Votes for Sale!

[Howey]

Of course it's Wisconsin...

Have a shot!

In an effort to gather enough signatures to trigger recall elections of state senators in Wisconsin, some backers are turning to peculiar, unconventional and, it appears, even intoxicating means.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party is planning to file a complaint to the state Government Accountability Board alleging that a Republican signature-gatherer offered alcoholic beverages to a group of women to get them to sign a recall petition against a Democratic state senator.

Although that's not illegal in Wisconsin, it is strongly discouraged and, Democrats argue, evidence that Republicans don't really have enough grassroots support for their recall campaigns.

Republicans have until early next week to file recall petitions against eight Democratic state senators, more than half of the caucus that left the state in February to protest and delay the GOP's budget repair bill, which included a provision stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights. So far, the state Republican Party has not filed any recall petitions, although they are reportedly planning to file two -- against state Sens. Dave Hansen and Jim Holperin -- on Thursday.

Meantime, Wisconsin Democrats have filed recall petitions against four Republican state senators and have until May 2 to get enough signatures for the four others, according to the state Government Accountability Board. The campaign will be a rarity for Wisconsin: there have been only four recall elections in the state's history.

According to a draft of the Democratic complaint to the GAB, obtained by The Huffington Post from a Democratic source, a woman who was at John's Main Event, a tavern in Burlington, Wis., with her friends on Feb. 27, "heard that someone was providing 'shots' to people if they signed a petition to recall State Senator Robert Wirch," a Democrat.

The woman, who signed the complaint, said a bartender showed her the recall petition and told her that if she signed it, she and her friends would get free shots.

From the fuckwad bartender's FB page:

[lil mike]

How very Acornish.

[uselesslegs]

How very Acornish.

Come'on duuudeee, not even close.

[blindboytwitch]

The woman, who signed the complaint, said a bartender showed her the recall petition and told her that if she signed it, she and her friends would get free shots.

How do you think Rick Scott got elected?

[Howey]

How do you think Rick Scott got elected?

I just had a vision of that bar scene in Star Wars with JarJar Binks creepily leering at the scantily clad green alien women.

[44nutman]

How do you think Rick Scott got elected?

Nosferatu only drinks blood.

[lil mike]

Come'on duuudeee, not even close.

Really?  How far off am I?

[betteroffhere]

Really?  How far off am I?

i think it depends on the orginzational level...

but you were in the fairway....

[uselesslegs]

Really?  How far off am I?

Acorn, for all the hoopla, all the grand expose', had a few of it's employees "not follow'in da rules", but that seemingly allowed the indictment of the entire organization...and although voter fraud was never proven, the old horse beaten rhetoric makes sure that when Acorn is mentioned...that's one of the first things thought of.  Misappropriations, to the tune that was strummed continually, not really.

They were flagged because they played a real part in voter turn out and they were crucified for it. 

[betteroffhere]

Acorn, for all the hoopla, all the grand expose', had a few of it's employees "not follow'in da rules", but that seemingly allowed the indictment of the entire organization...and although voter fraud was never proven, the old horse beaten rhetoric makes sure that when Acorn is mentioned...that's one of the first things thought of.  Misappropriations, to the tune that was strummed continually, not really.

They were flagged because they played a real part in voter turn out and they were crucified for it. 

the spin cycle is off on this washing machine...

[lil mike]

Acorn, for all the hoopla, all the grand expose', had a few of it's employees "not follow'in da rules", but that seemingly allowed the indictment of the entire organization...and although voter fraud was never proven, the old horse beaten rhetoric makes sure that when Acorn is mentioned...that's one of the first things thought of.  Misappropriations, to the tune that was strummed continually, not really.

They were flagged because they played a real part in voter turn out and they were crucified for it. 

I think you're wrong about that.  It wasn't just a few bad apples, it was an organizational culture that was corrupt.  Corrupt and criminal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124182750646102435.html

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15189.html

Merely the tip of the iceberg.  And that's not even including the events which led to the organization's demise (at least the demise of the name ACORN).

[uselesslegs]

I think you're wrong about that.  It wasn't just a few bad apples, it was an organizational culture that was corrupt.  Corrupt and criminal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124182750646102435.html

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15189.html

Merely the tip of the iceberg.  And that's not even including the events which led to the organization's demise (at least the demise of the name ACORN).

Perchance like the employee who, with the aid of edited tape, was made to look like they were very interested in helping traffic children across boarders for sex trade...only to later find out his interest in asking where and when was called in to a local police detective...that was left off the edited tape?

One of many edits.

I might add...the second you include edited footage into the equation, the whole thing becomes dicey.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...if you can't call attention to an issue or problem you've found, without edited video footage as part of your evidence, you shit all over any legitimacy you thought you had.

[lil mike]

Perchance like the employee who, with the aid of edited tape, was made to look like they were very interested in helping traffic children across boarders for sex trade...only to later find out his interest in asking where and when was called in to a local police detective...that was left off the edited tape?

One of many edits.

I might add...the second you include edited footage into the equation, the whole thing becomes dicey.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...if you can't call attention to an issue or problem you've found, without edited video footage as part of your evidence, you shit all over any legitimacy you thought you had.

Well he does eventually post the full unedited video.  If only major news organizations did that.  They never post the full unedited video of interviews or gotcha or the sit down kind.

Reuters used to post unedited video but I don't think they do that anymore.  But what exactly do you question from that particular episode?  That mulitple ACORN offices in mulitple cities were only too happy to help child sex trafficers? 

[Howey]

Perchance like the employee who, with the aid of edited tape, was made to look like they were very interested in helping traffic children across boarders for sex trade...only to later find out his interest in asking where and when was called in to a local police detective...that was left off the edited tape?

One of many edits.

I might add...the second you include edited footage into the equation, the whole thing becomes dicey.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...if you can't call attention to an issue or problem you've found, without edited video footage as part of your evidence, you shit all over any legitimacy you thought you had.

I've no respect for people who say and do this. The Breitbart's out there who pull this shit are almost as big of fools as those who consequently read/hear/see the lies and believe them.

http://www.slate.com/id/2202428

As far as "gotcha" stunts go, the right-wing feeding frenzy over the vile vote-fraud treachery of ACORN has yet to yield much fruit. Investigations are indeed under way. But then, they are always under way this time of the year—and as the indefatigable Brad Friedman points out, so what? Evidence of voter-registration wrongdoing is no more a sign of widespread, Obama-sanctioned vote fraud than evidence of minorities being misled and intimidated on Election Day is a sign of official, McCain-sanctioned vote suppression. What's the real point of turning voter-registration shenanigans into "one of the greatest frauds in voter history"? The object here is not criminal indictments. It's to undermine voter confidence in the elections system as a whole.

There's no denying that the organization's system of paying workers $8 an hour to gather voter registrations creates screwy incentives. Encyclopedia Brown could have cracked that mystery. That's why ACORN is either obligated by law or opts voluntarily to turn over all its voter-registration cards suggesting that Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and the entire starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys just registered to vote in Nevada. That GOP elections officials started screaming "gotcha" when those registrations were turned in is the real fraud here. Jump back, Encyclopedia Brown! There is wrongdoing afoot in low-paying voter-registrationland.

Last week, media attention focused on a "raid" on ACORN offices in Las Vegas in which voter registration documents that had mostly been voluntarily turned over were dramatically seized by force. Right-wing screeching over nefarious doings in Ohio (where Freddie Johnson of Cleveland testified that ACORN encouraged him to sign 73 voter-registration forms—all in his own name) overlooks the fact that all 73 registrations would still have allowed Freddie to vote just once. The connection between wrongful voter registration and actual polling-place vote fraud is the stuff of GOP mythology. As Rick Hasen has demonstrated, here at Slate and elsewhere, even if Mr. Mouse is registered to vote, he still needs to show up at his polling place, provide a fake ID, and risk a felony conviction to do so.

What sickens me even more is when these people toss the phrase "liberal so-and-so" about like it's worse than saying Mother Fucker Nigger.

Grow up. The liberals aren't the ones lying, deceiving, cheating and stealing.

[lil mike]

I've no respect for people who say and do this. The Breitbart's out there who pull this shit are almost as big of fools as those who consequently read/hear/see the lies and believe them.

http://www.slate.com/id/2202428
 


Grow up. The liberals aren't the ones lying, deceiving, cheating and stealing.

Sorry, I had to edit your reply for language.  I really don't care for that word.

Your article might have more credibility if it was more recent, but after reading it, if it was more recent, it wouldn't even have been written.  Even liberals are not defending the antics of that organization now.  Frankly I'm suprised you would support it in this way.

I agree that liberals are not the only ones "lying, deceiving, cheating and stealing."  But they sure do defend it when it occurs.  Of course, if you want to keep on defending ACORN, knock yourself out.  But you will be hard pressed to find a lot of ACORN support unless you are sticking to articles from 2008 or older.