Clinton’s Connection to Voter Suppression?
May 2, 2008
There’s an article at TPMMuckraker (Talking Points Memo) about a non-profit in North Carolina trying to “get out the vote” by telling people to register (or re-register as the case may be) for the primaries- after the deadline for registering to vote has pasted. Apparently, this same non-profit, Women’s Voices Women Vote, has done this same thing with many other primaries.
The calls purported to be from a man who identified himself only as “Lamont Williams” and told people to wait for a vote registration packet in the mail and said, “All you need to do is sign it, date it and return your application. Then you will be able to vote and make your voice heard.”
Democracy North Carolina, a government watchdog, cried foul, saying that the calls went out to “black neighborhoods” and was evidently a vote suppression tactic since the registration deadline for the presidential primary has already passed. The North Carolina state elections board got involved and asked for the public’s help in determining the source of the calls, which apparently blocked caller ID from showing the number
So what’s the big deal? It seems that this non-profit is being investigated for trying to suppress voters. Particularly black voters. You see, the call comes from “Lamont”, an AA1 male and “he’s” robo-calling black neighborhoods (oh wait, you read that already, huh?). The problem is that they are telling people to wait for a registration form to be sent to them which seems to be confusing to some voters because aren’t they already registered? So, they don’t vote because, dur, they think they can’t and/or have no idea that they can vote (though likely not be counted) without registering (unless they’re already registered). Are you confused yet?
As I was reading this, I was reminded of the time black neighborhoods in Cleveland were being targeted by robocalls that told them that voting had been moved to Wednesday because the lines in their precinct were too long (obviously that really was voter suppression). This makes me wonder what the hell McCain is up to now. Has he adopted the Bush way of getting elected?
Then I read the comments. Information was presented there which wasn’t presented in the original article (nor was it added as an amendment at the time I’m writing this). Seems some supporters of a certain Democratic presidential candidate didn’t want too much attention drawn to this:
Some have also questioned the ties between Women’s Voices operatives and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton. Gardner, for example, contributed $2,500 to Clinton’s HILLPAC on May 4, 2006, and in March 2005 she donated a total of $4,200 to Clinton, according to The Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets.org. She has not contributed to the Obama campaign, according to the database.
Women’s Voices Executive Director Joe Goode worked for Bill Clinton’s election campaign in 1992 as a pollster; the group’s website says he was intimately involved in “development and implementation of all polling and focus groups done for the presidential primary and general election campaigns” for Clinton.
Women’s Voices board member John Podesta, former Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton, donated $2,300 to Hillary Clinton on April 19, 2007, according to OpenSecrets.org. Podesta also donated $1,000 to Barack Obama in July 2004, but that was well before Obama announced his candidacy for president.
“The reports from other states are very disturbing, especially the pattern of mass confusion among targeted voters on the eve of a state’s primary,” Democracy North Carolina’s Bob Hall tells Facing South. “These are highly skilled political operatives — something doesn’t add up. Maybe it’s all well-intended and explainable. At this moment, our first priority is to stop the robo-calls and prevent the chaos and potential disenfranchisement caused by this group sending 276,000 packets of registration forms into North Carolina a few days before a heated primary election. We need their immediate cooperation.”
Well, well, well. What’s this? Clinton’s people are behind Women’s Voices Women’s Vote? Could it be that it’s the Clinton Campaign that is adopting Bush election strategies?
OF COURSE IT IS!
A “screwup” from an organization with strong Clinton ties (i.e., Podesta, Williams, major donor to HillPac), that just happens to engage in voter suppression techniques targeted towards African-American voters (which are Obama’s strongest single group of supporters) right before primaries in multiple states.
How much “coincidence” has to occur before people acknowledge a pattern?
Posted by PorkBelly
April 30, 2008 2:19 PM | Reply | PermalinkAnd that just happened to block caller ID, and that just happened to use a phony name, and that just happened to have done this in Ohio right before their primary, and that just happened to have gotten in trouble in Virginia…
Yeah, I have no idea why anybody would be suspicious of that.
Posted by Ben Hocking
April 30, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
While the mainstream media is focusing on Reverend Wright and bouncing from “I can’t believe Obama isn’t denouncing him!” to “OMG! Obama threw Wright under the bus” a DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate has direct ties to a group being investigated for voter fraud. And yet I only heard of this from the comments section of a highly regarded blog2. So Clinton’s poll numbers climb based on the howlings of an insane media (OMG! Rev. Wright is the DEVUL!) and her skankiness is going unnoticed (I hold no hope that the majority of the populace reads blogs and would therefore be more informed), which is very, very bad for all of us.
Do we really need someone in office who would be connected with such an organization?
Wait.
Before you say “Well, Obama is connected to Wright” (gag), consider that Clinton’s advisors and/or contributors are making desperate attempts to disenfranchise voters. Before you say “Well, they have an obligation to know how the election process works3” or “Why do you think Black citizens wouldn’t know what the hell was going on” consider if this had happened in a white neighborhood those people would be just as confused. These are the same people (of all colors) who vote based on who’s wearing a flag pin or who can down the most shots or who can bowl a perfect game. Clinton is taking advantage of that willful4 ignorance in the exact same way that Bush did.
I would love to vote for a woman just because she’s a woman. I want my children to see a woman president. HOWEVER, there is no way in hell that I will cast my vote for a woman that would do to her countrymen the same things George W. Bush did. That man split this country apart and profited from the blood, sweat and tears of us all. I don’t want any more of that bullshit. I don’t want McChimpy in a Skirt.
I’m also really pissed that the media isn’t all over this. Yes, I still think the media should remain unbiased and report the meat of the issues. Yes, I still think that the media should help to inform the populace of the disgraceful actions of the candidates - the really disgraceful actions not just that of a loud and passionate preacher. Yes, I am disappointed with it every single day.
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Posted in 2008, I'm Pissy, P.S.A., Politics, Slap upside the headTechnorati Tags: Clinton getting dirty, Hillary-Clinton, this sucksSite Tags: Clinton getting dirty, Hillary-Clinton, this sucks
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May 2nd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
This is a non story.
The interesting story, at least for me, as head of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry (StopPoliticalCalls.org) a non-partisan, non-profit org working to reduce robo calls is this:
- Non-profits are exempt from the robocalling law.
- Politicians are exempt from the robocalling law.
It is interesting that the AG is going after WVWV for violating the law, but they are not going after other non-profit organizations that may also be violating the law.
The calls violated the law according to the AG’s press release:
“The calls violated state law by failing to disclose who sponsored the call and failing to offer the organization’s contact information to get the calls to stop.”
The reality is that there are more than likely several campaigns and other non-profit organizations that are “failing to disclose who sponsored the call” and “failing to offer the org’s contact information to get the calls to stop”.
In fact, I know of no political campaign at the national level that offers voters a way to opt out of further calls.
That is why Sen. Feinstein and Rep. Lofgren have introduced the Robocall Privacy Act.
As I stated in my op-ed in Politico( http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9978.html) today.
Recently, a bicameral and bipartisan effort has been led by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Reps. Zoe Lofgren (-Calif.) and John Campbell (R-Calif.) with the introduction of the Robocall Privacy Act. The bill would sanction groups or individuals who make political robocalls between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m., make more than two political robocalls to the same number in the same day, fail to disclose the party responsible for the political robocall or block caller identification information.
Why is the AG not going after other organizations?
Is it because this is a political hot potato?
–
Cheers,
Shaun Dakin – CEO & Founder
The National Political Do Not Contact Registry
– A non-partisan, non-profit program by Citizens for Civil Discourse
Register Your Phone Number Now for Free: http://www.StopPoliticalCalls.org/
Blog: http://blog.StopPoliticalCalls.org/
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
JJ, I think you’re putting legs on a snake to compare HRC to GWB in this. But the thing that gets me is that the WVWV tactics/incompetency are just par for the course in our lame two-party system. Behold, it works both ways:
http://bluenc.com/well,-heres-something-interesting...
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Suffice it to say, I, unlike the two previous ethically challenged commenters preceding me, am outraged at the obvious blatantly racist attempt at voter disenfranchisement. That it appears to emanate from the Clinton camp does not surprise me, as they are in the desperate hours of their campaign and must continue to prolong the primary season to increase Sen. Clinton’s chance of becoming the party’s nominee. I’d even be willing to speculate that they posted the Kantor video at YouTube, to be blamed on the Obama campaign.
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Lew’s assessment of the Clintonian political posse is right on. Bill was a lecherous philandering charmer but Hillary has worn the pants in that family all along. We are seeing just a glimpse of what she would be like as President and it scares me to think what she would stoop to with all of the power and prestige of that office at her disposal. She does not take losing well. We never got to the truth of Whitewater and those who know her say she is one of the most ruthless and unprincipled people they have ever met. Steve Kirk
Making Perfect Sense
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Shaun,
Hi and thanks for stopping by. Now, let’s discuss.
I think the reason is that they are the squeaky wheel. I doubt that any AG, who is an elected (or appointed as the case may be, I’m unclear of the rules for all 50) then they have a partisan interest. I don’t trust any politician as far as I can throw them (at 5′1″ that’s not very far), so I truly believe they are only going to pursue those that they can’t avoid pursuing. People are noticing WVWV and so something has to be done about them. If this hadn’t blown up (as little as it did blow up) then the AG would be doing other things.
As for this being a non-story. I don’t believe that. I don’t believe any of this shadyness should be buried while the real non-story (Rev. Wright) gets blasted all over the airwaves and Internet.
I certainly hope that bill passes and then is enforced. I have a sneaking suspicion though that if it is passed that political calls would be exempt (much like the Do Not Call Registry).
O’Tim,
Good to see you around again.
I have been comparing Clinton to Bush for months. I’ve called her “Bush with Boobs” more than once. The woman makes me sick. Some people have said that she must have taken a page out of Rove’s book and I have to agree with that. She’s proven time and time again that she will happily wallow in the Bushco shit to get this nomination. I don’t trust her or her minions. They stink like Bush-shit.
Also, I fixed your link. For some reason it was taking me to their index page. Very strange. I think that ballot definitely needs more scrutiny. No doubt. But at this point- For ME - it’s “Who’s the least shitty?” Who’s more like what we’ve already got? It’s a sad day when Republicans switch sides to vote for Hilary because either she’s just what they want or they TRULY believe they can defeat her. I’d say they’d get what they deserve if she wins.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Lew,
Howdy! Glad you stopped by.
I agree with pretty much everything you said (save for the unethical part because I really do believe we’re ultimately all on the same side here). I think that the Clinton brigade would dismantle the Democratic party if it would suit her purpose and that just steams me.
Steve,
Welcome! I’m happy you’ve found my little blog.
It scares me too.
I have previously contended that certain Dems have gone along with everything Bush has done to bring this country down simply because they want the power he’s grabbed for himself. They see what he’s capable of and they smell the money (so to speak). I have no doubt that Clinton has been contemplating that for years. If they let Bush get away with shredding the Constitution and giving himself way too much power, then eventually the people will elect a Democrat. And I believe there is a certain contingent of Democrats who recognized this and let it all happen. I put HRC square in line with that contingent. Scary indeed.
May 3rd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Thass frightening - I thought Rove or Scooter or Rush would pull that but I’m shocked Hillary would*
Bottom line for me I could give a rats ass who defeats McCain after the 8 Year Debacle of Bush*
Either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will be a much Welcome Breath of Fresh Air for the Entire World*
Cheers Everybody!! Billy ;)) Peace*
[Edited by Jennyjinx because of the unnecessary and off-topic linkage. This is not the place for that. Thanks for visiting.]
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Thanks for stickin’ up for me in the face of a knee jerk’s assessment of something about which he couldn’t possibly know jack shit, JJ (my ethics, in case you’re confused, Lew).
You know who my preference was, and in light of the fact that he could have mopped the floor with the two jokers left in any debate on any day, you know how disgusted I am to see all this. You know that I am no fan of HRC, but what comes out of the Obama camp is absolutely no less divisive, power-hungry, race-baited or otherwise arrogant. And you know that I am more than likely done with the Democratic Party for the time being.
It’s a sad day when Republicans switch sides to vote for Hilary because either she’s just what they want or they TRULY believe they can defeat her.
Again, works both ways here. And if you twist my arm (OW!) I’ll tell you my gut feels that Hillary, while still part of that Beltway establishment trash, is the lesser of three distinct evils and would be a more effective chief executive than Obama.
Some more reading for you (hope these links work):
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/05/02/obama_woos_republicans_in_indiana.html
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/5/2/9125/69834