Kerry statement: House endorses a "new Jim Crow era poll tax"

[blm]

Below is a statement from Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) regarding yesterday’s vote in the House of Representatives on the Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006. The bill would require voters in federal elections to prove their U.S. citizenship by showing picture government-issued photo ID.


“I am deeply troubled by the House of Representative’s decision yesterday to endorse a new Jim Crow era poll tax. If Republicans were serious about restoring electoral integrity, they would stop fabricating problems with the polls, and they’d take a crack at the real ones.


“There has been no flood of illegal immigrants trying to vote. There is no epidemic of individuals impersonating registered voters. What there is, however, is a shortage of accessible voting machines and polling places. There is a need for voter-verified paper ballots. There are problems with absentee and provisional ballots and purging voter lists.


“These are the real problems threatening our electoral system today. These are the real reasons people are being denied their fundamental right to vote. These are the reasons we need to pass the Count Every Vote Act and fully fund the Help America Vote Act. We have enough to do to restore integrity to our elections. Creating a 21st century poll tax is not the answer—it is just one more problem.”

[ThomCat]

1. This is an awesome statement.

I wish the MSM would plaster it on every front page and in every news broadcast.

[me b zola]

2. Bam! Strong statement from Kerry, he is spot on

:thumbsup:




k&r :bounce:

[blm]

4. "voter-verified paper ballots"

We can't win until EVERY Dem takes up that issue.

[midnight]

23. Thats right.

Paper ballots at every voting poll. Also we want the right to witness the count, and challenge any potential theft.

[blm]

24. Video cameras in every precinct - it really is so simple.

.

[sandnsea]

3. Too little too late

Didn't count the votes.

No backbone.

Had his time.

Stay in the Senate.

I just thought I'd save the naysayers some time. :)

[blm]

5. heh...how about leading by example and show them how a delete key works

while you're at it. ;)

Really, just think of how satisfying it would be to just delete all those phrases?

[sandnsea]

6. Gosh, lost your sense of humor??

I thought it would be less annoying if posted in jest and circumvent the thrill for the bashers at the same time.

[blm]

11. Hey - I thought I was being funny.

now my senseofhumor feelings are hurt. ;)))))

[MH1]

14. I thought you both were funny ;-)

In a sardonic, boy don't we know our DU sort of way.

[blm]

15. heh

I usually just use ;) instead of a smiley icon - gets me in trouble sometimes.

[sandnsea]

16. lol

oh my - must be somethin' goin' around. Sorry. :hug:

[blm]

43. S'ok....

I've seen what you go thru. ;)))

[glitch]

7. K & R thank you John Kerry for not getting drawn into Chavez bashing

what a waste of precious airwaves that is.

Excellent statement on real issues that concern us all, from a true statesman, thanks for posting.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. I doubt that house bill is going to get anyplace in the Senate.

[MH1]

17. I hope you're right. n/t

[nealmhughes]

9. This is "fake progressiveness" wrapped up in a new label. I recently

edited a 700pp MS, my friend's dissertation on the 1901 Alabama Constitution and the disfranchisement that went along with it. In the background section, it turns out that a similar attempt was aimed in the entire country during the Gilded Age...Mass. had recently dropped universal male suffrage for a property/education standard as fear of immigrants grew there...

It is deja vu all over again. First Italians and Jews, then Blacks, and now Hispanics, the poor, Blacks, the elderly...ad nauseum.

Oh, the Mass. efforts were headed by the Republicans! The Alabama/VA/NC/LA efforts were led by Democrats, but the Republicans didn't do a thing to stop them, all the way up thru the Congress and the USSC.

[Joanne98]

10. 2 years late.

[blm]

12. This legislation passed two years ago?

Or do you mean the DNC's Voter Integrity office should have been countering vote suppression tactics from the GOP since before 2004 vote?

[MH1]

13. Do you have any clue what legislation is being referred to?

It just passed the House YESTERDAY.

WTF does "2 years ago" have to do with legislation for PHOTO ID to VOTE?

[TayTay]

20. Really, gee I thought the Repub passed it today

You mean they passed it two years ago and the Democrats just found out? Gee, that is bad leadership on Harry Ried's part. He really should have told them last January, at the least. There are a number of good Dems who would have objected, including John Kerry, who has a history of upholding civil rights that goes back 4 decades.

[LittleClarkie]

21. He oughta know, eh? Having lived through it and all.

Meanwhile, he's been doing things for the last two years. So I'm not sure what he's exactly late *for*.

[blm]

25. All of DC was late to terrorism - Kerry was dogging terrorism since 1985.

And so many in DC wanted him to shut up and go away. Just like now.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. Then filibuster it's Senate equivalent like a m***e*f**k*r.

Easy.

[KamaAina]

19. Y'know, that guy oughta run for President

He's just what we need: A Dem who will stand up to the 'pukes and fight for what's right!

Oh, wait a minute... been there, done that. Never mind. :-)

[stepnw1f]

22. The GOP is ANTI-DEMOCRATIC

This is why the GOP Won't Pass the Count Every Vote Act!

[truebrit71]

26. BINGO!!! But Senator, where was this two years ago?

Remember 'reporting for duty'?

Two years too late I'm afraid.....

[blm]

27. This bill was just passed, it wasn't a factor two years ago. Would Gore be

attacked in 2002 if he spoke out to warn against election tactics? I would have appreciated it - would you? It's not like Gore didn't learn about the election tactics of suppression that were used against his voters.

Kerry learned about the tactics and has been speaking out about them. Gore chose not to - the DNC chose not to.

[truebrit71]

28. Kerry, McAullife knew AHEAD of time that '04 was going to be stolen...

..they promised an ARMY of lawyers? Remember? And what happened? They caved, that's what happened.

That was my point, the brave 'standing up and talking brave' is two years too late from the Senator...

[blm]

29. The DNC - Terry McAuliffe - assured Dems his Voter Integrity office had

the election issues covered.

Kerry passed on to his supporters what Terry McA assured him was true.

The Voter Integrity office did NOTHING to counteract the FOUR years of tactics that the RNC employed to suppress Dem votes, purge voter rolls, and they DID NOT BELIEVE IN MACHINE FRAUD.

You attack Kerry as if it was his job to reconstruct the Dem infrastructure from 2001- 2005. It wasn't - Kerry's job was to win, and it was the DNC's job to have a party infrastructure in place STATE BY STATE for the Dem voters and so the Dem candidates could have the votes they earned counted.

AFTER is too late. It's a 4 year job, and McAuliffe and his Voter Integrity office failed to do their job. Blaming Kerry is a DISTRACTION that keeps the blame off the REAL problem.

ANY candidate would have had the exact same Dem infrastructure and the exact same team of Dem party election lawyers.

Dean is stuck working his ass off to get a collapsed Dem party infrastructure up to task - it will take more years to get it where it should be. You don't wait to find out who the nominee is and then put that duty all on them. That's just dumbtalk.

[truebrit71]

30. I attack Kerry for being two years too late in finding his...

...spinal fortitude...

And why is it that Greg Palast can find this shit, expose it, and yet Kerry couldn't?

[blm]

31. There isn't a lawmaker in office who has taken on tougher battles than

John Kerry has and STILL does - he never stopped.

It may sound cool to talk about spine, but try and name one person in office who took on and takes on tougher battles than John Kerry has.

And it was the DNC's office of Voter Integrity charged with safeguarding the election system for ALL candidates and Dem voters. They failed. They failed in 2000. They failed in 2002. They failed in 2004. Yet Kerry is the focus of all blame.

Kerry's BEEN speaking out about election fraud since 2004. This statement isn't the first time, it's more like the twentieth time for those of us paying attention. Guess you even missed his speech on the senate floor last July about the machines and election fraud.

[truebrit71]

32. Last July!!! Woo Hoo!!! Only ONE YEAR AFTER THE ELECTION!!!

Wow!!! That's great!! In that instance he's only 12 months too late...

Look, I like President Kerry, as well as President Gore, but the bottom line is neither of these guys fought back, called the rethuglicans out as the fucking scumbags they are, and defended our democracy..To me, that is inexcusable...

[blm]

34. He started Jan 2005 pointing out the problems they were finding - why

are you claiming otherwise?

And considering that there hasn't been ONE PERSON in office who has investigated and exposed more government corruption than John Kerry has, you are going to be hurting to find someone who has defended democracy more.

More people would know this but for ONE PROBLEM - a corporate media invested in keeping BushInc in power.

[truebrit71]

35. Jan 2005, what year was the 2004 Presidential election held in?

You're getting closer though, now you have him only being 60 days too late...

[blm]

38. Listen to yourself - are you seriously believing that the DNC was NOT

charged with securing the election infrastructure for four years? Do you seriously believe that it's the nominee's duty to add election security to his list of presidential campaign duties?

If that's your position, then I guess you'd also like Dean to stop what he's been working on and wait for the nominee to be chosen.

And why have a DNC or an office of Voter Integrity in the first place? Let's just add that 4yr job to the 6month campaign duties of the presidential nominee in 2008.

[truebrit71]

41. I seriously believe the candidate is responsible for standing up to his...

...side of the bargain. He knew it was going to happen, it did happen, and he conceded.

Next?

[blm]

42. Kerry knew what Terry McAuliffe told him - that the DNC and Dem election

lawyers were engaged and doing their job.

I suppose you wanted Terry McAuliffe to be the one to craft policy positions, debate, and campaign around the country while Kerry was doing the DNC's FOUR YEAR job?

[LSK]

33. maybe you should pay attention

Kerry has been arguably the best Senator we have had in the past 2 years.

[truebrit71]

36. Best Senator maybe, but I wanted him to be the best President..

...and he didn't fight for it..

[Mass]

37. SO, you are unhappy that he attacks a poll tax? Good. Say so

This thread is not about 04. It is about an issue that affect people today and for future elections.

Time to move on ...

[truebrit71]

40. Yeah, because he was such a stand-up guy in the past...

.."Time to move on"...that sounds alot like "get over it"...I refuse to do either...

[blm]

39. He handled his part of the fight and won. How did the DNC do?

How did the left media do up against the RW message machine?

How did the DNC's four years manning an office of Voter Integrity do against the RNC's four years of vote suppression efforts?