Drive-by Reverse Intimidation

[previous post in series here]

The Mary Francis Berry school of politics is waxing. And the moon is in the seventh house, which means the same. The Democrats doubtlessly are cranking up their "voter intimidation" machine--especially if President Bush wins Florida, as I predict. Key talking point--Republican suppressed the black vote.

It's a lie.

I toured 20 Lee county precincts today. There was no intimidation of minorities. There was intimidation by minorities.

Specifically, Lee county precinct 19 was an abomination. It's a heavily minority jurisdiction. So, four or five times today, a group of people--also minorities--wearing Kerry buttons, carrying Kerry signs. That's ok, were they voters. But they were not.

They're agitators. They said they were from a certain minority advocacy group, known by its five initials. (Update: it was the NAACP) The Republican poll watcher complained that these folks were violating the electioneering laws, by campaigning inside a polling station and w/in 50 feet of the door. Voters--even while admitting they were Kerry supporters--complained. The county officials tossed them. Repeatedly.

But, they kept coming back. At least once with a semi-professional camera. To record it all.

You see, it was a drive-by intimidation. In reverse. They filmed themselves getting ejected from the polls for unlawful electioneering--to feign a claim of intimidation. It's the evil Republicans, again!

We filed two complaints, one from a witness unconnected with the Republicans (I have no idea what party he supports). And, Ms. Harrington, the election supervisor, is reviewing the complaints and will release them to the press tomorrow.

Please let it not be close enough for them to steal.

More:

The Bonita Daily News reported our complaint:

Minor glitches reported at some Lee County polling places

By JEREMY COX, jgcox@naplesnews.com
November 3, 2004

. . .Also in Fort Myers, Republicans accused a group of people wearing pro-Democrat garb of forcing their way into a Fort Myers precinct by posing as federal agents. The poll workers at the Stars Complex kicked out the group several times, according to the Republicans' account.

"There's no place for it anywhere," Fuller said. "I can't say anything officially yet, whether we'll file a complaint."

Harrington said she had heard of the alleged incident from Republican officials and couldn't verify Tuesday night whether there was any wrongdoing.

"I haven't seen the paperwork yet," she said. "I can't imagine somebody doing that. It just seems stupid."

Still More:

Anita Hill still is a moonbat: In a Boston Globe Op-Ed today, she hypotheses "unaddressed claims of minority voter intimidation cast a shadow over this election." But her article sites no specific instances, much less the 130,000 documented fraudulent non-votes necessary to change the result. And her syllogism’s inexplicable:

Voicing concerns about voter fraud, the Republican Party sought to place 3,500 in polling places to challenge individual voter eligibility. According to state Democrats, Republicans planned to dispatch the challengers primarily to precincts with predominantly minority voters. Representing a pair of black voters, civil rights attorneys charged that the tactic was aimed at intimidating voters and brought suit to stop the practice. Two separate federal district court judges, one a Republican appointee and one appointed by a Democrat, agreed with the civil rights attorneys. According to both courts, in weighing the interest of preventing fraud against that of preventing voter intimidation, the balanced tipped in favor of voting rights.

In a predawn Election Day ruling over one judges' dissent, the Sixth Circuit Appeals Court overruled both decisions, deferring to Ohio's right to control its election process through state laws.

Four points: (1) where does the United States Constitution say anything about a state law election challenge process; (2) I hear you shout "What about Bush v Gore"--but it doesn't apply because Ohio treated all voters and polling places equally (open to observers from all parties); (3) How, exactly, could challenges to Ohio's election laws and rules at Federal District and Appellate courts, and the Supreme Court, be "deferring to Ohio's right to control its election process through state laws;" and (4) A handful of unelected Federal judges foreclosed citizens of Ohio from access to the on-the-spot legal advice we provided in Lee County, Florida--in order to prevent fraud.

Anita Hill supported two Florida Supreme Court decisions that invented new law on the fly, and now chortles about Federal judges overturning the will of Ohio's citizens. She can't have it both ways.

The 2000 election was clean and freakishly close. The 2004 election was clean.

[Series continues here]