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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 6:19 pm ET Scott Gessler isn’t a household name in national politics, but could become famous in a hurry, just as Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris did during the 2000 presidential recount.
Colorado’s swing state pattern in the last five presidential elections makes its nine electoral votes loom large this November.
Matt Mcclain / Getty Images
In this file photo, Mica Rickman, 1, reaches out to his mother, Carly Fridlich as she votes at the Gilpin County Community Center on November 2, 2010 outside of Central City, Colorado.
And, as Colorado’s Republican secretary of state, elected in 2010, Gessler could have a decisive influence on the November outcome in the state. He has launched efforts to remove ineligible people from the voter rolls. And if it’s a close vote, he would preside over any recount and be the official who certifies the state’s electoral vote to the U.S. House of Representatives after the election.
Gessler scored a victory last week when the Department of Homeland Security agreed to let his agency to use DHS databases of non-citizens to cross-check the list of Colorado voters to ensure that non-citizens are not registered.
Gessler spoke on voter fraud Thursday at the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation in Washington along with two of his fellow Republicans, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.
He said in an interview afterward that his agency hasn’t yet signed a memorandum of understanding with DHS on using its SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) system. “I’m hoping we’ll get it done in the next week or two,” he said.
One of Gessler’s starting points was a list of Colorado voters who had driver’s licenses which indicated they were not U.S. citizens. For voters who come up as positive matches in the SAVE system as non-citizens, Gessler said, “I anticipate what we’re going to be doing is sending them a letter and giving them yet another opportunity to correct any error there may be.”
The 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) bars states, within 90 days of an election, from conducting a systematic program to remove ineligible people from its voter lists.
Under NVRA, Colorado might face an Aug. 8 deadline to remove names from its list, but Gessler said “there’s a real question as to whether that Aug. 8 deadline even applies” because if the state sends a letter to each person asking him or her to clarify their status, the voter verification effort won’t be a systemic voting list purge and therefore won’t fall within the NVRA’s window.
And a recent decision by federal district court Judge Robert Hinkle in Florida said the NVRA deadline applies only in cases of people who were originally properly registered – they were U.S. citizens – but were subsequently removed from the voter rolls due to their death or moving out of the state or having been convicted of a felony. Hinkle’s ruling makes clear that the NVRA deadline doesn’t apply to non-citizens who never should have been registered in the first place, Gessler said.
One of Gessler’s critics, Joanne Schwartz, executive director of ProgressNow Colorado, said someone’s name might be in the SAVE system “because they accessed federal benefits while here on a green card, but since then have become citizens. Certainly it is not designed to be a voter database, it was created in order to address another nonexistent problem - that of unauthorized immigrants accessing Medicaid and welfare.”
When will the partisan politics end? NBC's Mike Viqueira takes a look at the divided land that is the district, and the nation as a whole.
Gessler said that the fact that someone has subsequently become a U.S. citizen will be reflected in the SAVE system.
Schwartz asked, “What will happen with the names that aren't able to be crosschecked against the SAVE database? Do those names remain in question and what is Gessler's process (for dealing with such voters)?”
He promised, “I’m not going to strike someone from the voter rolls unless I’m very confident that they’re not a citizen…. I need very strong evidence on an individual basis before taking action.”
Gessler’s critics accuse him of obstructing eligible voters in an effort to hold down voter turnout. He’s engaged in a dispute with some county clerks in Colorado over sending ballots to inactive voters (those who missed one election); some Democrats say he’s depriving people of their vote, Gessler says he’s enforcing the law.
In his remarks at Heritage, Gessler scoffed that “some of this disenfranchisement hysteria is frankly silly.” He called ProgressNow Colorado part of “the professional angry left” and “who do their ankle biting stuff which is what they always do against Republicans.”
His pungent rhetoric is a reminder that the state officials in charge of administering elections in an impartial way are elected by the voters and run on a Democratic or Republican line. University of California, Irvine law professor Richard Hasen notes in his new book The Voting Wars, “Other modern democracies, such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, put nonpartisan officials in charge of their elections.”
Schwartz said in a recent Denver Post op-ed that Gessler has "gone to great lengths and expense to put obstacles in the way of eligible voters -- without evidence that voter fraud is a problem at all in Colorado." Gessler maintains that not only does fraud occur, but in a close election it could be decisive. He decried what he called a “see no evil, hear no evil culture”-- people who refuse to admit that vote fraud has happened.
“Some of the same people who see massive corruption when it comes to the campaign finance system” just assume that “our hearts have become pure” when to comes to balloting. But he said most Americans “intuitively understand” that in complicated endeavor like conducting an election with a voting population of 3.4 million, “there is a small proportion of people who will when tempted do the wrong thing.” And he said, “Political power as gained through elections is a temptation.”
To one critic in the audience at the Heritage Foundation event who asked why states are requiring additional steps such as proof of citizenship when people register to vote, since the current system in most states works fine, Gessler replied, “The system doesn’t work and we have plenty of evidence of that in state of Colorado.” He said there were more than 400 cases of people in Colorado in recent years who asked to be removed from the voter rolls because they weren’t citizens and people who attempted to register to vote even after having checked the “I am not a U.S. citizen” box on their application.
No matter how low his national profile has been so far, Gessler is becoming part of the 2012 campaign theme of voter fraud and vote suppression. For some Democrats, efforts such as Gessler’s are one more reason to turn out and vote.
But Gessler’s view is that by using the voter suppression argument, “people on the left are manipulating their base” to divert attention from what Americans really care about: the economy.
“People care that unemployment is horrific. The African-American community, in particular, has been hit by unemployment and loss of family wealth. Economically we are an absolute basket case with no bright prospects down the road…. So that’s the context. What are they (his opponents) arguing? ‘Pay no attention to our economic malaise. The other guy is evil.’ And frankly I think it’s demagoguery and manipulation,” he said.
Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Alan Wilson as South Carolina's secretary of state. He is South Carolina's attorney general.
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“People care that unemployment is horrific. The African-American community, in particular, has been hit by unemployment and loss of family wealth. Economically we are an absolute basket case with no bright prospects down the road…. So that’s the context. What are they (his opponents) arguing? ‘Pay no attention to our economic malaise. The other guy is evil.’ And frankly I think it’s demagoguery and manipulation,” he said.
That pretty much says it all. Liberals are so concerned about moving the topics AWAY from the economy because everyone (including the liberals) knows that liberals have no clue as to revive the economy.
Maybe Republicans shouldn't have decided to fully obstruct Obama prior to his inauguration, and we would have a recovery by now. In fact, if Republicans had passed Obama's jobs bill we would be below 8% unemployment now.
Gessler is done in Colorado come re-election time. The state is done with his antics. There is no evidence of voter fraud in Colorado. Want further proof, why do Republicans wait till general elections to pull this stuff. If it were truly that important it should have been done way before now.
Eric - republicans only slowed down items that would cause the economy to gasp harder for air.
The president is his own worst enemy. He sends partisan politics proposals to Congress for rubber stamping and threatens to veto any changes.
This blocks Democrats in the House having any ability to negotiate. I think all the president cares about is political points, nit whether his stuff actually passes.
Here's a clue vote out the obstruti-cons, the party of NO Lies about voter fraud to cheat an individual out of his or her right to a fair voting process. Theses CONS do it all in the name of Non-existance voter fraud. Prentending to be protecting the American citizen while stabing us in the back. What a bunch of loser retards. Here's another clue start looking for a new job your days are numbered obstructi-CONS. I here there hiing in Cuba you should fit in there. Give up your so-called citizenship you con and go back to your planet, and take all your draconian children with you. Im sorry Mr Lincoln the greed has destroyed your party and DE-fowled your dreams for America. Anyone who supports these clowns are un-American and you need to get on the ship with your draconian leader Tax-Dodger and go back to your planet Rombeian or back into the pit from which you were spawn. How soon we citizens forget all who died for the right to vote while we go around policing the world to give them fair elections. One word Hypocrisy!
You gotta give the Republicans some credit. They pass laws, in search of a problem. Kind of like when they pass laws saying that women can't use contraception or states can't restrict the sale of handguns to children.
Please note, the Republicans are doing everything they can to prevent groups of people who they believe will not vote for them, because the GOP knows it has an ever shrinking number of people who actually believe their lies. The only fraud that has occurred has been in the counting and reporting of votes during the GOP primaries. That was done not by people voting illegally, but by GOP party officials purposefully not counting votes and suppressing votes against the candidate chosen by party regulars.
Instead of doing this, they should be concentrating on actually doing things to improve the economy.
To Dirp
Please list the places where the GOP has outlawed contraception. And then the list of states that have tried to restrict the sale of handguns to kids. Or better yet, what states allow anyone under the age of 18 to buy guns?
If you are going to write things like this, it would be nice to know WHERE this activity is taking place.
For those that think the United States IS the world - news flash - Europe, Chine and the former USSR are all having trouble. By contrast, the US actually looks pretty good. Party Boy Bush did his best to destroy it, and he nearly did, but the current administration must be allowed to continue the recovery. Sorry if you disagree with me, but you may become educated someday.
I'm sick and tired of being disenfranchised...
and that's exactly what happens to every U.S. citizen whenever a person that's not a U.S. citizen is able to vote in one of our elections. Every effort should be made to protect the voting rights of United States Citizens. Mr. Gessler is protecting your rights!
Hey Mark.... list the states and exact counts of voter fraud.... THERE ISN'T ANY.... or as the GOP guy from PA said.... "we've now given PA to Romney"..... it that doesn't make it plain enough....
Here's a clue, We intend to do just that this Nov. Those Dems that will be left, will become spectators.
Kevin, please explain to all of us exactly how you determine that there is NO voter fraud? How do you make sure that only eligible voters vote, and how do you determine how a legal voter is disenfranchised?
To say that there is no voter fraud is like believing the govt. when it says there are 12-20 million illegal aliens in the country! What, they can count them but can't stop them? WTF???
I can't see how anyone could vote for him again. Worst ever hands down no contest.
Voter fraud is the only way he could win.
Anyone who really believes or even thinks that Gessler or any of the other GOP operatives who are passing these voter purge laws are protecting the citizens are sorely mistaken. In Virginia which actually investigates and prosecutes voter fraud, they had a grand total of 38 cases in the 2008 election prosecuted with another 28 still being investigated. That is out of approximately 400 cases sent for investigation. How many people voted in 2008 in VA? 3,714,763 voted for President. So a total of .000001% of the eligible voters. So for those kind of Infinitesimal number we should take away the right to vote of up to 10% of the legitimate voting population. No the facts are there and the facts show this is a witch hunt by the right designed to suppress the minority vote. No different than a poll tax
Why do liberals always assume that minorities have trouble getting an ID?
I mean, I have seen MANY times the liberals berating the "Southern, uneducated, red-necked, racist hicks" and yet we are somehow supposed to believe that THEY can get ID and the minorities can't? LOL!
Mikehataway - I agree, and have posted many times that the liberals have known that at photo ID is required in certain states. Instead of crying about it and bringing stupid law suits why aren't the democrats making sure these voters without IDs get one. States will give a ID free if one can not afford to pay for it. Further if these liberal organizations can give voters rides to the voting polls why can't they give those without IDs rides to the DMV or where ever they have to go to get a photo ID? Another question is how do all of these so called minorities cashing their retirements, welfare, unemployment payments, cashing checks, opening bank accounts, buying booze, cigrettes?
Just another left wing deflection from the real issues, like the unemployment rate, economy and a failed foreign policy.
No worries Mr. Obama, this won't be your issue very soon.
Wait, how can that be? I thought Obama was black.
I wonder where ACORN went.
No, they wouldn't dare.
The US needs to abort the Tea Party faster than Bush aborted the hunt for bin Laden. The UK says Romney is worse than Palin... couldn't be why McCain chose Palin over Romney? Maybe it wasn't his Barbie Girl complex that led to his decision after all...
Can someone explain to me why these voter purges always happen right before an election? If they really think this is a problem, why don't they deal with it right AFTER the election in which the alleged fraud occurs? I would be much more convinced that there was a problem if they weren't all scrambling to purge the voter roles when it looks like their candidate can't win without manipulation of the vote rather than at the time of the alleged fraud.
Typical republican/tea party platform: "If we can't win it, we'll steal it"....the real scourge of America!!
OBAMA/DIDEN 2012
What a pathetic article. Nothing like trying to set the stage for liberal outrage should the election not go there way.
Gessler; I will not remove someone from the voting roles unless I am confident they will vote Democat.
Gessler and other Republican leaders in his office have FAILED TO DO THEIR JOB in the last 2 years since he was elected in 2010. He has only started NOW?? WTF. Maybe last minute purge will not give courts enough time to review the damages - GOP conspiracy? Or maybe all these Republicans have done so far - is - to promote 2nd amendment freedom in the state.
Time to kick these gop bums out.
Eric-913730 "Maybe Republicans shouldn't have decided to fully obstruct Obama prior to his inauguration, and we would have a recovery by now. In fact, if Republicans had passed Obama's jobs bill we would be below 8% unemployment now."
What was Obama's excuse when they had complete control of everything for his first 2 years?
By the way - Obama couldn't even get his Democratic controlled Senate to approve his 'jobs bill'. We need more private sector jobs, not more overpaid public union workers.
What I'd like to know is "What do we do with someone that registers to vote illegally?"
Do we just ignore their crime, or do we actually have some penalty for them? I suspect the answer to that question varies depending on whether the election officials are Democrats (ignore it) or Republicans (?????).
biggerGovtIsTheAnswer "The African-American community, in particular, has been hit by unemployment and loss of family wealth.................Wait, how can that be? I thought Obama was black."
It was never about finding them a job - just about getting their vote.
Starderup "the current administration must be allowed to continue the recovery."
You want 4 more years of this? You can't be serious.
What was that definition of INSANITY?
"Doing the same things over and over and expecting a different outcome"
"But Gessler’s view is that by using the voter suppression argument, 'people on the left are manipulating their base' to divert attention from what Americans really care about: the economy."
So is this the kind of disciplined impartiality we can expect Colorado's secretary of state to bring to his task of ensuring and certifying a fair election?
From what I read in the article, it sounds like the "demagoguery and manipulation" is on the other foot.
here's the plan. win the house , check, block all the president's bills, to revive the economy, check, bust the unions, check, supress the vote, check, win the senate and the white house. that is the republikans plan. so let's see if it works. if it does then the country and the democracy goes down in flames and the rich will run things for a generation. after all as they said in the hamptons at a romney fund raiser " we know what's best. the little people are confused and should leave us alone" what kinda crap is that. we the people better not let this happen. check your history. everytine we have at least 8 years of a republikan administration we have a huge financial meltdown. except when ike was prez. and yes reagan had the savings and loan debacle. so for all you right wingers just shut up and sit down. your ideas don't work. never have and never will.
Unfortunately, there is so much hate mongering on Democratic side of the isle, especially in the homosexual community, that we were bound to see Newton's third law come into play sooner or later and it is evidenced in some of these posts.
Obama's moral corruption is destined to create friction in the mind of any principled American. Interestingly, just when I personally thought Obama could not become any more morally corrupt, I recently learned he has made yet another Faustian deal with the devil. In this case, he has appointed the "King Of Gay Pornography" to his campaign finance committee, patted him on the back and told him to keep up the good work.
Barack Obama has made it clear he plans to continue with his war on America, the Catholic Church, US Christians, success, small business and American socioeconomic thinking! As a result, this is creating backlash, even from within his own party. Conservatives like to complain that Barack Obama is the most liberal president we've ever had, a closet Marxist who's determined to turn America into a socialist hell and that his despotic socialist agenda is the big lie of the twentieth century. Historians realize world history provides compelling proof that Obama's brand of socialism promised prosperity, equality, and security, but has only delivered poverty, misery, and tyranny. Historically, equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery!
Those historic facts aside, Obama has crafted a shrewd campaign from a worldly perspective. Of note is the fact a significant portion of his campaign strategy was based on development of strategic alliances with many of the most godless and morally debased segments of our society in a thinly veiled effort to secure votes from those "the Obama administration believes" to be one dimensional, intellectually compromised, single issue constituencies. Many in this group had the misfortune of growing up in a broken home. The resulting dysfunction in these homes leads to emotional instability, mental illness and severe narcissism producing a common thread and liberal bias.
Beyond requisite intellectual acumen, our upcoming president MUST have a strong moral foundation and acute, politically savvy awareness the principles of prudent governance. Unfortunately for America, Obama's morally vapid strategic political alliances clearly disqualify him from this hallowed leadership role. For that reason, more and more moderate and conservative principled members of the democratic party believe they must abandon Obama's candidacy and their party line vote for the long term good of our country! Essentially, they believe it is best to retreat and return to fight another day when the Democratic party can submit a candidate who is willing to uphold traditional American values rather than to attempt to destroy the country from within.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Removing ineligable voters before an election takes place makes perfect sense. You don't lock the barn door AFTER all the horses have run away. The penalty for voter fraud should be very heavy. Maybe life without the possibility of parole for starters. (With a horny Bubba for your cell mate)
That sounds like a confession to me.
Most voter fraud is not perpetrated by the voters. It's perpetrated by the administrators. Look at the voter fraud in Ohio in 2004. The only people who went to jail in that were repugnican admins.
to dji
If you go to the governments online records of financial matters you will find the economy had 100 months of growth under George Bush. After the liberals took control of Congress it only took them 2 years to create the meltdown and then blame Bush for their recklessness. Although he was President Congress with the majority of liberals they had could pass anything they wanted and they did. The only thing that has saved us from a complete financial disaster was the Conservatives taking control of the House in 2010. We would be bankrupt now if Obama had his way.
No Liberals know exactly how to revive the economy.
The problem is the Conservatives who ALWAYS want minimal progress as possible are blocking any attempts at job creation because all of their eggs are vested in Big Oil and changing would take away their control base in maintaining jobs for those they want to vote for them to keep them in control.
There are new investments beginning to evolve.
There is a new propan outboard engine that will replace the gasoline engine which does not last as long, pollutes the enviroment and takes gasoline and oil to run.
The propane outboard motor does not which the GOP does not like because it doesn't break down as much use gasoline or oil which means such new investments will cost the GOP their power base as more and more Americans switch their outboard motors on their boats to propane.
This new engine will create jobs and investments across the country and planet.
Is such an engine a value to creating new jobs or a detriment to the ways of old?
Roy, your quote "
"What was Obama's excuse when they had complete control of everything for his first 2 years?"
"By the way - Obama couldn't even get his Democratic controlled Senate to approve his 'jobs bill'. We need more private sector jobs, not more overpaid public union workers."
Political lies, the 2 years claim has been debunked many times, and is old politics, and unproven....
Have you ever heard of "blue dog" Democrats? You see Democrats represent a broader constituent base, and their opinions, than the right wing, follow in my steps, Republicans.........Get It. We are talking about National politics and policy, not Corporate competition and greed for the few holders of the power at the top.
Republicans fall all over themselves with the "how come you Dems. can't work together". That is the basis of our Government, not majority rules as the Republicans believe but no one majority in power shall deny the principles of our laws.
Roy, is admitting that the Republican party is straight "party vote" Congress, with no dissension in the ranks..........how sad is that for a democracy? ROY.
Wow Roy, You just never stop spewing the lies do you??? Or shall I say not telling the WHOLE truth... You constantly claim the Dems had control for 2 years. We did NOT have a super majority no matter how many times you say we did. The Reps voted down EVERY bill/law, so the Dems never had enough to break the block. The Reps voted in lock step no matter even if they originally sponsored a bill. Anything to prevent Obama from getting a "win".
Don, in my search of veto threats from Obama, I only came up with 3 maybe 4 times he threatened and even THOSE he later backed down and said he would consider a compromise, so please oh please provide proof of your ridiculous statement.
Roy Wilson...
"What was Obama's excuse when they had complete control of everything for his first 2 years?"
The simple fact is that Obama did not have a filibuster proof senate for 2 years.
First, even at the peak, there were only 58 democrats.
Second, because of a republican temper tantrum and endless lawsuits, Sen Franken was not sworn in until mid Jul of 2009, so even counting the 2 independents, the dems still only had 59 votes.
Then, Sen Kennedy died barely a month later. His appointed replacement was only in office for about 5 months before a republican won a special election, again dropping the dem count to 59.
So, despite the constant republican lying to the contrary, dems only had a filibuster proof majority for 6 months. But, of course, such ignorance of the facts is typical of those who depend on corporate or conservative media for their information.
dizzykat "Roy Wilson..."What was Obama's excuse when they had complete control of everything for his first 2 years?".............The simple fact is that Obama did not have a filibuster proof senate for 2 years."
No President has had a 'filibuster proof' Congress for over 40 years (until Obama had it in 2009 for about 6 months), so having control of Congress does not require being 'filibuster-proof' control. If you check the record - the Democrats controlled the Presidency (Obama), the Senate (Reid) and the House (Pelosi) for two full years - 2009 and 2010. It was only in 2011 that the Republicans took over just the House. During that two years they could have done pretty much whatever they wanted (especially when they were 'filibuster proof') but they wasted that opportunity on Obamacare, which is opposed by the majority of Americans.
Not counting the 2 Independents in the Democratic ranks is silly - they caucus with the Democrats and vote party line Democratic more often than the typical Democratic Senator does.
It seems strange that Reagan accomplished so much with a largely Democratic Congress, and Clinton accomplished so much with a Republican Congress, but Obama can't even bring himself to talk to the Republicans in the House to seek common ground. Instead all he does is propose far-left programs that he can't even get his Democratic Senate to pass, and then he blames the Republicans for lack of progress.
REAL leaders find a way to get things done - FAILED leaders look for someone to blame.
Pres. Obama as I like to call him, has to deal with Bonehead, and McKooKy, than there is Backstabber in a class of her own,,,http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/bachmann-takes-another-stroll-down-conspiracy-lane
"wasted", unreal. The actual work days in session with Kennedy and Frankin, one took leave because of health and one was seated late because of Repuglican maneuvers and recount, was 60 days....... Unreal, the blatant lies Roy, (the pedigreed M.A. in Finance, Chief headhunter of a large Corporation,who lives in Costa Rica some of the year because of their servitude to the American $) comments on. He sounds more like Mitt Robme, than General George everyday.....LOL.
And the President of the United States was still able to outmanuver the Repugs. and their delay tactics and filibuster..
Blah, Blah, Roy are you crying in your rum drink at the beach in a foreign country? Or our you doing spreedsheets and ledger accounts, and adding + and - to your wealth without producing anything of substance? How the heck do those who contribute so little to the actual tangible consumer or government G.N.P., get off thinking they own something and are better than the majority of Americans.
Real obstruction is signing Grover Norquists pledge as a elected official, filibustering more in 2008- 2010 than ANY session of the Senate, and passing Bills in the House that have so much political pork(Republican stand on abortion, de-regulation, budget-approval, gay rights) to appease their Corporate powers and the uninformed religous far-right. Roy is no moderate in social issues. Just ask him about Gun Laws for multi- round ammo clips.
Roy, when did Frankin get seated in the Senate? When did Sen. Kennedy take a leave of absence and not vote on any legislation because he had cancer and was not on the Senate floor? You are one political hack, just like the Enquirer. When did the Congress go into recess? Now you are a supposed accountant,,,,,you figure it out ,,,,,,,,,,,,LOL.
Here Roy from one of your political sources,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, the facts, http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/did-the-democrats-ever-really-have-60-votes-in-the-senate-and-for-how-long/....
Stop the lies, conceit, and hacking............Good Day.
Oh Roy, by the way I don't "smoke something" as you insist, upon saying "I'm finished with you".Your "Enquiring"comments on NBC, MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, and most reputable news sources, ridicule yet you come back to those same sources..... see I have a open mind, and was one of you 40 years ago.
Here it is from the Congressional record according to Wikipedia, total veto's since 2000,,,
George W. Bush
Main article: George W. Bush
[edit] Barack Obama
Main article: Barack Obama
Notice the only Veto's Pres. Bush used were when the Congress was controlled, not filibuster prove, by the Democrats..........Republican obstruction has been evident since 2000, as a political ploy not a government function....
I dislike political hacks with a passion.
I live in Indiana and know of the "drag your feet attitude" of many State Government and Regulatory Commisions. Keeping the public in the "dummy you down to our level", mode. Why is it every State to the East, North, and West has more ample Government facility's for the public, including business?
"It seems strange that Reagan accomplished so much with a largely Democratic Congress, and Clinton accomplished so much with a Republican Congress, but Obama can't even bring himself to talk to the Republicans in the House to seek common ground." another political hack job,,,, your comment is just that, opinion. You still believe your supposed fact " the Democrats controlled the Presidency (Obama), the Senate (Reid) and the House (Pelosi) for two full years - 2009 and 2010.,,, What does "controlled" mean Roy? Just more political hacking and baiting with words and no substance.
Even the "Beltway" is beyond your hype, yet you hold strong value in your "seems strange" opinion.
Here is Regan for yah, in retrospect..........http://themessageis.com/ronald-reagan-is-not-george-washington/
Republican legislators in that time period actually did their job. Modern republican legislators refuse to work with Democrats to accomplish the nations business. Basically, all of those Republicans should be fired come November. Politics is the art of compromise, not my way or the highway.
Brian, probably 65% of the population agrees with you. That is what the Republicans fear the most, is voter turn out. They are scared to death that if there is voter turn out, then their little minority groups don't have a chance!
It is up to the senate and president to work with the house. Not the other way around. Since all bills originate in the house, it is up to the senate to pass the bills, and if they can't, they need to work with the house to find a solution. The senate has failed to do that.
BY: Matthew Continett, Washington Free Beacon
One cannot help noticing the struggle between Barack Obama’s natural instincts and the serene and benevolent persona he projects to the world. Beneath the visage of a cosmetically populist, post-racial, post-partisan reformer who wants to “perfect” America and to have “millionaires and billionaires” “pay their fair share” is just another condescending, self-important, sarcastic, academic liberal Democrat, who believes in false consciousness and in scholastic theories that success in life can be attributed to birth or luck or community but not to individual effort and grit. Obama may be talented at self-fashioning, but he cannot maintain his public face constantly. The mask sometimes slips.
The real Obama emerges. He lets loose in the self-consciously ironic and pretentiously omniscient argot of the American ruling class, lecturing audiences in what he, Elizabeth Warren, and the segment producers at MSNBC treat as the new catechism. The reaction to these gaffes is always the same. His remarks spark justified criticism. There is a frenetic effort to paper over his comments and restore the impression that he is just another dad who wants to take care of one big American family. He and his lieutenants and other members of the “truth” posse indulge in mock outrage. They say the president’s words have been distorted, that he did not really say what he said, that he meant something else entirely. The activity is convulsive and furious because David Axelrod and David Plouffe understand that an unplugged Obama will damage his brand. He is not actually likable at all. And he is liable to wreck years of hard work and mythmaking the moment he goes off script.
That is the “context” behind the president’s July 13 outburst in Roanoke, Virginia:
The focus has been on Obama’s words in the second paragraph: “If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” But this misses the point. Whether or not “you didn’t build that” refers to the “roads and bridges” of the previous sentence is irrelevant.
The truly revealing and disturbing idea is in the first paragraph, in which the president of the United States of America, the richest nation in the world, says he is “always struck” by “people who think” that individual smarts and hard work are responsible for success. The fools! Don’t they know achievement is a function of lavish government contracts to education and construction unions? Can’t they comprehend that innovation results from taxpayer-financed loan guarantees to companies owned by Democratic Party donors?
If the sentiments expressed in Roanoke really were as innocent and commonplace and “pro-business” as the Obama campaign and its apologists would have us believe, there would have been no need for the president to release an advertisement saying his words had been taken “out of context”; for his deputy campaign manager to record a three-minute video gushing over small business; for some peon on Jim Messina’s 700-person staff to design a shoddy website rebutting “Mitt Romney’s Misleading Attack Ads.” The media would have continued to engage in Jesuitical reading and interpretation of Romney’s contract with Bain Capital, and in gnostic speculation about the contents of the former Massachusetts governor’s tax returns. The plan to negatively define, and thus destroy, Romney would be proceeding apace. Obama ruined the story—and not for the first time.
“Obama’s biggest blunder yet” is how the incumbent’s most devoted Internet advocate described the moment when the first gay president spoke his mind to the raucous Virginia crowd. And indeed, there have been plenty of other blunders, stretching back many years. One could write a history of the Obamian Slip, telling the story of those instances when the president inadvertently disclosed his inner self, and diverted from the Axelrod message of hope and change and unity.
A rough timeline might look something like this. On July 23, 2007, at the CNN-YouTube Democratic primary debate, then-senator Obama made his ludicrous and unrehearsed pledge to meet personally with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea in the first year of his administration. There was the stunning January 5, 2008, debate before the New Hampshire Primary, when Obama insulted the former First Lady and two-term New York senator Hillary Clinton by sneering she was “likable enough.” On April 6, 2008, he told a rather cartoonish audience at a San Francisco fundraiser that “it’s not surprising” he wasn’t winning the votes of working-class whites in the Democratic Party, because years of betrayal by the political class had made them “get bitter, they cling to their guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or … uh, anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
The blunders do not stop. Obama’s August 22, 2009, remark at a press conference that the Cambridge police had acted “stupidly” by arresting a disorderly Harvard professor created such controversy that the president hurriedly convened a slapdash “beer summit” that seemed like a parody of racial comity. The next January, while campaigning for Massachusetts’ attorney general Martha Coakley to replace the late Edward M. Kennedy in the U.S. Senate, Obama seemed obsessed with Republican state senator (and eventual victor) Scott Brown’s pickup truck, poking fun at it repeatedly during a last-minute campaign rally. A month later, at the health-care summit, Obama could not hide his contempt as John McCain explained why his constituents and a national majority opposed the president’s proposal for a health-care overhaul. When McCain finished, Obama dismissed him by sniping that “The election’s over,” as though the four-term senator had no legitimate grounds for opposition.
Obama’s impromptu rhetoric is laced with the arch, dry, and bitter humor of the liberal bourgeois who write our newspapers and magazines and books and Comedy Central “news” shows. This is the cynical and snarky voice that informs comments such as “You’re likeable enough” and “the election’s over” and, at the June 13, 2011, meeting of the president’s jobs council, “Shovel ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected.”
The critical detachment with which the president sees himself, his office, and his country is also apparent. He thought he could confide to Dmitri Medvedev that a second term would give him “more flexibility” to negotiate away America’s missile defenses, nuclear arsenal, and interest in democracy and human rights within the Russian near-abroad. A “hot mic” spoiled it for him. Obama thought he was stating the obvious when he said “The private sector is doing fine” in his June 8 press conference. Anemic private sector job creation, minimal GDP growth, stagnant wages and incomes, weakening manufacturing, record-low yields on U.S. Treasuries, and the longest sustained period of over 8 percent unemployment since the Great Depression all suggest otherwise.
Since 2007, Obama has been able to maintain a façade of positivity, nationalism, and mainstream goodwill, even as he harbors ideas, attitudes, and reflexes peculiar to a highly educated and overly compensated legal, corporate, and cultural elite. But the foundation of his appeal is eroding. The negative campaign against Romney accelerated the process. Obama’s favorability ratings are down. Democratic enthusiasm is down. The Roanoke speech—“You didn’t get there on your own”; “There are a lot of smart people out there”; “You didn’t build that”; “Somebody else made that happen”—may come to be seen as the juncture when the president sundered the connection he forged with America in the summer of 2004.
Who will be blamed for demolishing such a dazzling countenance? Obama alone. Nobody else made that happen.
What a pile of rubbish! The fact that America is moving postively forward, all be it slowly, when most of Europe is in financial trouble and with the slow down in Asia is actually quite an accomplishment. But only bad news is real. Manufacturing has been stronger this yr (except for last month) and any time a writer talks about "you didn't build this" without providing the full text isn't a journalist but a snake oil salesman.
Too bad most conservatives are this gullible and when billionaires push their objectives on the American people the less educated will fall for it. ie 90% of conservatives
Hey Dude... This dude does NOT abide!
The economy IS improving albeit slowly but what would you expect after the GREATEST financial crisis this nation has experienced since the Great Depression? You and the romney-ites want to continue down GWB's policy path which, at the very least, turned a blind eye to the causalities of the financial debacle thereby allowing it to occur. Romney is GWB 2.0... don't believe me then prove me wrong!!! Mitt has the EXACT same economic policy plans that GWB had and, in fact, has surrounded himself with the SAME advisers that GWB had.
Do you think GWB was a boon or a bane to the US economy? How many jobs were created under GWB? What was US economic growth under GWB?
Waiting.....
Republicans have done everything possible to slow the economy and recovery to elect Romney.
Don't reward obstruction.
Obama/Biden 2012
If America was moving any slower, it would be going backwards. In medical terms, the US economy is clinically motionless. The Obama administration and assembled team could have done absolutely nothing and the US economy would be no more anemic then it is today.
To elect romney? A few months ago you were saying the republicans were looking for the non-Romney.
And for the record, the more time 0bama spends on the golf course the better the economy will get.
I think that we have seen that what Obama said, "you didn't get there on your own" has been proven true, The men in his commercials have received government loans to start their companies or keep them going. Even Romney himself got a government small business loan of $21 million in 1991 to keep BAIN from going bellyup and this was a company started with someones money not his. How can a man like this present himself as a self made man who made it on his own on the backs of "small" unimportant people. I wouldn't vote for him for Dog Catcher.
Dude? Do you have anything to say to dispute my points? HAHAHAHA didn't think so you romney-ite foolish fool.
to Adam-2011718
America is not moving forward. Stop listening to the liar in cheif and start looking at the facts. We are sliding backwards and all the evidence shows Obamas policies are what is holding us back from recovery. Oh wait Obama said we are in recovery, if you believe that I have some ocean front property in Arizona I'd like to sell you.
Why wasn't Mitt the nitt the Vice President candidate in 2008, instead of air head Palin? Please don't say "we are past that". I get e real kick out of supposed "essays" on President Obama, by supposed literates, who fail to relate examples of Republican candidates from the recent past, and the Republican political philosophy of putting dummy's at the head of the class.
Frank, the CBO disagrees with you as do most major economists. The stimulus package was designed to "kick start" the economy (which it did), not to be a comprehensive and exclusive solution. When the CBO did it's analysis of the stimulous package it specifed that if other actions did not happen then the economy would start to slow down, especially in late 2011 through 2012. This is happening.
Now WHY is this happening? Because of two factors: 1) the global economy has an impact on the US economy, and; 2) the obstructionism going on in CONGRESS.
The President can only sign documents that come to his desk. Your comment blaming President Obama as the sole source holding us back from recovery is completely false.
Rick...
"America was moving any slower, it would be going backwards."
And under control of republicans...it WAS going backwards.
First...republicans like to blame the dem takeover of congress in 2007 for the downturn...yet the simple fact is that the housing bubble was already beginning to burst in 2006. That's kind of tough to blame on dems who didn't take office until 2007.
Second...can you name a single piece of legislation that the dems in congress passed since taking control that contributed to the economic collapse? Again...the simple fact is that you can't. Even if they wanted to, they did not have the votes to override a presidential veto.
Bob...
"Why wasn't Mitt the nitt the Vice President candidate in 2008, instead of air head Palin?"
Two reasons.
First...McCain, and probably the most meaningful to the right, is that Romney isn't seen as a true "conservative". Personally, I think his willingness to lie and apply a double standard fits in perfectly with conservative thinking. But that opinion is based on the facts, which have no bearing on conservative decision making.
Second, and probably more important to thinking people, he showed the McCain camp 12 years of his taxes. I suspect that the McCain camp saw something in his taxes that raised red flags. A few more facts are required to make that clear.
If you recall, the Romney campaign has already admitted that as late as 2010, Romney had a Swiss bank account at a Swiss bank by the name of UBS. The account was apparently closed, but according to the Romney campaign had contained millions of dollars.
Now...think back to 2009. Do you recall UBS being in the news? Look it up and you will find that UBS paid $780 million dollars to settle charges of helping US citizens illegally evade taxes. But part of the reason it made such big news was that a Swiss bank, known world wide for their secrecy, eventually gave in to pressure to release the names of some 4000 wealthy Americans who they had helped evade taxes. According to reports, those Americans were given an opportunity to pay back taxes and penalties to avoid prosecution.
And now, despite a willingness to release past years taxes when running for governor, and his willingness to hand over his 2008 taxes and 12 prior years to McCain, Mitt now adamantly refuses to release taxes prior to 2010. It doesn't take a huge leap of logic to speculate that releasing his 2009 taxes would reveal his having been one of the people who settled tax evasion charges.
Oh yes right!
I vote to go back to the nice quiet boring government we had in the 90’s when everything was working, everyone was taxed, including the top, millionaires were even being created, we had a balanced budget, our deficit was in the black and everyone that wanted a job could found a job, and we created 23 million jobs.
I do not know how old you are or if you recall the Clinton presidency but if you check out what policies is being implemented now but stopped in their tracks by the obstruction of the GOP in both the House and Senate for the past 4 years, these are the same policies we did under Clinton so compare the two yourself, which by the way over half of the GOP then voted for.
Remember, Republicans cut taxes and went to war twice saying that "trickle down" economics worked.
That is what got us into this mess. That is what Romney wants to return to.
Are you sure it wasn't regulating the banks to make bad loans to people that weren't likely to repay them?
Think hard Eric. Do you actually believe the crap that dribbles out of your mouth?
How many times can you try to defend Barney Frank, Maxine Waters and Chris Dodd?
Those are the folks who destroyed the economy.
Well, RanMarie, you might want to talk to the Dems about all that. They are the ones who extended the Bush taxcuts. They are the ones who instituted a payroll tax cut.
And the deficits under Obama are the highest in out history, with no end in sight. Wasn't it the Dems who shot down the idea of a balanced-budget law?
mikehataway.....We extended Bush tax cuts because the Republican Congress held the people of the United States hostage over unemployment payments.
Sure it is high, why wouldn't it be. President Obama added two wars and Medicare Part D to the debt. Your wonderful Bush, etc did not put them in the budget. That is where they belonged.
Obama/Biden 2012
Yeah? Maybe if they would have gotten off of their dead asses and gone out and found some work, they wouldn't have been in a position of being held hostage by anyone... 99 weeks of unemployment benefits is flat out rediculous! Any of those unemployed workers could have found some type of work to replace the $350/week Government handout if they really wanted to...
ROMNEY 2012!!!
I disagree with you Elliot. I'd like to point out that it was the de-regulation started by President Reagan and continued by President Clinton that allowed mortgage companies and banks to expand services and regulate themselves that started this problem. The problem was exacerbated by the financially irresponsible actions such as reducing revenue to the federal government instead of leaving existing tax rates alone and the provision of additional unfunded benefits (in spite of being told by the CBO this would have negative financial consequences).
There was just about zero ethical or financially responsible behaviour by the mortgage brokers because they had no skin in the game. There was just about zero ethical or finacially responsible behaviour by the banks because they created the bundled "investment packages" and sold them while lying about the true risk of the investment. The housing market boom was an artificial bubble that was supported through knowingly bad behaviour by the people controlling access to the loans.
LOL @ wars caused this mess. So the military works for free in times of peace. They spend as much or more in times of peace.
Obama made himself a failure, his inability to work with the republicans and a lot of democrats has put this country in a far worse mess then it was when he took office. He definately does not have the skills Bill Clinton has.
The Democrats steal elections.
Elliot,
You're either lying or ignorant. Which one is it?
In the 2008 Minnesota Senate race several overwhelmingly democrat precincts where recounted to include the undervote because of a computer glitch causing more votes to be recorded in those precincts than people who actually signed in. Since the state supreme court Justice ,a republican, was the overseer of the election, he recused himself from the ensuing lawsuit. The court was split 4-4 Rep/Dem and eventually a republican voted with the democrats.
Here in Ohio there were also several precincts that also ended up with more votes than people who signed in.
In all the swing states, and just the swing states, there is a group registering people to vote. They are handing out registration forms that are identical to the state or local voter registration forms except, the mail-in location is to a location for another group run by a know democratic operative. While not illegal, it is very ethically questionable to do things this way.
Sorry Elliot, Democrats may be petty thieves but Republicans like Gessler relish in Grand Thief and should be thrown in prison, hopefully a prison they sold to the highest bidder. I personally hope they all choke on their voter suppression schemes. Don't they have any sense of shame?
elliot, Republicans are the ones who steel elections. Gore should have been President.
Scott Gessler will not be voted back in. He is a liar and a thief....(thief: someone who steals the truth).
We Coloradoans are just about finished with him and his sidekicks, Richard Ramirez for one.
Erie see you at the polls.
This may in fact be the most honest, most accurate, most telling comment on this blog. Best wishes!
Dems. and Repubs only care about winning elections and making money off the American people. You haven't paid the debt since 1949. Yes 1949.
Both Democrats and Republicans have turned Washington into the greatest ponzi scheme ever. Like all ponzi schemes, the US will collapse. Not if, but when. With the way Washington is amassing debt with only lip service about the consequences, the unanswered question is what do they know that the American people don't?
Yeah, very sad.
Remember it was that great American icon, VP little Dick Cheney, who said deficits were meaningless. Not to worry, said Cheney. Now, with a Dem in the White House a Republican-led "Do nothing" congress is doing its best to hold back any progressive plans that the president wants to implement. It is willing to give the uber-wealthy an extended tax cut which only further increases our debt and deficit. They have already proven with tax codes and cuts over the last decade and much of the last 30 plus years to their benefit that their goals are to stockpile their additional tax-related gains and to hell with the hoi poloi. Only in America would companies with up to 500 employees be called "Small Businesses" regardless that many make profits in the billions. It's the old "Mom and Pops" that are alluded to when, in fact, the wealthy invoke that image only to hide the greed that is so endearing to them. It's Norman Rockwell meets Gordon Gecko.
It is PAST time for Americans of every stripe to throw the dudes and dudesses stinking up the halls of Congress OUT!
No cushy lifetime retirement package, no office stipend and prison for most of them.
Term Limits, a smaller Congress. make DC a vacant city from May through December. Get these weasels and these so called permanent cadre of 'bureaucrats' off the free lunch dole.
America does not need the likes of Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson Lee, Joe Liebermann, Sid McCain, Barney Frank, Harry Reid, Nasty Poohlousy, Hank Johnson 'leading’ this nation.
I am sure you have your own list? Let's get rid of these ignorant, arrogant lying, cheating deceiving fools by returning to the standard which the first Congress was based.
Not on providing life time cash to the likes of Durbin, Kyle, McCain, Schumer, and the other dolts who have managed to ingratiate themselves with the moneyed interests in the nation and have never once considered the needs of the Nation.
Wow... 400 potential cases out of 3.4 million voters. Yeah, this is high-priority stuff all right. Talk about "elected government officials" wasting time and resources. What does this guy make a year and what kind of life-long pension will he get when he leaves? His focus on minutia is what is wrong with our elected officials and he'll probably tout his "success" when he's up for re-election. It's a shame that the voting results of any state could come down to one person. Yeah, that's what the founding fathers envisioned.... NOT !!!
400 out of 3.4 million in Colorado.
What was the vote difference in Florida in 2000? And remember that Florida is much larger than Colorado. Do you think that MAYBE 700-800 votes in Florida would have made ANY difference at all?
I happen to think that ONE case of voter fraud is one too many.
So you keep thousands of voters that are proper voters from voting to prevent that one from voting? Must be a republican to think that way.
The election official(s) of Colorado should be doing all they can to get more people to vote, note fewer. As noted, there is no indication that there is voter fraud here that would warrant the expense and tactics that are being incorporated! I agree with other countries that this position should be held by a non-affiliated official. If only our government would address the money in politics and get it corrected, I for one would think we are finally doing something right (correctly)! One person - One Vote.. One Vote - One donation. When a corporation is sent to jail they they can become a 'people', till then NFW!
WOW the demon-crats are running scared...your prez has just takin enough rope to hang himself in nov..aint enough shovels to dig out of the hole this idiot has dug....
lmao...
What part of Tex-ass are you from? Our imbecile governor is a laughing stock. The previous President was a moron and liar who paid for two wars and his tax give-aways to the rich with a runaway deficit. This of course reversed what Clinton had accomplished.
And yet you think a lying, greedy, elitist sociopath Romney would make a great next president? Keep living in your fantasy world but keep buying those drugs . . . it'll keep reality away. That 8th grade education isn't working for ya'.
probably on bath salts Bill, you really shouldn't mess.
YHEA CUZ THE CURRENT PREZ IS SO MUCH BETTER.....
obama,,laughing stock
The teabagger repugs nominated someone who has a serious mental deficiency--no discernable intellect-- for president. Lowlifes like Tex know no better: that's what they've been conditioned for, like Pavlov's dog's you rant and rave on queue when Limbaugh has a mental breakdown on his show. Also please brush up on spelling, I know it's hard for you to spell a word that has more than 3 letters.
George, a Texan, dug a Texas sized hole. The only deeper one took 10 years and a world war to get out of.
Demon-crats? How many days/months of deep thought did it take you to come up with that brilliant appellation (not the mountains, Einstein)?
Katherine harris should be proud to be the mother of global warming. Tipping the votes in florida by 500 votes which resulted in global warming to accelerate global warming by 8 years. Droughts seems to be what is affecting the country most right now. It just seems to be getting deeper. Crops, cattle and of course wild life seems to be most affected.
Of course, katherine along with mr grover, the gop, & the rushbo & the romney man will tell that 98% of the world's climate scientists are wrong and that co2 has nothing to do with global warming. They are still fighting their war on science. Polar ice caps melting, tornadoes in new york, heat wave over nearly the entire county and still katherine will tell you that she did a great job in 2000.
well the end is near...
we are screwed no matter who is leading
Gosh Marshal---why don't we just put all the blame on those that invented the gasoline engine, aerosal sprays, Henry Ford for making all those cars affordable for the masses, the Wright Brothers for inventing aiplanes, etc. Makes about as much sense as your stupid little tirade.
hataway, are you really that stupid
To paraphrase a great Republican: You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, and that is usually good enough for a Republican victory. Sorry, Mr. Lincoln.
It is comments such as this one that suggests quite clearly the government run education system in thjs country is an abject failure !
"In his remarks at Heritage, Gessler scoffed that ......"
1. Sec of State's should not be politically affiliated with either party. That Gessler spoke at the conservative Heritage Foundation disqualifies him for the position of handling state ballots, IMO. He's just like every other Republican official...attempting to swing the election. Pennsylvania admitted as much.
2. They inactivated my voter registration, causing me to miss the latest Dem primary because while I informed them of my move from Denver earlier, to another county, they sent my ballot to my old address anyway and inactivated my status. Their apology is not enough. This only happens when a Republican holds office here in Colorado.
3. Gessler spoke of 400 potential cases but I've seen no other written evidence of that and when I called their office they could not provide any.
4. Totally off the subject, I'm really tired of these automatic check boxes that NBC and a few other sites are now using that post automatically to your FB wall. You have to opt out and remember to uncheck the boxes. This really pisses me off. They have no business doing that. If I want something posted to my wall, EVER, on comments I make elsewhere I'll opt in. Because of this I no longer read NBC most of the time.
5. Sonamvb: Romney said nearly exactly the same thing that Obama said, about 3 days later: That a business isn't created in a vacuum, you have help along the way. More often than not, it's a government small business loan or other service that you're getting to help you realize your potential, and see your dream come to fruition. You're statement concerning that is just BS. We own 2 businesses. Profitable ones. We hired people with educations provided by the government. Our work causes us to travel on the roads our taxes pay for. Many of those people we hired when to state-run colleges with great degrees received there. While Elizabeth Warren said it best, Obama's remarks were well stated and understood. What isn't understood is why Romney, unlike his father before him, won't release more than 1 year of taxes. What's he hiding?
What isn't understood is why Romney, unlike his father before him, won't release more than 1 year of taxes. What's he hiding?
I bet the same the that OBAMA is hiding by not releasing his collage transcript or application. He has skeletons in the closet too.
I don't see a need for more tax records being released. I can't wait for the debates to start, then the choice will be clear.
400 to strike off, Amateur.
Florida's Harris struck 90,000 off the list, mostly black, in democratic counties, before the 2000 election
Romney showed McCain 23 years of tax returns, then he picked Palin.
McCain has advised Romney to not show any more returns.
What does McCain know that we should know as well?
No one has ever said that McCain was a man who understood anything ! McCain has one goal in life and that goal is to satisfy his raging desire for power. He has never been one of the nations thinkers.
He is such an arrogant lying deceiving womanizer and destroyer of the USS Forestall and the lives of some seamen that it makes most folks wonder how he can live with himself.
So what is your point ?
Does anyone who is one of the rabble, the socialist , communist, democat groups see that Obama has actually begun a precedent? No release of any records has been his desire. It was his FIRST Executive Order. no one is to see any of my scholastic, travel, birth, or voting records EVER. Now he has not been able to avoid showing his tax returns but you must know they have been cooked?
The way voter suppression efforts are being pushed by republicans, it becoming easier to buy a gun than to vote.
The way voter suppression efforts are being pushed by republicans, it becoming easier to buy a gun than to vote.
I agree that only voters eligible to vote should be allowed to vote. Sounds like Democrats have no problem with deceased folks or illegals citizens voting.
There is no voter fraud among the voters. That is a republican myth. The actual fraud occurs at the higher level of the GOP. Such as 2000 FL.
Selected, not elected.
The real voter fraud in this country is the Republican party's concerted effort to suppress turn-out. Instead of trying to find a way to get everyone legally registered and to the polls they have adopted a strategy in the reverse, one of suppression. Now why would they do that......because they would have a hard time winning any elections! If they were truly interested in making democracy work better then the right to cast a ballot and vote should be of the highest importance to them.....By focusing on tactics that suppress voter turn-out reveals their true intent. Sounds rather un-American to me.
Ah yes, conservatives. So innovative, so energetic when it comes to suppressing the vote. So totally inept and clueless when faced with passing a jobs bill! I guess wanting the country to fail was not a one off sentiment!
Its kinda funny,
There are some that feel requiring reasonable proof of ones eligibility to vote is too onerous and will disenfrachise many voters. They argue that there is no problem currently and it is inappropriate to change the system now. Perhaps they have not heard of the legends of Chicago voting fraud. Even if they haven't, it seems that their argument is based on a REACTIVE model. Before we move to improve the integrity of the voting process, it seems they want evidence of fraud and tainted elections to have already occurred. So we need at least 1 failed election to REACT too.
I favor a PROACTIVE approach. We do not need to have an election fail to work towards greater integrity. With the advances in technology, we have the ability to improve the system. In American, improving things has always been a good thing. We like are improved electronics (LCDs, etc.) We like are improved cars. We did not see it as necessary to have them fail before we improved them.
Another example. We currently are being buried in medical care costs due to our past reliance on REACTIVE medical procedures where we fix something that is broken (our health). Under the Affordable Care Act, the emphasis is toward PROACTIVE preventative care which will reduce the number if procedures necessary for REACTIVE care. That is a good thing.
PROACTIVE response to possible problem is not a 4-letter word.
For those that are concerned their neighbor might be disenfranchised by the new voting requirement perhaps should to to their neighbor and help them get their paperwork in order. That is what caring neighbors do. Spend less time yelping about a problem and go do what you can do to fix is for a specific individual. That is the American way. There is no law against helping your neighbor in their need. So lets stop all of this political nonsense and get out of the way of enhancing the protection of our voting system.
Excuse my AREs for "our" and other typos. I should have reviewed this more carefully before posting. :-(
If in fact people were willing to make sure everyone was registered, that would be wonderful. Unfortunately the right has convinceed everyone that the infirmed, the poor, and the young are the enemies of society. Not going to be much reaching out there. We should make social security cards acceptable proof for voting, put a picture on them at voting age. End of problem.
Tom - do not confuse indignation at the process with indignation at the need for reform. Everyone wants fair elections with only eligible voters. But the partisan rhetoric and the unchecked power of this single person, plus the proximity to the election absolutely reeks of manipulation. This is what manipulation looks like. We aren't "ankle biters" for calling attention to this scam. That is insulting, hypocritical, and poisonous to the nation's politics.
How 'bout the Government start a program that insures that everybody has an ID. Get a bunch of FEMA trucks/trailers and go up and down every road to issue them! How 'bout we do our election on weekends (that's Sat. and Sun.) like most other countries so everybody has a better chance to make it to the voting booths. How 'bout we start seriously start looking at on-line/on-phone ways of voting also!
Voting is a RIGHT you shouldn't have to go through hoops to do it there's already a voter registration process this is just STUPID. The retardicans have gone too far now. You already register to vote that's more than enough end of story.
Ed Peters-
I wonder why we do not vote on weekends. That makes a lot of sense. It would also even out the flow of voters and allow for less stressful checking of documents. And if documents are found inadequate, there could be non-partisan booths that would handle the situation to ensure eligible voters either complete provisional ballots or resolve the document deficiencies and get back in line. It seems too simple of a solution. But then, sometimes those are the best!
Tiffany1-
Yes voting is a right. But only to those who can demonstrate their citizenship. That is what this is all about. Do you think just any warm body (or ironically sometimes a very cold one) has a right to vote ; or is it limited to living U.S. citizens. How can you be sure the same person who has registered to vote is the one standing there ready to pull the levers? No picture id is required in your scenario. Grandma is registered. However, granddaughter pulls the lever. Does granddaughter actually pull the lever the way grandma would? Maybe. Maybe not. Think about it before you answer please.
Voting is a right and a duty.
Government should be responsible for registering every citizen and keeping the list up to date.
Next, everyone on that list must vote in person or by write in ballot, or pay a fine of $100 collected by the IRS.
This would not only increase voter turnout, by encouraging them to do their duty, but also raise money towards the defecit from those who choose to pay the cash rather than vote.
Everyone should have at least 4 hours off work on election day. Better still a holiday for most.
Ed,
Another tax? And of course we can all be sure it would be spent to lower the deficit.....Right??? LOL
What about the burden placed on millions of businesses to give people time off to go vote??
Ed, you need to think these ideas through before posting them.
That statement alone shows that Gessler is nothing more then a partisan political hack. He was elected to serve the people of Colorado NOT to further the Republican agenda of suppression.
http://gesslerwatch.com/
"A good election...Republicans win"
Not only is there zero evidence of massive voter fraud in Colorado that this guy purports, but he's absolutely the most partisan SOS this state has ever seen. Watch out for this guy in Nov. He might hold the key to the White House and he's driving hard to make sure Registered Democrats are not on voter rolls.
Progressivesnow,
Even one illegal vote is one too many. This is not voter suppression but voter law enforcement. This is the job of the individual states. They are responsible for the enforcement of our voting laws.
Amazing that the department of Homeland Security had to be ordered by a Federal Judge to make the ineligible lists available to the states. Seems like our own government is doing all they can to encourage lawless activity. Doesn't make any sense at all.
no it's not Parent, you could argue for voter law enforcement if it was done in 2010/11 after the elections and on a monthly/quarterly/bi-yearly basis since then, but since they're doing this right before the election it is considered voter suppression because in many cases there may not be enough time for an eligible voter to appeal being taken off the rolls
With comments like this, I wouldn't trust him as a used car salesman let alone as an impartial official over elections.
Gessler: “I’m not going to strike someone from the voter rolls unless I’m very confident that they’re not a citizen…. I need very strong evidence on an individual basis before taking action.”
Fine. Can he define for us what constitutes "confidence"? What is his metric? What is his method? It seems to me that he is going to rely on his opinions when cases come down as inconclusive. The fact that he is demonstrably partisan in his rhetoric does not fill me with confidence about his impartiality. The fact that he is performing the purge as close to the August 8th deadline demonstrates his desire to give people the least amount of time to correct any errors - errors possibly made by his metric of personal opinion. Pile on top of this the fact that there is little evidence of actual voter fraud at the polls and this thing stinks.
Gessler again: “...there is a small proportion of people who will when tempted do the wrong thing.” And he said, “Political power as gained through elections is a temptation.”
So when he talks about purging voters and bases it on the idea that people are tempted to lie during elections and manipulate votes - why is it OK for him to engage in actions against voters, but when the left questions his motivation it's "ankle biting"? Does he not recognize the position of power that he has over this process and how this makes him a complete hypocrite? Does he not recognize the lack of checks and balances on his possible temptation to gain political power through manipulating elections? The ankle biters have every right to speak up and ask questions about his motivation - at least according to his statement above!
There is just not enough voter fraud to be concerned about it, And here are some reasons why:
1. No illegal alien says to himself, "I'm gonna go and try to vote illegally and take the chance of the INS shining a new t on me!"
2. No convicted felon says, "Here's a good way for me to get sent back to ,prision, Ill try to vote!"
Not enough fraud to spend millons of $ on it!
Right ! keeping the voter logs pure is not as important as spending millions (THAT IS MILLIONS) on vacations for the squatter and his family and hangers on.
I can understand that.
Just out of curiousity, how do you prove or disprove whether there is voter fraud going on or not? How is it determined if someone voted illegally or not? Can anyone answer this for me?
It's BS. He cites a few immigrants who turn in voter registrations that are checked for "not a citizen". These people aren't going to vote and they aren't going to get a voter registration. This isn't fraud. There is no evidence of fake people actually voting. Fraud is paying people to register voters and incentivizing them to register republicans. When they begin switching people's affiliations before a primary that is fraud. Purging voters from the list at the last possible legal moment to do so (and often after it becomes illegal to do so) is highly disenfranchising and in my mind is a purposeful manipulation of voting registries.
But that doesn't really answer my questions. How do we know that only legally eligible voters are allowed to vote, and how do we know if an eligible voter was denied the right to vote? How do we determine if an ineligible voter voted?
youraloser,
You mean that there are a probable 37,000 illegal voters in just the city of Detroit??
This seems much more widespread than it first appeared.
We will need to build a hundred new prisons just to have room for all those illegal voters.
No prisons are nessary, just deport them. there should be a punishment for the crime, but it doens't mean prisons are the answer, besides they would be too costly for the crime. They could use the obituaries for names to check. or Everify. for example, it would not be that hard.
So, 4.3 votes and an alleged 400? illegal voters and you want to spend millions of tax dollars to address the alleged problem?
Do you feel that a few hundred (maybe 7-800) votes in Florida in 2000 MIGHT have made a difference? 7-800 out of millions cast?
Yes, becuase in a small election even 10 votes have made a differance. I would rather them spend a million dollars on that then spend it on some foriegn government or seeing how fast a shrimp can run.
This article is dead on regarding election officals needing to be nonpartisan. This country doesn't need another Florida in 2000. But from listening to Gessler, he WANTS to be able to make the call that wins Rob Me the election and that is WRONG on so many levels. Gessler forgets that his JOB is to ensure that election laws are followed, the votes are counted correctly and they are reported to the House. His job is not, and I hope he doesn't do this, to manipulate, by voter suppression, the vote to ensure one party wins over the other. That, Mr. Gessler, would be Election Fraud, and that is a crime.
Well said. Death to Gessler and all his ilk.
I believe it should be federal Law to have states check voter restration. There is nothing wrong with removeing unqualified people from the voting roles, if they died, moved, etc. We should inforce the laws already on the books. The Problem is Democrats, never like to enforce the current laws, they just want to keep adding new laws that never get enforced. Way to Go Gessler, at least someone is doing their job.
i am voting for romney. i can not watch our president take more and more from people who work and give the money away to lazy people or to disability fraud... it is a joke what is going on. obama hates people who work.. i do not understand it but i guess he wants us to look like chicago.. a failing city ...
Oh, I thought Obama was taking money from the RICH to give to the poor. He didnt say ANYTHING about taking my money and GIVING to the lazy RICH. I forget that huges tax cuts and subsidies ARE welfare.