Bush Picks Controversial Nominees for FEC

[Rose Siding]

President Bush nominated two controversial lawyers to the Federal Election Commission yesterday: Hans von Spakovsky who helped Georgia win approval of a disputed voter-identification law, and Robert D. Lenhard, who was part of a legal team that challenged the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.

In addition, Bush proposed a second term for commissioner David M. Mason and nominated Steven T. Walther, a Nevada lawyer with close ties to Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).
....
In a letter to Senate Rules Committee Chairman Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) wrote that he is "extremely troubled" by the von Spakovsky nomination. Kennedy contends that von Spakovsky "may be at the heart of the political interference that is undermining the Department's enforcement of federal civil laws."

Career Justice Department lawyers involved in a Georgia case said von Spakovsky pushed strongly for approval of a state program requiring voters to have photo identification. A team of staff lawyers that examined the case recommended 4 to 1 that the Georgia plan should be rejected because it would harm black voters; the recommendation was overruled by von Spakovsky and other senior officials in the Civil Rights Division.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/16/AR2005121601717.html

[acmejack]

1. Further demonstrating his commitment to fair elections.

[DELUSIONAL]

2. So what else is new?

[NV Whino]

3. Bush Picks Controversial Nominees for ________

fill in the blank.

[OregonBlue]

4. They've been nominated. Who approves them? Who do we need to contact?

[DS1]

5. Am I the only one who thinks that voter ID MUST be a requirement?

What the fuck?

[quiet.american]

6. Is THIS what you're really in favor of?

When one reads the fine print, the Georgia Voter ID legislation looks more and more like under-the-radar re-districting a la what the "Killer D's" in Texas fought so hard against.


Voter ID Law Is Overturned
Georgia Can No Longer Charge For Access to Nov. 8 Election
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102702171.html

excerpt:

Last week, when issuing the injunction, U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy likened the law to a Jim Crow-era poll tax that required residents, most of them black, to pay back taxes before voting. He said the law appeared to violate the Constitution for that reason.

Under the Georgia law, residents would need to produce original birth certificates and other documents to get the new digital identification card. The cards could only be obtained at Department of Motor Vehicles offices.....

On top of that, the state recently reorganized the Department of Motor Vehicles, paring down the number of offices. After the reorganization, there were no DMV offices in Atlanta, a city with a wide black majority. The closest station is at least nine miles away. Fewer than 60 of the state's 159 counties have DMV offices.

State officials countered that they were providing a single vehicle, known as the GLOW bus, to traverse the state, providing applications and licenses to those with the proper documents. Critics expressed disbelief that one bus could accommodate the needs of so many potential voters.

[DS1]

7. No. Just because racist trash in Georgia can't get it right doesn't

mean the idea should be thrown out without further discussion.

[quiet.american]

8. That's good to hear -- question - what form of voter ID do you envision?

Georgia already accepted 17 different forms of ID before coming up with this "can't vote-unless-you-pay-$20-and-run-all-over-the-place" thing. Just curious as to what aspect of the voter ID issue you would like to see further discussion on.

[DS1]

9. A state-issued photo ID

[quiet.american]

11. Any thoughts on how this could be made to work in states like Georgia?

New York issues driver and non-driver ID, and it's pretty easy to get to the DMV. Could a mandated state ID work in states like Georgia?

[DS1]

12. Why shouldn't it

[quiet.american]

15. For starters, for the reasons listed in the article. :) n/t

[Wordie]

10. This appears to be a serious threat to efforts for fair elections. I hope

there will be a strong effort to block these nominations. Recommending this thread.

[Rose Siding]

13. OMG- Jane at FDL says that Lenhard is married to Viveca Novak

Well well well. What do we have here?

George W. Bush has picked new nominees for the FEC. One is a Republican, Hans von Spakovsky, whom Ted Kennedy says "may be at the heart of the political interference that is undermining the Department's enforcement of federal civil laws." And in an uncharacteristic moment of cheerful bipartisanship, Bush is also appointing a Democrat, Robert D. Lenhard, who was quite helpful to the 1600 Crew as part of the legal team that challenged the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.

But there is perhaps another reason why Mr. Lenhard is being rewarded by BushCo. at just this moment. He's the husband of Viveca Novak, whose testimony now provides the foundation for Karl Rove's defense in the CIA leak case.

A small but rather key fact that both the Washington Post and the White House Press Release manages to leave out, wouldn't you say? They WaPo is having quite a stint in the GOP stenography department this week, it would seem.

posted by Jane Hamsher @ 12:01 PM

http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_firedoglake_archive.html#113485007313391863

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. Gee whiz, what a small world

Maybe Fitzgerald can get Bush for tampering with a witness on top of everything else?

[radfringe]

16. ummmm

verrrry interesting.....

do you smell a deal? "lookee here, little lady, ummmmm, you be nice to me and errr, I'll play ball with you. errr git yer mister a nice right cushy job. ummm we got a deal?"

another possibility which might explain ROBERT NOVAK's comment about bugging bush - bush nominated the WRONG NOVAK SPOUSE, so ROBERT Novak is pissed....

[freedomfries]

17. check this ERF thread for info on voter repression expert nominated

Hans von Spakovsky played a notorious role in the 2000 FL voting rolls purge and overruled recent DoJ objections to the racist Texas redistricting by Tom DeLay
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x405723