CNN: Dems Charged With Slashing Republican Tires Good Or Bad?

[DistressedAmerican]

Let's say for argument that they actually did it. Which is a point still VERY unclear:

The Repubs supress voting in Democratic areas on a regular basis. Is this just fighting fire with fire or is it a really bad idea that makes us look like asses? I'm a bit conflicted. Poorly executed yes. But...

Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/24/tires.slashed.ap/index.html

Snip:
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- The sons of a first-term congresswoman and Milwaukee's former acting mayor were among five Democratic activists charged Monday with slashing the tires of vans rented by Republicans to drive voters and monitors to the polls on Election Day.

Sowande Omokunde, son of Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., and Michael Pratt, the son of former Milwaukee acting mayor Marvin Pratt, were among those charged with criminal damage to property, a felony that carries a maximum punishment of 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The activists are accused of flattening the tires on 25 vehicles rented by the state Republican Party to get out the vote and deliver poll watchers November 2

[Catherine Vincent]

1. They should arrest the people that slashed our voting machines!!!!

Instead of worrying about freaking tires being slashed!:mad:

p.s. Yes, it was the wrong thing for those guys that slashed the tires.

[tcfrogs]

2. It's wrong for either side

Punishments sound a wee bit harsh, though.

[shance]

3. First question: Wheres proof they were the ones who did it?

They may be guilty, however, I think we've seen enough Republican scapegoating to warrant looking at the possibility of a set up.

I'd like to see a video or some other kind of proof.

[Name removed]

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[Dickie Flatt]

4. Of course it's bad

Same reason I'm against the death penalty for murderers (not that I'm comparing murderers to Republicans) "Eye for an eye" brings us down to their level, and we are better than that.

[markus]

5. You should never slash tires.

That's destruction of propery.

You should by a gross lot of quick release air hose nozzles.

Snap 'em on, the air goes out.

This was a trick I learned from college friends who worked at what was then callled the "Quad Wing" at college, reserved for people who parked in handicapped reserved saces.

[SoCalifer]

6. My Take

*waves hi @ DistressedAmerican*

I would have to say it's both good and bad.. In the spirit Malcom X - good in the sense that people have a right to defend themselves and the integrity of our democracy, and yes I am referring to defending ourselves against these vote cheating Republicans.


On the other hand, and in the spirit Martin Luther King Jr - bad in the sense that it may serve to undermine our own integrity.

[Donna Zen]

7. Kinda dumb

They should have outed a CIA agent, then they would have gotten their own TV show and millions of dollars.

[StClone]

8. Distraction, fluff, smearing,

The Bradley Foundation, Milwaukee Right wing talk radio and all sorts of behind the scenes CON artists have built a mountain compared to the mole hills these sacks of Sheeit pump-up and exploit to sway public opinion.

[Chipper Chat]

9. If the silence over this from the Republicans is deafening...

then we will know Republicans are covertly continuing to hide or dispute the mountain of dirty tricks and illegal acts done to Democrats nationwide for fear of the issue waxing in the public eye.

[spotbird]

10. When we act like Republicans

it is still wrong. Someone has to remember right and wrong, these people are criminals, and why didn't they just let the air out of the tires?

[dave502d]

11. That bad and helps them.n/t

[Robbien]

12. Notice how fast they caught these guys, but GOPer vote suppression

is ignored by the legal authorities? Fatherland security went all out and spared no resources in tracking down the tire slashers.

Has Fatherland security gotten back to anyone about the long list of GOPer vote suppression illegal acts?

[jasmeel]

13. The attention to this is infuriating!

When I wrote Sensenbrenner about voting irregularities this tire slashing incident is all he addressed in his response to me. Also, where is the outrage over the phone jamming incident when repubs jammed the phone lines of democratic headquarters on voting day?

I still don't see a way to excuse these guys behavior if it's true.

[Democrat Dragon]

14. GOP: The party of double standards

[leftyandproud]

15. You know...these guys just might have delivered Wisconsin for Kerry

Kerry won by 10,000 votes.

25 vans over a 10 hour period...carrying 15-20 passengers per van, making two trips per hour, would have brought an extra 7,500-10,000 Bush voters to the polls.

[DistressedAmerican]

16. I have to admit, It would make me feel a bit better

to know WE had stolen at least one. If we don't practice and get good fast, we may never get the oval office back!

[JI7]

24. sorry, but the Republicans have money and can easily

get other vehicles on time to deal with this. and i'm sure they did.

[spotbird]

25. Then what they did was wrong.

It would be nice if the laws were enforced uniformly.

[moggie12]

17. Umm, how can this be anything but bad from a PR perspective?

This is the kind of stuff we don't want on the news, I think. It detracts from the election reform effort, on which we currently hold the high ground (at least as far as I know). This kind of stuff makes us look skeezy, in my opinion, at a time when we need to look morally superior. We're going to need a huge amount of public support to get a good election reform bill passed.

[spotbird]

26. It is bad, what they did is wrong.

I just wish the other side was also proscuted. If the laws are only enforced against one side they lose their legitamacy.

[leesa]

18. Don't respond to this. It's just RW propaganda junk

[Yupster]

19. As a small business owner,

that's the first person I thought of. Whoever owns these vans is probably a franchise owner, and this illegal stunt may cost him his entire business and every dollar he ever saved in his life. Many small businesses are barely afloat and operate on tiny margins. Taking 25 vans out of commission for even a few days may be devastating to the owner.

Yes this was a very bad thing, and whoever did it needs to be punished harshly.

I would recommend taking away their right to vote as a punishment for trying to do the same to others, and also restitution to the owner for the grief they put the businessowner through.

[deadparrot]

20. Bad. We don't need to turn to crime.

We'd be appalled if the Republicans had done it to us, and the same standard holds.

[ThorsHammer]

27. Exactly; well said

[proudbluestater]

Why are Democrats held to higher standards than Rethugs?

And why does something like this, a RARITY, make the freaking NEWS?



When will Kenneth Blackwell be arrested? When will anybody even run a story on his antics on CNN? Oh, right, that would be never.

[American Tragedy]

34. Because we're better.

[proudbluestater]

21. Dupe! Sorry!

[fooj]

23. Looks like we have our answer! CNN belongs to THEM!

I find it absolutely mind blowing! What a perfect example of negative propaganda! This is their standard bully tactic! We have 102 page report documenting election fraud and irregularities...soooo-they have five horrible activists slashing tires! Deflect attention from your own BS and put it on someone else. They have no explanations for their gross misconduct...soooo-time to go on the offensive and shred a few up!!! How many times have they pulled this shit? I knew CNN was biased and an ass-kissing organization, but I didn't realize the extent until they had the nerve to rant about this crap! You know what? They can't find enough cotton to cover-up what Conyer's has on them. I think they may be coming unglued...

[LittleClarkie]

29. Mark Belling was screaming fraud, fraud, fraud almost the entire season

That's our main RW guy. You may have heard him sub in for Rush on occasion. He's almost half reasonable when he does that. Here he's an ass. He almost lost his job after the election for talking about "wetbacks" voting.

Same with the Milwaukee County Exec. He tried to short the number of ballots the Dem wards were getting, even though the number would have been less than the last two elections. A Repub friend tried to tell me it was a budget saving thing, but the Exec. had tried to make vague allegations of fraud he couldn't prove except to say it was possible with three times the number of ballots as registered voters. But that's the ratio always supplied. If he wanted to cut the budget, he shouldn't have tried it right before an election.

These people had my Repub neighbors convinced that if you were a Kerry supporter you were voting multiple times. Do you have any idea how many times I was accused of that. WITH NO PROOF. NONE. Just vague allegations. The Freepers around here think Bush won despite rampant fraud on our side. Oh, piss me off.

I got called a Communist, I got called a Socialist, I got called a cheat, all for being a Kerry supporter.

In the words of the immortal Scarface, "FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING FUCK!!"

This pushes a couple of my hot buttons, can you tell?

[fooj]

30. As well it should!

Their behavior is beyond reproach! Some of the people in this country have gone mad! It's frightening! It's almost as if they are from another planet! You know what? I don't think the freepers believe Bush won! I think they are just out screaming us! The more evidence that rolls in...the louder and angrier they become! Next time your lovely neighbors open their vile mouths, let them know there was not ONE report in this entire country of a Bush vote switching to Kerry! Period! Now you've got me going...Ugh! Peace!

[LittleClarkie]

28. I thought it was okay until I listened to a local RW radio guy

and heard the same old shit. He's been having a daily countdown re: this issue, as in "DAY 23: still no prosecution of the tire slashers."

Well today he got his wish. They're being charged. But typical Republican, now he's whining that it took too long, that the District Attorney, a known Dem, didn't sound enthusiastic enough.

It's like someone said, they have everything majority-wise but still complain that they get no respect. Like how Kerry couldn't bleed enough, but Bush doesn't have to bleed at all. They don't get prosecuted at all for what they do, but we can't be prosecuted enough. What does he want, fake Barney grins on everyone?

That said, it was childish and stupid if these guys did this. They made their parents look bad. I hope Pratt and Moore didn't put them up to it. I don't think so. But we do have to show that suppression on either side will not be tolerated. Sadly, that point will be lost in the RW whining I detailed above.

[jdots]

31. the repukes have never done any dirty tricks. n/t

[zann725]

32. If this isn't Rovian spin, this is the exception to the rule for Dems.

How many tires were slashed, and lives were threatened by Repugs? Please...they're spinning it again to look like victims.

And like the good-guys we are, we roll-over and accept the blame...even if one of OURS didn't do it.

[Gyre]

33. an act of impotent rage

Doesn't do much for the image of the cause of social justice and progressive politics.

Gyre

[American Tragedy]

35. It's deplorable, no matter what.

But how were they stupid enough to get caught? It's not terribly difficult to slash tires covertly.

[Skittles]

36. very bad

no excuses for this

[fujiyama]

37. Whoever did this

are idiots. Plain and simple. Criminal behavior is not justified.

Regardless of who did it.

Now if only those allegations of vote fraud committed by the GOP would get the same amount of attention. Somehow I doubt CNN would do that...After all, those people that speak of verified voting and investigating irregularities are "crazy kooky conspiracy theorists".

[Vektor]

39. I don't think stooping to property damage

...or vandalism is ever a good idea, no matter what the issue.

[bklyncowgirl]

40. We should not give the Right Wing the rope to hang us.

Let's face it. The right wing owns the mainstream media. Wrongdoing by Democrats is going to be covered more widely than far worse wrongdoing by Republicans.

Destroying property is something that will stick in ordinary people's mind far better than, I'm sad to say, than Democratic complains of election fraud.

Democrats must be like Caesar's wife--above suspicion.