Employees of Jeb Bush suppressing the black vote in Florida
(Note: this entry posted by Bob Harris)
As you read this, keep in mind that Bush can't win without Florida, and that elderly blacks in Florida are overwhelmingly Democratic:
Bob Herbert, in today's NYT, informs us that armed police officers have been showing up at the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando, many of them active in get-out-the-vote activities, and scaring the crap out of them.
The "investigation" (which officials refuse to discuss, or course) is explained by a lawyer representing the 73-year-old president of the Orlando League of Voters, one of the recipients of this fair-and-balanced treatment:
Joseph Egan, an Orlando lawyer who represents Mr. Thomas, said: "The Voters League has workers who go into the community to do voter registration, drive people to the polls and help with absentee ballots. They are elderly women mostly. They get paid like $100 for four or five months' work, just to offset things like the cost of their gas. They see this political activity as an important contribution to their community. Some of the people in the community had never cast a ballot until the league came to their door and encouraged them to vote."
Now, said Mr. Egan, the fear generated by state police officers going into people's homes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to voting is threatening to undo much of the good work of the league. He said, "One woman asked me, 'Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by absentee ballot?' "
According to Mr. Egan, "People who have voted by absentee ballot for years are refusing to allow campaign workers to come to their homes. And volunteers who have participated for years in assisting people, particularly the elderly or handicapped, are scared and don't want to risk a criminal investigation."
Is there anything the Bush machine won't stoop to?
These people aren't just unfit for office; they're unfit for basic citizenship.
posted by bob at 12:22 PM | link
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