Ehrlich, Steele bused in homeless blacks from Pennsylvania and Delaware for credibility

[dajoki]

Slate
http://www.slate.com/id/2153432

Primary sources exposed and explained.
GOP Dirty Tricks
from: Bonnie Goldstein

Posted Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006, at 6:41 PM ET Among the victims of the Democratic sweep on Election Day were Maryland Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., who was running for reelection, and Maryland Republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, who was running for U.S. Senate. Both lost. But before you shed too many tears for them, check out this dirty trick that their campaigns have admitted to.

The goal was to capture African-American voters. This is not an easy thing for a Republican to accomplish in Maryland, even if, like Steele, you happen to be African-American yourself. But the black vote was deemed crucial, and postelection analysis suggests this proved true. So the Ehrlich and Steele campaigns sent out to heavily Democratic black neighborhoods in Prince George's County flyers that were designed to deceive black voters into thinking the candidates had been endorsed by three popular Maryland African-American politicians: Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, former P.G. County Executive Wayne K. Curry, and former Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who more recently served as president of the NAACP. (In fact, two of these three men had endorsed Ehrlich and Steele's Democratic opponents, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Democratic Rep. Ben Cardin. The third, Curry, endorsed Steele but not Ehrlich.)

To give the documents credibility, the campaigns needed to find African-American campaign workers to distribute them. So, they bused in homeless blacks from Pennsylvania and Delaware, paying them $100 and feeding them two meals. When asked by reporters about the flyer, Ehrlich pointed out that it is legal for workers from out of state to participate in local get-out-the-vote activities: "If folks are here from out of town that's fine with me. That's what the Democrats have always done. It's legal." To read the flyer, scroll down and then proceed to the following three pages.
http://www.slate.com/id/2153432/entry/2153434/
http://www.slate.com/id/2153432/entry/2153435/
http://www.slate.com/id/2153432/entry/2153436/

[LynneSin]

1. In Northeast Philly we had people handing out Rendell/Santorum flyers

I guess Santorum gave up on Lynn Swann winning governor so they were leafletting Philadelphia and had pollworkers handing out flyers. Mind you, Rendell did alot of campaigning with the DEMOCRATIC senator candidate, Bob Casey, and in no way endorsed Santorum

[Eric J in MN]

2. "Democratic Sample Ballot" lists these two Republicans

http://www.slate.com/id/2153432/entry/2153434/

I hope the people involved in printing that document for fraud are prosecuted.

[iconoclastic cat]

3. He really is the perfect guy for Mehlman's job. nt

[buff2]

4. Their dirty tricks didn't do them any good,did it?

:hi: :rofl:

[dajoki]

5. Hopefully earned them...

three hots and a cot for a few years.

[buff2]

6. Yeah.........I could go for that.

:thumbsup:

[Catherine Vincent]

7. Well as long as they fed and paid them, where's the harm? They still lost.

I'm all for feeding the hungry.

[dajoki]

8. Huh?

[Tanuki]

10. Did you read the part that said

"So the Ehrlich and Steele campaigns sent out to heavily Democratic black neighborhoods in Prince George's County flyers that were designed to deceive black voters into thinking the candidates had been endorsed by three popular Maryland African-American politicians: Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, former P.G. County Executive Wayne K. Curry, and former Rep. Kweisi Mfume, who more recently served as president of the NAACP. (In fact, two of these three men had endorsed Ehrlich and Steele's Democratic opponents, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Democratic Rep. Ben Cardin. The third, Curry, endorsed Steele but not Ehrlich.)"

I hope you agree that there is a great deal of potential harm in this type of deception, and that anyone who would perpetrate it is despicable. One of the homeless people was very upset because he didn't know the material was untrue, since he was not from that district, and felt exploited and badly used. He also complained that it wasn't fair to subject him to the indignation of angry would-be voters who knew immediately that the flyers were full of lies.

[dajoki]

14. The whole idea of using...

homeless people is as despicable as it gets.

[Dob Bole]

9. I wonder how Republicans feel when they realize that black people aren't actually stupid...

nt

[Cosmocat]

12. It drives them NUTS ...

that they can't make inroads with african americans ...

Everyday people are nothing more than votes, that is it ... They have found a way to con morons from crazed end of times religious freaks to hillbillies afraid that the dems want to take their guns ... But, they have YET to find a way to con blacks out of their votes, and it just pisses them off to no end ...

As noted, they have such a low regard for African Americans, but they just don't get that book smart or not, most african americans know when someone is playing a game with them ... Democrats may not always do as good by African Americans as they could/should, but unlike Fundies and the such, they are NOT going to vote against their own best interests ...

[Marnieworld]

11. The Wire made of this very type of targeting in an election this season

It takes place in Baltimore and The incumbent African-American Mayor was fighting a tough campaign. In desperation they prepared flyers almost exactly like this. Complete with a color scheme indicative of African-centric culture and emphasizing words like "OUR" choices. The character joked that next they would have him in a Dashiki. It's like they took it from the show which is ridiculous because the show was making fun of the tactic.

It didn't work out for the character on The Wire either. Ha ha!

[snowbear]

13. Thank you to Maryland'ers for not falling for their lies!

[dajoki]

17. Yes, a BIG THANK YOU!!

[Roy]

15. This is no big deal......

Steele is black by profession, what's wrong with outsourcing a few employees?

Actually this is sick and abusive, about the only time a Republican turn to blacks is to exploit them.

This spells out though the intelligence of black Baltimore citizens, if they had to go out of state and employ homeless people for their charade. Even home grown homeless didn't fall for their crap?

[Blue_Tires]

16. they did the same thing in '02 as well