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Democrats Admit to Electoral Fraud in 2004 Election

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by El_Conquistador, Jan 23, 2006.

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  1. El_Conquistador

    El_Conquistador King of the D&D, The Legend, #1 Ranking

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    Well, lookie here! Amidst all the cooked up stories the liberals have been concocting regarding Republicans attempting to suppress the vote in the Presidential election, it seems as though the liberals have been caught red-handed being hypocrites. Who admitted to electoral fraud? Who tried to suppress the vote? Yes, that's right, the Democrats. Kinda makes the liberals who continue to whine about Diebold and other nonsense issues look a little foolish, eh? Here's the facts, amigos.

    http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/006189.php

    Dems Admit Election-Day Sabotage

    Four of five Democratic activists charged with election-day sabotage took an eleventh-hour plea deal that convicted them of misdemeanors for slashing tires on GOP-rented vans on Election Day 2004. Despite doing over $5,000 worth of damage and perhaps keeping hundreds of voters from getting to the polls, the quartet will not have to serve any prison time in exchange for their guilty pleas (via The American Mind, who has a good roundup of reaction):

    In an unexpected twist in the Election Day tire-slashing trial, four former Kerry-Edwards campaign staffers, including the sons of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) and former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt, have agreed to plead no contest to misdemeanors.

    The plea agreements came in the middle of jury deliberations after an eight-day trial on felony property damage charges that carried potential 3 1/2 year prison terms upon conviction. The fifth defendant in the case was acquitted by the jury later in the afternoon.

    Michael Pratt, 33, Sowande Omokunde, 26, Lewis G. Caldwell, 29, and Lavelle Mohammad, 36, have all pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of criminal damage to property. Omokunde is Moore's son.

    Prosecutors will recommend probation sentences as part of the deal, and that the four together pay $5,317 in restitution for the damaged tires.

    In light of the acquittal of the fifth defendant, some might think that the prosecutor made the right decision in offering the plea. It puts the Democrats on record as admitting to electoral fraud; it guarantees that these four men will have a police record and will make it difficult for them to continue playing any significant role in politics, at least in the near term; and it closes a case with some kind of conviction, as opposed to the mistrial or outright acquittal towards which it appeared to be heading.

    I agree that shifting down to a misdemeanor may well serve the overall interest of justice, but not a lack of jail time. Wisconsin, like Minnesota and a number of other states, have lax registration requirements and even less rigorous enforcement of the law and investigation into fraud. When something this blatant arises, it calls for strict prosecution and an example for others tempted to try it again. This was no mere act of youthful vandalism -- it was a crime against people who could not get themselves to the polls to vote, by the party that claims to care for the helpless and disadvantaged. It also appears to have been a conspiracy of sorts, as it involved quite a few of the lower-level Democratic activists, two of whom have parents as elected representatives. That kind of betrayal should have resulted in more than just restitution and community service.

    The judge does have the discretion to reject the terms of the deal, or to accept the pleas but still include some jail time. Let us hope that the judge in this case values the credibility of the electoral system more highly than the prosecutor, and certainly more highly than the well-connected defendants who will appear for final sentencing later.
     
    #1 El_Conquistador, Jan 23, 2006
  2. Zac D

    Zac D Member

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    That, like any attempt to rig an election, is wrong. I'm glad they've been prosecuted.
     
    #2 Zac D, Jan 23, 2006
  3. mc mark

    mc mark Member

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    Agreed!

    If anyone is caught in electoral fraud, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
     
    #3 mc mark, Jan 23, 2006
  4. Ubiquitin

    Ubiquitin Member
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    Concur wholeheartedly!
     
    #4 Ubiquitin, Jan 23, 2006
  5. Cesar^Geronimo

    Cesar^Geronimo Member

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    The sentence was way to light. I'm sure their connections helped.
     
    #5 Cesar^Geronimo, Jan 23, 2006
  6. ROXTXIA

    ROXTXIA Member

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    Good thing for these guys to be punished. No doubt. No argument.

    And yet Katherine Harris (or whatever her name was) and the others in charge of Florida's 2000 tally march merrily on, with George W. in the White House.

    Was anyone punished for disenfranchising tens of thousands (and I'm not exaggerating) voters (mostly black) in Florida's 2000 Presidential Election campaign?

    Did any of the "liberal" mainstream media cover it?

    I know voter fraud takes place on both sides and always will. I guess my hat's off to the Repugs for taking it to the nth level.

    Signed,
    Sour Grapes ;) ?
     
    #6 ROXTXIA, Jan 23, 2006
  7. mc mark

    mc mark Member

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    Seems to me that slashing a few tires is a little different than using the Secretary of the State of Florida to defraud Florida voters. Among the most blaring of actions taking by then Sec. of State Katherine Harris was before the election, a firm hired by Harris was to purge convicted felons from the voter rolls, erroneously removing 8,000 registered voters who had been convicted only of misdemeanors, thousands of others who had the same names as felons, and a few whose computer records said they had committed crimes in the future.
     
    #7 mc mark, Jan 23, 2006
  8. FranchiseBlade

    FranchiseBlade Member
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    I am always glad when anyone attempting election fraud is held accountable. This is good news.
     
    #8 FranchiseBlade, Jan 23, 2006
  9. vlaurelio

    vlaurelio Member

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    who won wisconsin anyway? and by how much? just curious
     
    #9 vlaurelio, Jan 23, 2006
  10. Svpernaut

    Svpernaut Member

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    Mike Donnelly saves the day!!!
    [​IMG]
     
    #10 Svpernaut, Jan 23, 2006
  11. Zac D

    Zac D Member

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    Kerry. Think it was close. More than a few van loads, of course, but that's irrelevant really.
     
    #11 Zac D, Jan 23, 2006
  12. Baqui99

    Baqui99 Member

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    If votin' kicks a**. And Al Donnally kicks a**.
    You put the two together, and you got some kick a** sh*t!
     
    #12 Baqui99, Jan 23, 2006
  13. rimrocker

    rimrocker Member

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    I remember a few other names, like James Tobin, Nathan Sproul, and Mindy Tucker Fletcher. Then there's that guy from Texas... oh yes, Tom Delay... he just happened to illegally gerrymander congresional districts with the help of GOP political appointees in the Justice department.

    It's funny how slashing tires is compared to some of this other stuff and we conveniently forget about Florida in 2000 or Ohio in 2002. I am under no illusion that calling yourself a Democrat imparts great wisdom and superior morals, but most folks who do call themselves Democrats support the concept of voting for all parties and work to make sure it is available to all citizens of this country. On the other hand, it cannot be disputed that on Election Day 2004, the GOP had literally thousands of people across the US attempting to interfere with and discourage voters. It is sad that good folks who are Republican out of conviction and patriotism don't realize or don't seem to care that the people running the party don't share those principles.
     
    #13 rimrocker, Jan 23, 2006
  14. underoverup

    underoverup Member

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    captains quarter blog? looks like the serious news outlets are running with this one.
     
    #14 underoverup, Jan 23, 2006
  15. El_Conquistador

    El_Conquistador King of the D&D, The Legend, #1 Ranking

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    It was in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday. Front page.

    WHOOPS
     
    #15 El_Conquistador, Jan 23, 2006
  16. vwiggin

    vwiggin Member

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    It's kind of like people mugging you on the streets for $50 bucks versus Enron stealing millions of dollars from investors and their own employees. Both groups deserve to go to prison. But the second group deserves to go to "pound it in the ass prison."

    Still, I'm glad these guys got caught. Setence seem a little light, though.
     
    #16 vwiggin, Jan 23, 2006
  17. Ubiquitin

    Ubiquitin Member
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    Don't be so condescending Mr Blog Boy. You didn't link a reputable source!
     
    #17 Ubiquitin, Jan 23, 2006
  18. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    This fraud cannot stand. I demand a redo of the 2004 election, damnit.
     
    #18 CometsWin, Jan 23, 2006
  19. Ubiquitin

    Ubiquitin Member
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    Me too! :cool:
     
    #19 Ubiquitin, Jan 23, 2006
  20. thadeus

    thadeus Member

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    So, if the elections are unfair, being contested by career politicians and their wealthy backers, and generally not as sacrosanct as democracy demands - are we still a democratic country?

    If we are - is it just a difference of degree from non-democracies that makes us a democracy?
     
    #20 thadeus, Jan 23, 2006
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