What's more despicable than an organized effort to use false claims of voter fraud in order to support legislative and regulatory hurdles designed to discourage and prevent people from voting? Well, I guess using the tragedy of 9/11 to knowingly mislead the nation into supporting an invasion of Iraq is more despicable. But I digress . . . In 5-Year Effort, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud WASHINGTON, April 11 — Five years after the Bush administration began a crackdown on voter fraud, the Justice Department has turned up virtually no evidence of any organized effort to skew federal elections, according to court records and interviews. Although Republican activists have repeatedly said fraud is so widespread that it has corrupted the political process and, possibly, cost the party election victories, about 120 people have been charged and 86 convicted as of last year. Most of those charged have been Democrats, voting records show. Many of those charged by the Justice Department appear to have mistakenly filled out registration forms or misunderstood eligibility rules, a review of court records and interviews with prosecutors and defense lawyers show. In Miami, an assistant United States attorney said many cases there involved what were apparently mistakes by immigrants, not fraud. In Wisconsin, where prosecutors have lost almost twice as many cases as they won, charges were brought against voters who filled out more than one registration form and felons seemingly unaware that they were barred from voting... Full Story >>>>> Panel Said to Alter Finding on Voter Fraud A federal panel responsible for conducting election research played down the findings of experts who concluded last year that there was little voter fraud around the nation, according to a review of the original report obtained by The New York Times. Instead, the panel, the Election Assistance Commission, issued a report that said the pervasiveness of fraud was open to debate. The revised version echoes complaints made by Republican politicians, who have long suggested that voter fraud is widespread and justifies the voter identification laws that have been passed in at least two dozen states. Democrats say the threat is overstated and have opposed voter identification laws, which they say disenfranchise the poor, members of minority groups and the elderly, who are less likely to have photo IDs and are more likely to be Democrats. Full Story >>>> The preemptive accusation is such an amazingly effective technique. Simply accuse the other guy of doing what you're doing first. Then he has to defend him or herself while you can keep doing what you were doing all along. Of course this strategy requires: a) a well organized plan; b) the right appointees on administrative bodies; c) a well regimented echo-chamber to pump the accusation into the public discourse; and d) the charred husk of an eviscerated vermin where your moral center should be. Were I a guessing man, I'd think one pasty-faced, bespeckled, fat turdblossom was behind this strategy. Too bad he can't be voted out of office. Irony! Get it!?!
