The Republicans Have Lost the War of Ideas...

...because the only things they have left are voter intimidation and cheap tricks. As described by fellow ScienceBloglings coturnix and Josh, the Republicans are calling Democratic voters and either informing them that their polling place has changed or that they will be arrested if they vote illegally (the voters are accused of being out of state residents). These 'robocallers' are usually impersonating Democratic campaigns or election officials, the latter being a crime. The Republican crime wave has hit the following states:

  1. Pennsylvania
  2. Kansas
  3. New Hampshire
  4. New York
  5. Connecticut
  6. New Jersey
  7. Virginia
  8. Washington

This is sorry, pathetic, and un-American. When the Democrats take back the House (and maybe the Senate?), investigate and subpoena the fuckers. And the next time the Republicans propose some stupid ass Constitutional amendment, hit them with a counter-amendment that would guarantee the right to vote.

I really didn't want to write a post tonight, but I'm really Mad about this. It's the same old Republican shit, and they never are called on it. Ever. Our Republican lapdog mainstream media at work.

Update: Another dirty trick by the Republicans: tell voters they need photo identification, even in states where they do not. In Missouri, the GOP got trouble when an election worker demanded that the Missouri Secretary of State show photo id (it's not required in Missouri). Oops.

Another update: A California radio station used the Emergency Alert System to transmit a Republican political ad. People need to start going to jail for this bullshit.

More: Keith Olbermann describes the Republican voting fraud.

Even more: Laura Ingraham has told her listeners to call the Democratic hotline and jam. Voter suppression is so funny! Giggle!

Maryland: The Republicans bused in out of state homeless people to hand out inaccurate sample ballots. The Republican governor's wife was there to greet them, so this can't be a rogue operation. I guess this is their welfare to work plan...

Nebraska: More robo-calling, but this time the Republicans actually used Democratic candidate Scott Kleeb's voice in the fraudulent calls.

Arizona: Crazy people with guns harrass Latino voters, on the grounds that they're probably illegal immigrants.

Ohio: I guess Cuyahoga County is the new Cook County.

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You said it.

In New Hampshire, with a $5,000 fine per robocall, the RNC has already admitted to making 200,000 of them illegally. That's a $1 billion fine they'll never pay unless we force them. Bankrupt the crooks. Sieze their property. Lock em up.

Massachusetts is so blue the Repubs don't even bother with that stuff here, so I don't see it first hand. It can still boggle my mind that, not only do they do it, they will get away with it largely because the media will ignore it. As Lili Tomlin said, no matter how cynical you get, you just can't keep up.

By Buffalo Gal (not verified) on 07 Nov 2006 #permalink

from Living the Scientific Life:
The Washington Post reports that in Virginia, homeless people were bussed in from out of state and put to work distributing sample ballots and flyers erroneously listing the Republican governor and senate candidates as Democrats, and erroneously stating that they were endorsed by people who did not endorse them.

By Mustafa Mond, FCD (not verified) on 07 Nov 2006 #permalink

I suspect the Republican strategy is to do the deed now and pay the fines later, and hope that the election results will not be overturned.

By Mustafa Mond, FCD (not verified) on 07 Nov 2006 #permalink

Oops: two posts up - that was in Maryland, not Virginia.

By Mustafa Mond, FCD (not verified) on 07 Nov 2006 #permalink

.... I'm honestly speechless. That's disgusting. And to think that I was so angry earlier for receiving a robo-call from a telemarketer - that's nothing compared to this filth.

Well, at least now that the democrats are in control of the house (and hopefully the senate!), the people responsible for this crap can be punished. That's really just disgusting.