Centerfield

OK my cynical mind is working overtime. Activist group works hard to get "disenfranchised" voters registered and to the polls (with the hope they'll vote a certain way). By not doing the process well they set up the scenario of "disenfranchised" voters showing up without a "correct" registration, leading to perception of "fraud" etc. Please save me from my cynicism.

How about one considering the possibility that it would be tactless for Democrats to fail registering the growing numbers of "disenfranchised" voters, even if they have to rely sometimes on "activist" feet on the ground? We hired some great contractors for work in Iraq. ACORN has registered a million voters. They would register illegals if they could. They are cooperating with investigators. It's not like the DNC "leadership" was told of bad behavior and simply ignored it. Does this compare to the poorly guarded potential threat of hundreds of thousands of votes going "astray" in Diebold Land or the effects of partisan redistricting over the last six years? Nothing would surprise me on either side.

I don't doubt there will be fraudulent activities on both sides with the Republicans likely winning that game if you include the power welding corruption at work in Congress. Ohio and Florida were poor showings in 2004 with Republicans in charge. The GOP looks great in Mo. with Rush (not Bush) leading the charge.

I question the direction of the cynicism C3. Will a Republican loss be laid at the feet of ACORN or rather the accumulative effect of grossly bungled tactics and alliances with Republican activists? Perhaps Republicans will blame Diebold and a vast Left Wing conspiracy, and by posting such news reports before the fact, hope to lay the ground for such accusations. There’s some cynicism in reverse.

I find it ironic that our troops have to fight fairly, but the Right and Left keep hurling false crap at each other in a win-at-all-cost war that insults our Constitutional sensibilities.

Now that's something I'm getting cynical about...

Max;
Please, please, please don't take my bout of cynacism too seriously. I'm not into conspiracy theories. And I especially despise election conspiracy theories.

They would register illegals if they could.

They have. They've also registered Mickey Mouse, Dick Tracy, and oodles of dead people. Even the occasional house pet. Repeatedly. Over many many years. This isn't a new thing for them. We can argue about whether it's inherent in their operational "style" or due to the rad-activist leadership "aura" of ACORN or intentional.

They are cooperating with investigators.

They say they're cooperating with investigators. Everyone says that. Doesn't mean they are. Note also that ACORN workers were apparently told to tell new voters to vote for McAskill. That's a clear violation.

It's not like the DNC "leadership" was told of bad behavior and simply ignored it.

ACORN's been doing this for a couple o' decades, with exactly these kinds of problems. The DNC is well aware of it. They're also aware that ACORN has paid less than minimum wage to workers they sent out to lobby for minimum wage increases, and that ACORN fought off unionization of its own employees while lobbying for unions. But the issue was voter fraud in Missouri. St. Louis is particularly notable for it, and ACORN is often a player.

Here's some background reading. Fun stuff. Worth watching next month. As I've always said, it's not that Republicans don't cheat too, it's that the Dems are so much better at it.

Max,

One note about Florida in 2004. It's my impression that FLA, like many states... the primary responsibility for the conduct of the election lies with the individual County Election Boards and not so much at the State Level.... although State Official definately have a role as well. If you look at the counties in Fla where the most complaints of election iregularties.... most of them had majority (D) county election boards running things. So I'm note sure that you can really lay the blame that solidy on the GOP for problems in those states.

I'm not saying that the GOP doesn't have thier fair share of election hijinks. I'm pretty sure that Tully is correct that there is plenty of dirt to go around. However, when you look at problems with how the election is actualy conducted.... I think in alot of states, you really need to scrutinize County level officials rather then State level ones... because the Counties are really the ones running the lions share of the show.