5 Democratic Election Workers Stand Trial for Supressing the Vote

PittsburghAfterDark

PittsburghAfterDark

CAGiversary!
Don't hear John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi or Dingy Harry Reid speaking up about this one do you? You don't hear Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton decrying how potentially hundreds of GOP voters were disenfranchised do you? Where is the "Every vote counts, cout every vote." crowd on this one? Where is the coverage from the networks? Where is the mockery of a former Congress member and majory city mayor's offspring? I mean here they are robbing people of their ability to vote for the candidate of their choice by intimidation, vandalism and destruction of private property. Where is the outrage?

I hope these bastards serve time for this. Of course they won't because they'll end up with high priced attorneys, a Democrat judge and it was "only" Republicans that were affected. See, when you're not a "protected" group anyone can do anything they want to you without consequence. Democrats should be so proud of the children their elected leaders produced!

Five Democratic campaign staffers in Wisconsin ordered to stand trial for GOP tire slashing
By Associated Press
Wednesday, February 16, 2005

MILWAUKEE - Five Democratic campaign staffers - including the sons of a congresswoman and a former city official - were ordered Tuesday to stand trial for allegedly vandalizing Republican get-out-the-vote vans on Election Day.

The five are accused of slashing the tires of 25 vans rented by the state GOP to drive voters and monitors to the polls. The felony charge carries a maximum punishment of 3 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Arraignment was set for March 4.

The defendants include the sons of Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore and former acting Mayor Marvin Pratt.

At a preliminary hearing, Levar Stoney and Opel Simmons, two Democratic presidential campaign workers sent to Wisconsin in the final weeks of the campaign, testified they were in the Milwaukee headquarters when the five left just after 3 a.m. Election Day and returned shortly after.

``They seemed to be excited, excitable, kind of gleeful, laughing and kind of joking,'' Simmons said.

Stoney said Michael Pratt, the former acting mayor's son, talked about slashing a couple of tires, and Moore's son, Sowande Omokunde, also talked about the vandalism. He said at least one had a knife; he could not recall which one.

Defense attorneys suggested Stoney and Simmons were also part of an alleged plan to plaster the GOP office and property with Kerry-Edwards signs and bumper stickers before polls opened. Prosecutors contend the five defendants came up with the tire-slashing plan after a security guard was posted at the GOP office.

Boston Herald Article
 
[quote name='Scrubking']They deserve life in prison.[/quote]

Uh, ya, they should be imprisoned longer than most murderers :roll: . I also get the feeling that if someone had posted this and the tire slashers were republicans it would go into your book as another example of bush bashing.
 
Obviously, they should be punish appropriately if convicted. Damaging a get out the vote campaign is pretty low.

oh by the way...


CONCORD, N.H. --A former Republican consultant was sentenced Tuesday to five months in jail for jamming Democratic telephone lines in several New Hampshire cities during the 2002 general election.

Allen Raymond, who was president of the Alexandria, Va.-based GOP Marketplace LLC at the time, did not comment as he left the U.S. District Court sentencing. He had pleaded guilty in June.

Judge Joseph DiClerico also imposed a fine of $15,600, the amount Raymond's company was paid by New Hampshire Republicans for telemarketing services in 2002.

Raymond, 37, apologized before being sentenced.

"Your honor, I did a bad thing," he said. "While what I did was outside my character, I take full responsibility for my actions."

John Durkin, Raymond's lawyer, portrayed his client as an upstanding citizen who had been taken advantage of by James Tobin, of Bangor, Maine, then the northeast political director of the national party committee working to elect Republican senators.

"This was not Allen Raymond's idea," Durkin said. "Tobin called on Raymond to do this."

The assertion prompted stern questioning from DiClerico.

"What about common sense? What about a personal moral compass?" the judge said.

Durkin said Raymond had suffered greatly already.

"Whatever the court does today, 99 percent of the damage has already been done," he said.

Federal prosecutor Todd Hinnen said Raymond has been cooperating in the continuing investigation of the case.

Last year, Tobin served as regional chairman of President Bush's re-election campaign. He stepped down in October after allegations against him became public and was indicted in December. He has pleaded innocent.

Chuck McGee, former executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party, also has pleaded guilty to charges in the case. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

According to prosecutors, Raymond and co-conspirators, including Tobin, plotted to jam Democratic lines that voters could call for rides to the polls in Manchester, Nashua, Rochester and Claremont. A line run by the nonpartisan Manchester firefighters' union also was jammed.

The more than 800 computer-generated calls lasted about 90 minutes on Nov. 5, 2002, as voters decided races for governor, U.S. senator and hundreds of other offices.

State Republicans acknowledged two years ago they hired GOP Marketplace for telemarketing services in the election. But then-Republican Chairwoman Jayne Millerick said the company was paid to encourage people to vote Republican, not to jam lines.

State Democratic Chairwoman Kathy Sullivan spoke at Raymond's sentencing, calling the jamming outrageous.

"What happened here was a decision made to interfere with the political process," she said.

State Republican Chairman Warren Henderson was equally harsh in his criticism of Raymond.

"Mr. Raymond's role in the `phone jamming' during the 2002 election was intolerable and offensive to all citizens of New Hampshire, and deserving of serious punishment," he said in a written statement. "As a former state legislator and former member of the New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission, I am personally offended at this illegal and unethical assault on the integrity of our democratic process."

Henderson said the state GOP would continue to work with federal investigators.


Yeah PAD, WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?? Scrubby, are you upset that this guy only got 5 months?
 
[quote name='usickenme']Obviously, they should be punish appropriately if convicted. Damaging a get out the vote campaign is pretty low.

oh by the way...


CONCORD, N.H. --A former Republican consultant was sentenced Tuesday to five months in jail for jamming Democratic telephone lines in several New Hampshire cities during the 2002 general election.

Allen Raymond, who was president of the Alexandria, Va.-based GOP Marketplace LLC at the time, did not comment as he left the U.S. District Court sentencing. He had pleaded guilty in June.

Judge Joseph DiClerico also imposed a fine of $15,600, the amount Raymond's company was paid by New Hampshire Republicans for telemarketing services in 2002.

Raymond, 37, apologized before being sentenced.

"Your honor, I did a bad thing," he said. "While what I did was outside my character, I take full responsibility for my actions."

John Durkin, Raymond's lawyer, portrayed his client as an upstanding citizen who had been taken advantage of by James Tobin, of Bangor, Maine, then the northeast political director of the national party committee working to elect Republican senators.

"This was not Allen Raymond's idea," Durkin said. "Tobin called on Raymond to do this."

The assertion prompted stern questioning from DiClerico.

"What about common sense? What about a personal moral compass?" the judge said.

Durkin said Raymond had suffered greatly already.

"Whatever the court does today, 99 percent of the damage has already been done," he said.

Federal prosecutor Todd Hinnen said Raymond has been cooperating in the continuing investigation of the case.

Last year, Tobin served as regional chairman of President Bush's re-election campaign. He stepped down in October after allegations against him became public and was indicted in December. He has pleaded innocent.

Chuck McGee, former executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party, also has pleaded guilty to charges in the case. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

According to prosecutors, Raymond and co-conspirators, including Tobin, plotted to jam Democratic lines that voters could call for rides to the polls in Manchester, Nashua, Rochester and Claremont. A line run by the nonpartisan Manchester firefighters' union also was jammed.

The more than 800 computer-generated calls lasted about 90 minutes on Nov. 5, 2002, as voters decided races for governor, U.S. senator and hundreds of other offices.

State Republicans acknowledged two years ago they hired GOP Marketplace for telemarketing services in the election. But then-Republican Chairwoman Jayne Millerick said the company was paid to encourage people to vote Republican, not to jam lines.

State Democratic Chairwoman Kathy Sullivan spoke at Raymond's sentencing, calling the jamming outrageous.

"What happened here was a decision made to interfere with the political process," she said.

State Republican Chairman Warren Henderson was equally harsh in his criticism of Raymond.

"Mr. Raymond's role in the `phone jamming' during the 2002 election was intolerable and offensive to all citizens of New Hampshire, and deserving of serious punishment," he said in a written statement. "As a former state legislator and former member of the New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission, I am personally offended at this illegal and unethical assault on the integrity of our democratic process."

Henderson said the state GOP would continue to work with federal investigators.


Yeah PAD, WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?? Scrubby, are you upset that this guy only got 5 months?[/quote]

Yay! AN OFF TOPIC RESPONSE!

Try making another thread and I might get outraged. As usual the response from the short bus crowd here is "OMG I HAEV A BAD STORIE ABOUT REPUBLIKKANS!!1!!1"
 
[quote name='PittsburghAfterDark']Yay! AN OFF TOPIC RESPONSE!

Try making another thread and I might get outraged. As usual the response from the short bus crowd here is "OMG I HAEV A BAD STORIE ABOUT REPUBLIKKANS!!1!!1"[/quote]

BILL CLINTON! BILL CLINTON!
 
Pretty weak dodge there PAD, stick your head in the sand long enough you'll never hear a bad word about republicans.

I addressed your story in the first sentence and provide a completely related one. If you can't handle that, you shouldn't post here. You see, I acknowledge when some folks in my party do something bad. And I don't need some convienant and fake forum etiquette to dictate my outrage.

p.s. the "tards and "short bus" cracks are wearing thin. Time to update.
 
[quote name='usickenme']Pretty weak dodge there PAD, stick your head in the sand long enough you'll never hear a bad word about republicans.

I addressed your story in the first sentence and provide a completely related one. If you can't handle that, you shouldn't post here. You see, I acknowledge when some folks in my party do something bad. And I don't need some convienant and fake forum etiquette to dictate my outrage.

p.s. the "tards and "short bus" cracks are wearing thin. Time to update.[/quote]

PAD is a tool, but he's partially right. You could admit your party did something bad but not without bringing up something bad the other side did first. It appens alot on these boards and ends up seeming like a playground fight over "who started it".

Also it wasn't really that related, jammering phone lines isn't vandalizing property and you don't use the phone to go vote. Granted it was from from a legal or good thing to do, but the incident someone mentioned earlier about republicans tearing up voter registration is even more related IMHO.
 
[quote name='Duo_Maxwell'][quote name='usickenme']Pretty weak dodge there PAD, stick your head in the sand long enough you'll never hear a bad word about republicans.

I addressed your story in the first sentence and provide a completely related one. If you can't handle that, you shouldn't post here. You see, I acknowledge when some folks in my party do something bad. And I don't need some convienant and fake forum etiquette to dictate my outrage.

p.s. the "tards and "short bus" cracks are wearing thin. Time to update.[/quote]

PAD is a tool, but he's partially right. You could admit your party did something bad but not without bringing up something bad the other side did first. It appens alot on these boards and ends up seeming like a playground fight over "who started it".

Also it wasn't really that related, jammering phone lines isn't vandalizing property and you don't use the phone to go vote. Granted it was from from a legal or good thing to do, but the incident someone mentioned earlier about republicans tearing up voter registration is even more related IMHO.[/quote]

Well when someone only apparently has "outrage" for what the other party does I am going to call them on it. It's asks the question whether you are upset at the action or only who did it. IMO, it weeds out the BS from issues. I am not simply saying "well everyone does it" but highlighting specific actions and wondering if the same "outrage" applies. If scrubby says these democrats should get life in prison, it begs the question if these repubs should as well.

Personally, I want to know when my party does things like this. That way I don't look like a flaming hypocrite. Also it provides context for these actions.

I agree it can boil down "who started it" but the scorecard mentality of looking at issues is not what I am after. Besides putting it in another thread wouldn't have changed PAD's response one bit.
 
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