NY Times Editorial: "This Year, Voting Is An Act of Defiance Against Malicious Forces"

[amborin]

Upholding Democracy, Ballot by Ballot

This year, voting is more than just the core responsibility of citizenship; it is an act of defiance against malicious political forces determined to reduce access to democracy. Millions of ballots on Tuesday — along with those already turned in — will be cast despite the best efforts of Republican officials around the country to prevent them from playing a role in the 2012 election.


Even now, many Republicans are assembling teams to intimidate voters at polling places, to demand photo ID where none is required, and to cast doubt on voting machines or counting systems whose results do not go their way......

snip


But a great deal of damage has already been done, and the clearest example is that on Sunday in Florida, people will not be allowed to vote early. Four years ago, on the Sunday before Election Day, tens of thousands of Floridians cast their ballots, many of them black churchgoers who traveled directly from services to their polling places. Because most of them voted for Barack Obama, helping him win the state, Republicans eliminated early voting on that day. No legitimate reason was given; the action was entirely partisan in nature.

The author of that law, as The Palm Beach Post revealed last week, was Emmett Mitchell IV, the general counsel for the state Republican Party. Under his guidance, party officials in Florida got thousands of perfectly eligible black voters purged from the rolls in 2000, and got a law passed last year that limited registration drives and early voting days. A federal judge struck down the registration limits, but not before they drove down the numbers of new registrants.

The law cutting back nearly half the number of early-voting days in Florida remains in place, a reaction to the Obama campaign’s successful use of the system....."

snip

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/opinion/sunday/voting-rights-upholding-democracy.html?hp&_r=0

[madaboutharry]

1. All it takes is one step back and an honest look at what is really the truth here.

The republican party does not believe in democracy. It is as simple as that.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Pretty much.

[grasswire]

6. it's unAmerican and dishonors all those who have spilled blood for liberty

Those who have fought America's wars for liberty -- did they sacrifice so SOME could be free from tyranny?

[INdemo]

29. I was about to post the same thought

As many lives that have been sacrificed for our Democracy,its unbelievable there are those that are trying to destroy it without
firing a shot..And there are millions of voters that support these tyrants,and are willing to destroy our election process to do this...unbelievable..
...Are we to assume that the billionaires believe they can control the world..Is that what they want ...to have a new system of government..will that be the New World Order?

[rwsanders]

36. I think the answer lies in the photo you have as your avatar...

The more I learn about FDR, the more I'm saddened by what wasn't fully accomplished.
But he knew what we were really fighting against and it wasn't Germans or Japanese, but the fascism and totalitarianism that they represented. I think the fight has been going on since and it is coming to a head again.
It is sad to see so many get worked up about the UN and ignore the multinational corporations that are seeking to control the essentials of life. They are grabbing at our food supplies and have tried to privatize water systems in developing nations.

[barbtries]

19. agreed.

they have no use for democracy.

[Kber]

3. Want revenge against those who would trash our democracy and country? VOTE!

(at the risk of being impolite)

[nxylas]

35. ZOMG, you said "revenge"!

That's so...uppity!

[randr]

4. Vote and demand reform of election system

Anyone acting to deny a vote by anyone else needs to be seriously punished. Whether they act by intimidation at the polls or by the mere act of proposing laws that would take voting rights away the punishment should be severe.

[INdemo]

30. We have made this demand for election reform since 2000

...and nothing has happen..Remember when we were told in December of 2000 that .."laws will be passed to insure this never happens again...

[ProudProgressiveNow]

5. K&R nt

[progressivebydesign]

7. In the mind of a "TeaPublican" from the comments...

"TeaPublicanSouth Dakota

Oh please! We Republicans are trying to stop all those illegal minority voters from voting! We say "show me your papers....show me your papers...and they pull out all their FAKE papers! Everyone knows these type of people have fake papers and when Mr. Romney takes over we are going to toss ALL of them out! We TeaPublicans ARE taking America back.....and we ARE going to take back our jobs from these minorities too!"

How utterly brainwashed these tools are.

[central scrutinizer]

8. take our jobs, please

http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/07/news/economy/farm_worker_jobs/index.htm

I'm betting this Teapublican wouldn't last one hour picking lettuce

[1StrongBlackMan]

32. This ...

and when Mr. Romney takes over we are going to toss ALL of them out!

Says it all ... doesn't it?

[Gidney N Cloyd]

33. That almost sounds to nutty to be real.

[CBHagman]

9. Never, never, never forget this -- never.

Hang it round the Republicans' necks until those still capable of feeling shame do.

[world wide wally]

10. We need FEDERAL election laws for national voting. Simple as that!

[WRH2]

11. very good idea

[calimary]

13. Welcome to DU WRH2!

Glad you're with us! We need you. We need all hands on deck, all hands at battle stations. Let's win this. Once and for all.






Now get to work.

[Amonester]

12. Yep. And they must 'include' a National Holiday for every 2-year's Election Day(s).

Because Election Day(s) matter as much as Independence Day(s).

[calimary]

14. That's a good idea. A day off for everyone to go vote. Just frickin' DO IT.

Let's quit quibbling about this. It needs to be done.

[Amonester]

16. We Must start any 'kind' of communication movement for it.

Web sites, e-mail campaigns, Tweets, bookfaces, instantgram (whatever).

Benefits of them must be analysed and written down (no more screw-ups, rushes, dubious 'shutdowns', et al, for Early Voting, for example).

There must even be a lot of taxpayers-money savings in the idea also.

And yes, it should be obvious to all who's looking:

Election Days do have a direct relationship with Independence Days, and it's not normal that one of these two isn't a National Holiday!

One is to 'work' for the other to be 'celebrated' isn't it?

It's only LOGICAL.

[DebJ]

15. Please volunteer to be a pollwatcher, even if just for an hour or two or three.

I was going to work GOTV for Obama, but as I am in Pennsylvania, I decided the need to poll-watch is greater instead.
The local party leader is concerned that people who are back in line, say number 5,6 or 10 in line, will hear requests
for ID but not the full conversation, and just walk out of line without voting. So I will be there to insure that anyone
who walks away is fully aware of what the law truly is for Tuesday. Also I will be checking off the committed Obama voters
who show up so we can call those who don't.

We have a huge need here for more poll-watchers. I'll be doing a 630-likely 10 pm shift because there is no one else to cover
this. It is gruelling and painful on old joints, but it MUST be done.

PLEASE, PLEASE, even if you can only spare an hour, talk to your local Dem HQ to see if you can help Tuesday!!!

[flamingdem]

17. "This Year, Voting Is An Act of Defiance Against Malicious Forces"

Did someone tell it like it is??

[cyclezealot]

18. Between Billionaires buying the Election and the GOP goon squad

intimidating voters , yes- voting against Mitt is an act of revenge . Voters need be informed of these vigilantes trying to take away our rights.. Don't back down
Should we experience such actions, is there someone we can call to call their bluff.

[LiberalElite]

20. "malicious forces" is putting it mildly - I think they're guilty of TREASON

[flamingdem]

22. I agree but this is the closest I've heard the media get to saying that

Absolutely true they are treasonous and should be arrested!

[factsarenotfair]

26. Thom Hartman said that on his radio show last week.

He's great!

[elbloggoZY27]

21. Stop These Rats

There are no words to express this kind of garbage here in the United States.

As a veteran I fought against tyranny and will not legally tolerate nor should anybody else this GOP assault on our Rights under the Constitution.

This surely proves that the GOP should be thrown out of office this election.

[sally5050]

23. awesome how the newspapers finally see the suppression

i remember in 2004 being called a conspiracy nut for pointing out any election issues at all..

now this article saying you are a BRAVE hero/heroine of democracy by merely voting to overcome suppression.

[YOHABLO]

24. Aren't We All Tired Of These ReThuglicans? We Need To Get Fierce.

We've Got To Get Obama elected ... then ride his ass like no other. Because he will cave .. mark my word he will cave. On Social Security especially, or haven't you heard of the Great Bargain? He's a politician and cannot be trusted. Registration should begin at birth .. those little foot prints mean you are now an eligible voter. Put that in your data base and suck on it.

[SB2]

25. Spam deleted by gkhouston (MIR Team)

[codjh9]

27. The party of 'morality' and 'values' is anything but! n/t

[glinda]

28. Lots of charges need to be brought and followed through on.

[Patiod]

31. Well, it's just Black people

An evangelical Christian/Republican acquaintance of mine rode his bike across the country. I ran into him in a bookstore a few months later, and he was so enthusiastic about all the great "country" folks he had met on his trip.

Then he said, "it's hard to believe that these great peoples' votes count the same as people living in inner cities."

I was floored. I said "are you suggesting that people out in the countryside are 'more American' than people living in cities?" (translation: cities=black/hispanic)

He didn't even have the good grace to backpedal when he remembered that I wasn't a racist asshole like he was.

All I could say to him was "Wow. I can't believe you think that. Wow." One of the few times in my life that someone left me speechless. In the years since, I've thought about a lot of things I should have said, but it's too late.

I see him now at parties, and he's re-classified himself as a "Libertarian" but I still can't talk to him knowing that he thinks that some people's votes shouldn't "count" as much as others.

And that's the exact same thing I see in this sort of voting rules manipulation.

[samsingh]

34. there is a war against Democracy happening in America

that is the new mantra of the right wing. They are suppressing the vote, their cronies on the supreme court have given power to big money and big interests, their slaves in the media are lying through their teeth.

Obama's victory will be a chance to set things right.

this election is about the future of Democracy in America.

[MADem]

37. Is NYT saying there's a case for ... er... REVENGE against people who would subvert Democracy?

Oh, dear.