We'll start with the ridiculous. In reponse to a report on voter intimidation and suppression by the National Voting Rights Institute/Demos, National Republican Congressional Committee Ed Petru had this to say (h/t to Right Wing Watch):
"Democrats and the left-wing groups with whom they coordinate wrote the guide on voter fraud," [Ed] Petru told Cybercast News Service.
He accused Democrats of "shenanigans" with provisional ballots in 2004 and "rampant voter fraud."
"Voter fraud is coordinated, systemic and pervasive among Democrats and their allies," Petru said. "They've been doing this for so long now. It has reached clinical interests - a science and a profession for Democrats.
"They can't understand why their outrageous agenda keeps being rejected by voters, so they are continually invoking conspiracy theories to explain it," Petru said. "It's routine - voter fraud among Democrats in elections."
A little while back I wrote that a good way to spot a bad argument is to look for declarations; Ed's statement here is a case study. He just declares it true and doesn't bother to actually provide any evidence of it or any examples to back up his case. It's true because he says it's true.
There were a boatload of GOP dirty tricks yesterday and things show no signs of getting better. VoteTrustUSA reports that electronic machines have been flipping votes. People for The American Way tells us that dirty tricks are nationwide. Someone working on behalf of George Allen's campaign has been leaving a message on Democrats' answering machines, telling them that they'll be arrested if they show up at the polls.
They can't win legitimately, so they cheat. Don't let them get away with it. There are two numbers voters can call if they come across voter intimidation, suppression, fraud, and bad voting machines. The ACLU has a hotline at 1-877-523-2792. People for The American Way has a similar hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
They can't possibly steal enough elections to take the House, but the Senate's another matter.
This is what infuriates me about the modern GOP. They'll beat you over the head with their supposed patriotism, but when the chips are down, they'll behave in the most unamerican ways. They'll lie, cheat, and steal in the electoral process. They'll throw all your freedoms and liberties out the window so they can fight their 'War on Terror'. They'll take women's rights and try to make gays second class citizens. But if you complain, if you so much as question it for a moment, they'll accuse you of hating America.
Patriotism is evident in action, not words. Those who engage in democracy are patriots. Those who fight injustice are patriots. Those who defend their own rights are patriots. Those who understand that government is a servant, not a master, are patriots. The actions and message coming from the GOP have been profoundly unpatriotic for at least six years.
So go out and be a patriot -- vote! And don't let anyone get away with stopping you.
--Wisco
Technorati tags: politics; elections; voting; republicans would rather you didn't vote -- and they'll try to stop you
