AS EXPECTED: GOP pulled out all stops to suppress black votes

[UdoKier]

http://www.blackpressusa.com/news/Article.asp?SID=3&Title=National+News&NewsID=3531

Voter Suppression efforts Mired Election
by Karen Juanita Carrillo
Amsterdam News

NEW YORK (NNPA) -- African Americans faced the expected right-to-vote hurdles during the 2004 presidential election.

Reports from across the country found that those attempting to cast votes at Black and Latino area polling sites on Election Day, Nov. 2, faced misleading phone calls, threats that they could face arrest while trying to cast a ballot, proof of identity demands, and attempts to have their votes disqualified.

Democrats claimed the challenges were Republican Party attempts to cause just enough chaos on Election Day to make voting lines grow unbearably long and make people become too discouraged - and too frightened - to vote.

[UdoKier]

1. Testing, testing...1, 2, 3...

nt

[UdoKier]

2. Ahem.

nt

[eridani]

3. Exactly what I expected.

We need to nail this down with a serious investigation.

[m berst]

4. a few questions

If this level of voter suppression had gone on in white neighborhoods, what would the reaction be and how different would things be today? Would the whole story about the election be getting attention from the media? Would the election be overturned? Would we at DU be saying or doing things differently than we are now? Would there be as many DU-ers saying "get over it" and "it's over" and "let's plan for 2008?"

[Q]

5. Golly...this used to be against the law...

...Why did America bother with the Civil Rights Act if they're not interested in demanding that their representatives enforce it?

- The RWingers have finally found a way to bring back a more subtle version of Jim Crow and keep it below the radar. Have a complaint that you weren't allowed to vote or that your vote wasn't counted? They'll tell you you're just a conspiracy nut or hate Bush*.

- This is yet more proof that BOTH PARTIES have abandoned Blacks/minoriies and their neighborhoods.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. We've heard little to nothing about this from either

the party's leaders, the party's minority leaders, or the leaders of the minority communities.

Kwaese .... you there?

Jesse ....... ? Al ....... ? ....... 'lo? ya there?

The silence has been absolutely deafening. From all quarters. A lot of threads here about some back door work by Kerry's people. I've been seeing it as mostly tin foil hat stuff, to be honest ..... but ..... could it really all be one coordinated effort ....... across all factions of the dems, and reaching out to the Nader folks, the Greens and the Libertarians?

Is it?

Or has everyone really gone home and left us out here ... hangin' on the corner ...... doing a little a capella doo wop ..... smoking a few Luckies ....... you know ..... killing time in totally unproductive activity.


:::::::crickets::::::::: :shrug:

[G_j]

7. correct

and it was happening well before the actual election.
That is when it should have been front and center.

[Blue_Tires]

8. nothing new here

[ObaMania]

9. I have no sympathy

If they wanted to vote they would've. Excuse me but weren't there attorneys deployed all over the US to help avoid this? If the blacks and latinos cared to raise enough hell they would've been heard.

People need to stop making excuses. They didn't turn out and fight! So much for Mosh, P. Diddy, et. al!

[sonicx]

10. no...

"misleading phone calls, threats that they could face arrest while trying to cast a ballot, proof of identity demands, and attempts to have their votes disqualified."

people reported these things, and the DNC hasn't said or done anything about it. why haven't they? Individuals who have been denied the right to vote don't have access to TV or the media. DNC does (sometimes...)

and the lawyers are worthless if someone is threatened or mislead before they get to the booth. They are also worthless in keeping the lines flowing...

(that's the main reason GOP put out so many challengers: to tie up lines. OH didn't stop voting til AM after election day. So, it seem that most said FU to the GOP and waited all night just to cast the ballot.)

Another thing...what do you mean blacks didn't turnout? they did.

[ObaMania]

11. Sure they turned out..

.. but I was referring to the items in your 1st paragraph. Sorry, but if you get misleading calls, threats, and harassment, you call the authorities. IMO they didn't.

[sonicx]

12. actually, they did i'm guessing...

but what would be the remedy to the flyers and phone calls? noone to arrest.

and please remember OH courts gave the stamp to challengers to harass (the fact that they were there is harassment).

[AP]

14. They DID call the "authorities" -- they reported them, That's how

people know it happened.

[AP]

13. Black turnout was huge and democratic. And because shit like this has been

publicized, it's becoming less effective.

I've first hand experience of this.

And people are allowed to be outraged about this because these communities do care enough to vote and know that shit like this is BS and the party does try to stop crap like this.