The following is from Think Progress. Photo is of Tim Griffin.Tim Griffin is an attorney, a "former Karl Rove protege." Because of that connection, another attorney was fired so Griffin could take the position of interim Eastern District U.S. attorney in Arkansas. Griffen has been in the middle of the U.S. attorney scandal, and for some strange reason resigned his job last year.
Tim Griffin is known for his dirty tricks. That's why he's been hired by the Republican National Committee. He'll be working with the RNC's "opposition research team." He's going to help bring down Barack Obama.
He will do that by "digging up derogatory information" about Obama. But he's likely to also be involved in voter suppression. Back in 2004, Griffin "reportedly led a 'caging' scheme to suppress the votes of likely Demoractic voters, including African-American service members in Florida."
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has explained how this works:
The first thing is to identify an area where there are more Democratic voters than Republican voters - often taking into account "the ethnic or racial makeup of that area." The second thing is to send "do not forward/return to sender" letters to voters in that area.
When they bad guys get back the letters marked "undelivered," they challenge "the right to vote of those citizens ... on the grounds that the voter does not live at the registered address."
But, as Senator Whitehouse says, "...there are many reasons why a piece of mail might be 'returned to sender' that have nothing whatsoever to do with a voter's eligibility."
Think Progress says that they have confirmed with "'a senior Republican operative' that Griffin is being brought in 'to do to Obama what folks successfully did with John Kerry.'"
It is so disheartening to find that your worst suspicions are true. It is clear that by engaging in such actions, the Republican National Committee does not believe in democracy, in truth, in justice, or in the Constitution of the United States. They believe only in power. And they will use any means necessary to attain that power.
And these are the people who talk most about patriotism, God, family values, religion in the public sphere, the Ten Commandments, a government based upon God's laws, etc.
Isn't that funny?
1 comment:
There must be a way to prosecute such activities, even it the voter has to sue for violation of their rights and have the party pay the legal fees. To allow such things to go unpunished almost guarantees the other party will do the same and our system will be destroyed. If nothing else there must be away to publicize such things and to help voters avoid such things. If our democracy is not worth fighting for, then we have nothing. We must find a way to fight fraud and the dirty tricks.
Bob Poris
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