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Obama Camp: Indiana Sec of State Part of GOP "Fear Campaign" On Voting
Last week, Indiana's Republican Secretary of State, Todd Rokita, sent a letter to federal, state and local authorities asking for a criminal investigation into over 1400 suspicious voter registration forms submitted by ACORN in Lake County, a key Democratic stronghold.
Now, the Obama camp has responded. The Times of Northwest Indiana reports that in a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Bob Bauer, the campaign's top election lawyer, said: "We have seen an orchestrated effort on the part of Republican officials across the country to work with the McCain-Palin ticket and the Republican National Committee to disseminate this message of fraud."
Bauer called the effort "a fear campaign."
Lake County has already been a hotspot for GOP attempts at voter suppression. Last week, the state Supreme Court declined to support a Republican bid to shut down early voting centers in three strongly Democratic cities in northern Lake County.
Josh
Zachary
I hope that with a solid Democratic majority, that the GOP/Republican members involved in intimidation, purging and stifling of votes and voters will be indicted, prosecuted, fined and inprisoned... never again allowed to hold another "public office" as long as they live
October 27, 2008 4:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
The tactics of the RNC, and especially Bush et al, resemble those of organized crime. Outright intimidation and wanton disregard for the law - they resemble Tammany Hall more than the party of Lincoln. I was a Republican when there was a place in the party for social liberals/fiscal conservatives... and now I simple can't believe I ever voted for those thugs.
October 27, 2008 10:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreeing with 'Slowdoc', I have said for years that a REAL Attorney General could make an excellent case for indicting the RNC and subsidiary GOP organizations and state officeholders (like this bozo) under the RICO statutes, starting with the 'Obstruction of Justice' and 'Conspiracy' clauses, just off the top of my head.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00001961----000-.html
The preamble on the act is worth the read, to see the types of crimes that fall under its umbrella. Almost reads like a list of RNC operations, with the exception of the battery-related crimes.
'Definitions As Used In This Chapter - (1)'racketeering' activity means...(B) any act which is indictable under any of the following provisions of title 18, United States Code:...section 1503 (relating to obstruction of justice), section 1510 (relating to obstruction of criminal investigations), section 1511 (relating to the obstruction of State or local law enforcement), section 1512 (relating to tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant), section 1513 (relating to retaliating against a witness, victim, or an informant)...
(4) “enterprise” includes any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity, and any union or group of individuals associated in fact although not a legal entity;
(5) “pattern of racketeering activity” requires at least two acts of racketeering activity, one of which occurred after the effective date of this chapter and the last of which occurred within ten years (excluding any period of imprisonment) after the commission of a prior act of racketeering activity;
Any prosecutor worth his salt could make this case over a weekend, based on news reports alone.
October 27, 2008 11:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps I have missed something, but doesn't the law require that ACORN turn over ALL voter registration forms that are filled out? I know that Republicans aren't that worried about competence, however it would be nice if an Attorney General actually KNEW the law!
As if we don't have enough problems in Indiana...
October 30, 2008 6:42 PM | Reply | Permalink