24 of the 25 Florida counties with the highest ballot spoilage rates, the county supervisor was a Democrat; in the 25th county, the supervisor was an independent."

Oh, okay, so that was it! So evil democrats were responsible for the disenfranchisement that was taking place in FL in 2000. Okay, well then why didn't the REPUBLICAN SECRETARY OF STATE and the REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR step in and stop them??? Instead, those two republican officials simply took steps to make sure that the disenfranchisement was NOT remedied. And the republican-dominated U.S. Supreme Court simply made sure the inaction on the part of the republican secretary of state and governor was allowed to keep the disenfranchised voters vote-less.

[SaveAmerica]

5. This was discussed on a pre-election political show, I don't

remember which one, but they were talking about that crazy quote "The Democratic Party's war manual instructs its lawyers and poll watchers to look for evidence of voter intimidation and suppression, especially in African-American precincts, and to file a complaint even if they don't find any." The person representing Kerry's campaign tried to explain that this was the author's opinion of what the manual said and was trying to explain what the real wording was but was shouted down (I want to say it was Hannity).

[Moderator]

8. kuozzman

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[meganmonkey]

2. Funny you use the word 'regurgutation'

Lately (since 1/6) whenever I type his name, somehow it comes out like this: Tom DeL:puke:

on edit: I have nothing of substance to say about your actual question :P

[Straight Shooter]

4. Please be advised in the future to refer to the Mad Bug as Mr. Poison

:evilgrin:

[kuozzman]

6. Came across another

The New York Times
October 18, 2004 Monday
Late Edition
HEADLINE: As Election Nears, Parties Begin Another Round of Legal Battles
By JAMES DAO
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 15

As the secretary of state of Ohio, J. Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican who is unabashed about his ambition to be governor, has issued a series of rulings on obscure issues like provisional ballots, voting notices to parolees and the weight of registration forms.

To Democrats, who say he has repeatedly tried to disenfranchise Democratic voters with those rulings, Mr. Blackwell is reminiscent of Katherine Harris, the Florida secretary of state who made her name in the chaotic election of 2000. On Friday they challenged him again, filing suit to block a directive they say will require election workers to reject thousands of registrations by first-time Democratic voters.

But Mr. Blackwell's aides say he has been scrupulously evenhanded in his efforts to guard the integrity of voting in this crucial swing state. Each of his directives has followed Ohio law, they say, and most have been guided by one unassailable goal: to prevent fraud. The charges against him, they say, are baseless and political.

The legal combat in Ohio over the fundamental issue of who can vote is recurring in virtually every battleground state this year, in what experts say is fast becoming, in its final weeks, the most litigious, lawyer-fraught election in history.

The two sides have been mobilizing for months, but in recent days the battle has been joined on a number of fronts. In New Mexico, Republicans unsuccessfully sued the Democratic secretary of state to require that most new voters show identification at the polls. In Florida, Democrats have filed 10 election lawsuits against Republican officials. In Pennsylvania, plans by the Democratic governor to have state workers help monitor the election have stirred Republican suspicions. In Colorado, the Republican secretary of state has accused the Democratic attorney general of not aggressively investigating registration fraud.

The clashes have followed a familiar script. Republicans, long suspicious of urban political machines and worried about record levels of new registrations in many swing states, say Democrats have abetted fraud. Democrats, who cite a bitter history of efforts to deny minority and low-income voters the ballot, contend that Republicans are trying to suppress the vote. But thanks to the election of 2000, the attacks this year have been fiercer and the legal mobilization larger than ever, experts say.

''People are determined not to repeat history,'' said Doug Chapin, director of Electionline.org, a nonpartisan research organization. ''The unofficial theme song of this year's election seems to be the Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again.'''

This week was typical. In Milwaukee, the Democratic mayor requested additional ballots to handle a tide of new voters, but the Republican county executive initially refused, citing concerns about fraud. (The executive later relented.) But prosecutors in Racine, Wis., are now investigating reports of dubious registrations.

Black and Hispanic Republicans criticized a Democratic National Committee handbook found in Colorado. It included a section encouraging Democrats to mount ''pre-emptive strikes'' against Republicans using press releases raising concerns about potential voter intimidation, even if none was detected.

''What that means in clear language is, if there is no evidence of intimidation, which we don't expect there will be because we're not going to engage in it, then make it up and talk about it anyway,'' said Michael Williams, a Republican railroad commissioner from Texas who is black.

Well thanks for clearing that up for us asswipe!

Democrats said the manual simply instructed party workers to publicize the threat of intimidation. And then, as if following their own advice, they took the offensive on the issue.

''For decades, Republicans have engaged in systematic voter suppression and intimidation, from throwing minorities off the voter rolls to ripping up Democratic voter registrations,'' said Jano Cabrera, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. ''We make no apologies for fighting these tactics by exposing the dirty tricks when they happen.''

Some of the maneuvering is clearly political spin designed to energize party loyalists while assuring fence-sitting voters that their ballots will count. ''This is as much an organizing tool as a legal tool,'' Mr. Chapin said.

But the legal preparations are very real -- and very large. With more than two weeks to go before polls open, lawyers recruited by the two parties and independent groups have begun flooding into Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and other swing states. Already, those lawyers are preparing strategies to challenge new voters at the polls, to keep polling stations open late if lines are long and to demand recounts if victory margins are razor-thin.

The unparalleled preparations are being fueled not only by memories of 2000, but also by a huge surge in voter registration in swing states -- much of it in predominantly Democratic areas. Republicans contend that many of those new registrations are fraudulent, saying thousands of forms submitted by independent groups like Acorn and America Coming Together may have been falsified.

Ohio has emerged as an epicenter for the mobilization. Registration in the state has soared to a record 7.8 million voters, an increase of 700,000 since the beginning of the year. Republicans say about 60 percent of those new registrations are Democratic voters.

With so many new voters, Republicans plan to scrutinize the use of ''provisional ballots,'' which are given to voters whose names do not appear on the rolls, and challenge people whose registrations seem suspect or who have not voted in recent elections. Though Democrats say those challenges will be used to frighten Democrats, Republicans say they will be used judicially.

''How is it intimidating?'' asked Robert T. Bennett, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. ''Why don't we call it voter honesty?''

Republicans say they have established the most extensive legal operation in their history, recruiting thousands of lawyers to help monitor 30,000 precincts in battleground states. The Bush campaign is also invoking the battle of Florida in 2000 to raise money for potential recount campaigns in swing states.

''This year, I am concerned about similar efforts by those who would try to adjust the outcome of the election after the polls have closed,'' Tom Josefiak, general counsel to the Bush-Cheney campaign, wrote in a recent fund-raising letter. ''This year we may face similar fights not just in Florida, but in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Mexico and other critical states.''

Grant Lally, a Republican lawyer from Mineola, N.Y., says he plans to ''deploy'' next week to Ohio, where he will dispense advice on federal law to local lawyers via cellphone and e-mail from a Bush campaign command center.

''The level of organization this year is exponentially greater than in 2000,'' Mr. Lally said. ''What you are seeing this time is both parties organized right down to the precinct level.''

Democrats say they are mobilizing in even greater numbers than the Republicans, having recruited more than 10,000 lawyers to serve as poll watchers or on legal ''SWAT teams'' in swing states. ''We're talking about a huge number of interventions to assure that the process works smoothly,'' said Robert Bauer, national counsel to the Democratic National Committee.

In Ohio, the Democratic legal effort is being run by David Sullivan, on leave from his regular job as counsel to the Democrats in the Massachusetts State Senate. This week, his team won an important battle with Mr. Blackwell, the Ohio secretary of state, when a federal judge ruled that voters in the right county but the wrong precinct could still cast provisional ballots.

Mr. Blackwell has appealed the ruling, saying it will lead to confusion and fraud. Similar Democratic suits are pending in Colorado, Michigan and Florida.

Mr. Sullivan is also helping to assemble teams of Democratic lawyers who will monitor Republican activities at hundreds of heavily Democratic polling stations around the state, mainly in urban areas. If those monitors detect attempts to intimidate voters or slow voting in crowded precincts, they are prepared to file complaints or to ask judges to keep the polls open late.

Both parties will also be documenting problems that could be used in lawsuits following the election to dispute results or demand recounts.

Independent groups have also joined the fray. In Cleveland, the president of the local N.A.A.C.P. has announced plans to recruit 500 lawyers to monitor polling stations in minority neighborhoods.

And a coalition called Election Protection 2004 says it has recruited more than 6,000 lawyers and law students to monitor Election Day problems nationwide, particularly in minority areas. The group plans to have a national hot line for election complaints and field offices in 17 states, including one directing 700 lawyers and students in Ohio.

The coalition, started by the People for the American Way Foundation, includes the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. Voting Rights Protection Program and an array of minority-rights groups.

Republicans have complained that the coalition is a front organization for the Democrats because the member groups represent traditionally Democrat constituencies. Coalition members deny that, saying their work is nonpartisan. The coalition's Web site even advises that donations to its member organizations are tax-deductible.

''Our concern is communities of color that might be victims of voter disenfranchisement,'' said Sharon Lettman, the national field director for the coalition. ''One of the atrocities of 2000 was that no one cared about the millions who were disenfranchised.''

[Helga Scow Stern]

7. Thanks for these articles, kuozzman, complete with annotation!

I guess this about settles where Mr. PoisonBug got his "info". But he was wrong. He said it was memos, when it was in fact a war manual. Jerk.