Mark Kirk Sends Poll Monitors To 'Vulnerable,' Largely African-American Neighborhoods

[Pirate Smile]

Mark Kirk Sends Poll Monitors To 'Vulnerable,' Largely African-American Neighborhoods

In a private phone conversation that was secretly recorded, Mark Kirk, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Illinois, told state Republican leaders last week about his plan to send "voter integrity" squads to four predominately African American neighborhoods of Chicago "where the other side might be tempted to jigger the numbers somewhat."

Kirk's campaign confirmed the candidate was secretly taped last week as he was talking about his anti-voter fraud effort.

"These are lawyers and other people that will be deployed in key, vulnerable precincts, for example, South and West sides of Chicago, Rockford, Metro East, where the other side might be tempted to jigger the numbers somewhat," he said in the audio posted on YouTube.

As TPMMuckraker has reported, accusations from conservatives that ineligible voters are fraudulently stealing elections for Democrats have continued to fly in the 2010 campaign cycle, despite the lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud. "Voter fraud" has been the rally cry for conservative groups seeking to make it more difficult to cast ballots and suppress minority voter turnout. In particular this election cycle, Tea Party groups have taken up the issue, and Democratic groups have called for assurances that poll watchers trained by such groups are clear on polling station rules.

Talking Points Memo tried to reach the Kirk campaign when the audio emerged last week on the blog ArchPundit to confirm its authenticity, but we did not hear back. Blogger Larry Handlin told TPM he promised not to give away information about the source, but said it was recorded on Monday or Tuesday of last week.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/mark_kirk_sends_poll_watchers_to_vulnerable_largel.php

[WI_DEM]

1. Maybe dems should send some poll monitors to some republican neighborhoods.

[LiberalFighter]

10. I'm debating which would be most effective in snobby upper class neighborhoods...

Hoodlum types with lots of tattoos or well dressed minorities in suits?

[CBGLuthier]

2. Jigger the numbers? Jigger??

Odd use of that word.

[Heywood J]

6. Are we sure that wasn't someone

cleaning up what he actually said?

[Arkana]

3. More like voter intimidation squads.

"No, I'm tapping this lead pipe against the palm of my hand because it's a new workout routine."

[jenmito]

4. ACORN! They're stealing the election!

(Even though there IS no ACORN anymore and they never stole any election. But they're BLACK!)

[ellenfl]

5. could illinois or wisconsin be this year's florida (2000) or

ohio (2004)? sounds like something is up in illinois.

and feingold's polls numbers are dismal. could the repubs be setting up wisconsin for a steal?

ellen fl

[ShadowLiberal]

7. If we had a truly liberal news channel they'd be turning this into a big scandal to hurt Kirk

But once again the GOP gets away with pulling crap like this because the media only cares about things that outrage 'everyone' (as in only conservatives) and boost their ratings.

Seriously, these kinds of stunts have gone on long enough, the media needs to wake up and go on a crusade against the GOP's false claims of voter fraud, go after it the same way Fox news attacks stuff like global warming and ACORN.

[Grown2Hate]

8. EXACTLY the reason I never had a problem with the Panthers in Philadelphia in 2008.

If they are going after the most vulnerable, the most vulnerable need protecting. Shit like this makes me seriously want to bash some heads... :grr:

[Grown2Hate]

9. K & R to expose this shit...