More GOP dirty tricks
The Republican Party began going very sour with Richard M. Nixon, and it's been sinking more deeply into corruption ever since, with Carl Rove and his cronies leading the way of late.
So. What would you do to increase your chances of electing as many Republican candidates as possible in a national, or for that matter state or local, election? Well, you could prevent as many Democrats as possible from having the right to vote or at least make it very difficult for them to do so. First, a state legislature controlled by Republicans passes a law saying that a picture ID is required to vote. That may only eliminate about 5% of Democrats who vote from exercising that right (repeat, right), but with most national elections these days ending up with a very close popular vote, that 5% can make the difference between a win and a loss.
Now, here's another really effective way to hobble the Democrats. Take away as many picture ID's as possible from those voters. The driver's license is the most common picture ID that most of us have. The state of Pennsylvania Dept. of Motor Vehicles sends out letters to drivers (over 45 years of age; 45?!) whose licenses are close to the renewal date, telling them that they are required to have an eye exam and physical exam (at their own expense, yet) before the state will renew their license. I would bet a large chunk of change that if the attorney general or state consumer advocate(s) were to check on the people to whom those letters were sent this month, 100% of them would turn out to be registered Democrats. Some cannot afford to pay for the exams, others will have their right to drive revoked on false grounds of "physical unsuitability to drive," and there you have another sizable number of Democrats removed from the population of potential voters.
Mark my words: someone will eventually catch on to this underhanded ploy, whether it's this year or 10 years hence. I just hope it's an investigator with some guts and integrity who will tell it like it is.
So. What would you do to increase your chances of electing as many Republican candidates as possible in a national, or for that matter state or local, election? Well, you could prevent as many Democrats as possible from having the right to vote or at least make it very difficult for them to do so. First, a state legislature controlled by Republicans passes a law saying that a picture ID is required to vote. That may only eliminate about 5% of Democrats who vote from exercising that right (repeat, right), but with most national elections these days ending up with a very close popular vote, that 5% can make the difference between a win and a loss.
Now, here's another really effective way to hobble the Democrats. Take away as many picture ID's as possible from those voters. The driver's license is the most common picture ID that most of us have. The state of Pennsylvania Dept. of Motor Vehicles sends out letters to drivers (over 45 years of age; 45?!) whose licenses are close to the renewal date, telling them that they are required to have an eye exam and physical exam (at their own expense, yet) before the state will renew their license. I would bet a large chunk of change that if the attorney general or state consumer advocate(s) were to check on the people to whom those letters were sent this month, 100% of them would turn out to be registered Democrats. Some cannot afford to pay for the exams, others will have their right to drive revoked on false grounds of "physical unsuitability to drive," and there you have another sizable number of Democrats removed from the population of potential voters.
Mark my words: someone will eventually catch on to this underhanded ploy, whether it's this year or 10 years hence. I just hope it's an investigator with some guts and integrity who will tell it like it is.