The Tea Party plans Jackboot tactics at the polls

[marmar]

from Mother Jones:



When the Illinois Republican Party launched its anti-voter-fraud crusade this year, party leaders knew who they could count on to whip up a fervor about rigged elections. Together with a conservative political action committee, the state GOP has teamed up with a infamous anti-Obama birther who's helped to recruit tea party activists to oversee the vote as official poll workers and independent poll watchers—part of a campaign against election fraud (real or imagined) that’s being whipped up by Republican leaders and activists across the country.

Every election season, the right revives its battle against voter fraud, depicting it as a rampant threat to honest electoral outcomes. (See the previous assault on ACORN, the beleaguered community organizing oufit.) This year, the Republicans have a tea party army on hand to fight this supposed peril. And they've taken their campaign a step further. Political parties and outside groups typically dispatch independent poll watchers to keep tabs on any suspicious activity. However, recruiting activists to serve as election judges and poll workers—the people who actually administer the vote at polling stations and are responsible for ensuring that election laws are enforced—is not a routine practice. But that's what's happening this year in Illinois, Texas, and elsewhere, with the GOP looking to tea party and conservative grassroots activists to fill key slots.

In the Fort Worth area of Texas, where Democrats have made significant gains in recent years, tea party activists have been spreading a request from the Tarrant County Republican Party for poll workers and watchers in Democratic precincts. "Some locations are not in very safe areas, so this is not for the timid," warns a notice on the NE Tarrant Tea Party message board. The Tea Party Patriots' national organization is dispatching poll watchers "to secure our polls" in key swing states and districts. And despite the dissolution of ACORN, conservative organizers insist that people formerly affiliated with the group are plotting with Democratic allies to rig elections. "If you want to make a difference you need to make sure there are no shenanigans," Adrian Murray, coordinator for Fort Worth's Glenn Beck-allied 912 group, says in an interview. "Any former affiliates of ACORN are very, very experienced with this." ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/10/voter-fraud-tea-party

[bemildred]

1. Intimidation is pretty much all they have left. nt

[w8liftinglady]

2. the comments about Ft Worth don't surprise me.

Texas tea partiers have devolved into an extremely right-wing hate group.Since Texas leads the nation in hate groups,this seems like the logical breeding ground.

[Doctor_J]

3. I am pretty sure they will get away with it.

I will buy a beer for the first Dem who sends one of these terrorists home or to the hospital.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Another strong argument for Vote By Mail

Which I am doing, right now. You vote at home or where you please. I drop ours off at the elections office. Done.

[Winterblues]

5. I only hope Democrats wake up to this sooner rather than later.

If every state had vote by mail Democrats would see an incredible increase in Democratic turn out IMO...Many Democrats just don't want to put up with Republican bullshit at the polls, or even just run into that certain person they have been avoiding for some time...IMO it is stupid to not support a massive movement toward vote by mail or the very least early voting in every state..

[WingDinger]

7. If we hold firm, they will declare mailins tainted, and try to throw out.

[Winterblues]

11. I doubt that very much

Oregon has had vote by mail going on two decades and no one complains of their ballots being tainted. Everyone there and I mean everyone, conservatives, Liberals, and even Libertarians all seem to like their Vote By Mail very much and Oregon has some of the highest Democratic turn out in the nation..

[WingDinger]

13. Theay are already saying there is no guarantee that the person named, filled it out.

[Winterblues]

14. Who is they...you?

Like I said, Oregon has had vote by mail for almost two decades and no one there is saying any such thing..

[WingDinger]

17. Fox guests.

[WingDinger]

6. Smokescreen for their intended vote fraud.

[Ikonoklast]

16. Please show links, I can't find any.

Unless that is only your opinion as to what may happen.

[WingDinger]

18. Heard a segment on Fox. They said directly. Right after it became clear that Dems were

mailvoting in droves.

[Ikonoklast]

19. Oh, so you're 'catapulting the propaganda'.

Gotcha.

You realize that challenging mail-in votes is extremely difficult, no?

[WingDinger]

23. I am readying us for their spurious charges. Yes, I am a rethug, NOT!

[bigtree]

8. let me guess who they're targeting

blacks, Latinos . . .

[LeftinOH]

9. "some locations are not in very safe areas..." That explains a lot.

[Posteritatis]

10. Would that be because of, or in addition to, the Tea Partiers' presence? (nt)

[PVnRT]

24. Translation:

"Some areas have lots of blacks and hispanics, and we all know that they're all crack-smoking gang members."

[Rebubula]

12. What would be fun...

...would be the teabaggers showing up to intimidate people at the same polls the Black Panthers show up for their intimidation.

Good times...

[BuelahWitch]

20. I was thinking we need a new Black Panthers group

to counter the Pee Party. That would be AWESOME!!! :bounce:

[mstinamotorcity]

15. Voter Fraud is not the problem

Its election fraud that is the real problem!!!!

[ellie]

21. Yes, the scooter brigade

is going to block precincts so people can't vote.

[MagickMuffin]

22. I just sent an email to Tarrant County Elections Admin as well as the TCDP HQ's

Alerting them to this situation. I am very concerned about the disruptors since I got to experience several first hand back in the March primary. The Election Admin has been very good about addressing my concerns in the past about electronic voting equipment, so I'm certain he will address this concern as well.

We need to make sure these disruptors aren't allowed to do whatever they are planning. I just fear they will become violent. As it is becoming evident they are unhinged people.


Thanks for posting this and making me aware that Fort Worth and Tarrant County are being targeted by these thugs.