RE "Caging" Every city and county in America Think about it

[RB TexLa]

The voter intimidation information from the bush dot org site is very telling. Don't think for a second that this is limited to Florida or to Florida, Ohio, and other battleground states.

This campaign will be very close. It is my thought that the campaign hinges on Florida and Ohio, and both are going to have legal challenges to the vote or to voting procedures. These and the other battleground states are where everyone will focus on next Tuesday.

But.....

This kind of thing will be going on everywhere. The popular vote is going to be close, of course it doesn't determine the winner but it does have a psychological effect. And as we know is very motivating.

No GOP county chairman in a "red" state wants to have a low margin of victory or one lower than the statewide margin, and every one of them in the "blue" states wants to win or do as well in their county or city or precinct. There are huge incentives for them with the 08 Republican field being wide open. Someone that delivers a surprise win or close loss in an area of a blue state could certainly find very nice job offers from candidates in 08. Likewise someone that loses or barely wins someplace in a red state might find no offers. The Bush campaign may not be putting money or time into Texas or Alabama and the like but there are powerful people in all the red states to whom election day is very important.

We have to keep our eyes open for this everywhere, it all has to be reported, call your local Democratic party and find out who the "lawyers on call" are for your city, town or county. Everyone will have them and they want to do their part.

This also underscores the importance of every vote. Ohio and Florida will close and the exit polls will be leaked again. Those in California will still have to vote, Texas and California will be the keys to the popular vote total. This is a large battle for the Kerry campaign, they can not afford to spend huge amounts of money in California as Bush can't afford to pour much money into Texas. But they have a huge advantage with Texas being the home state. Republicans in Texas want to give Bush a huge margin and are working very hard to do so. Plus the aforementioned 08 motivations.

No matter where you are vote and keep your eyes open.

[Texas_Dem]

1. We will be on the lookout for "caging" here in Texas

if I see it, those guys better watch out. I will sic the wolves on 'em.

[RB TexLa]

2. Texas

I defiantly expect it here in Texas, we just have to fight it here just like we were in Florida.

[roseBudd]

4. It is African American precincts that will be targeted n/t

[AIJ Alom]

3. I'm very familiar with caging. check out this FLASHBACK !!!

FLASHBACK: http://archives.cjr.org/year/94/1/cynicism.asp

At a November 9 Sperling breakfast, Rollins, boasting about how he had just helped win a governorship for New Jersey's Christine Todd Whitman, said the campaign had spent about $ 500,000 to suppress the black vote. He said GOP operatives had made payments to Democratic precinct workers in black areas on condition they sit on their hands on election day. And he said the Whitman campaign had contributed to church charities in return for black ministers keeping mum on the virtues of Democratic incumbent James Florio.

Paying off black clergy? Suppressing the votes of a group that had fought a bitter, protracted struggle to secure the franchise? These were explosive assertions.

[RB TexLa]

5. RE: "I'm very familiar with caging. check out this FLASHBACK !!!"

Not to disrespect the clergy but you'd be suprised to know how much that happens in every election.

[AIJ Alom]

6. really ? do you know of any instances ?

[RB TexLa]

8. open fourm

Not really a good topic for this open a conversation :)

[Mandate My Ass]

10. Here's one NJ clergyman who did *very* well for himself

in the Whitman administration and is now on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission:



Appointed to an initial four year term, Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. was elected Chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission at the agency’s first public meeting on March 23, 2004.

In February 2003, Dr. Soaries was appointed by President Bush to serve as a public director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York. He was a member of the affordable housing committee of the bank.

From January 12, 1999 to January 15, 2002, Dr. Soaries served as New Jersey's 30th Secretary of State. Appointed by former Governor Christine Todd Whitman, he managed one of the premier departments of State government and served as a senior advisor to the governor on issues that transcended traditional departmental lines.

Dr. Soaries is also the Senior Pastor of the 7,000 member First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey. A pioneer of faith-based community development, Dr. Soaries has led First Baptist in the construction of a new $17 million church complex and the formation of many not-for-profit entities to serve the community surrounding the church.

http://www.eac.gov/soaries.asp?format=none

[RB TexLa]

13. Building funds

Amazing how churches building funds swell around election time. ;)

[yellowdawgdem]

7. what is caging? /nt

[Kipepeo]

11. The Republicans

have lists of voters, mostly from predominantly black and Democratic-leaning neighborhoods, who they are intending on giving trouble at the polls:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1177084

Two of their caging lists in FL were accidentally emailed to the parody website www.georgewbush.org (instead of .com) and now Greg Palast is doing a report on those lists...but there are probably lists everywhere.

[yellowdawgdem]

18. thanks

sounds like its harrassment at the polling place, or doing stuff to purge the rolls, like that?

[AIJ Alom]

12. caging defined.

Pass the word.

The GOP is writing emails about "caging" ! What is "caging" ? Suppresion of the African American and minority vote in Florida !!!

READ ON !!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/3956129.stm

[yellowdawgdem]

19. ok what can we do about this?

If it happens at the polling place. Is it necessary to bring in lots of protection?

[Texas_Dem]

9. Example Already: Prairie View A&M Denied Central Campus Voting Site

"Waller County commissioners voted 3 to 2 Thursday to deny Prairie View A&M University a central campus voting site.

The vote rekindled a long-running dispute about student voting at the historically black university."

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/993876.html

[theangrydem]

14. Will Lame Stream Media Pick This Up?

Please email the link to this story to everyone you know, I hope it's not too late to get this out on network news.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

15. National Media List Links

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x816939

[sofa king]

16. What are the legal counterattacks to this?

Can I tell that person to pee up a rope or otherwise heckle/ridicule him?

Can I tell others to tell that person to pee up a rope?

If someone challenges me for my I.D., can I take a photograph of his? Can I run them off for not providing me an I.D.?

Can I photocopy his I.D. and hand it out to others?

Can I inform his employer about what he was doing on his day off? (I suspect a lot of Freepers are going to be calling in sick or claiming that they are poll-working, instead of being partisan brownshirts.)

Can I create a national database of poll-goons, which gives the information on their identifications?

If that person violates election laws, can I place him under citizen's arrest and detain him until police arrive?

Can I put a counter-goon on him to loom menacingly behind him?

Seriously, if intimidation is the intent of these people, what prevents me and many other people from throwing the fucking book at them--making their information public, informing their employers, and otherwise making their lives as miserable as legally possible for attempting to intimidate and disenfranchise voters.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

17. "dead letters" link....

http://www.georgewbush.org/deadletteroffice/