Obama camp calls for special prosecuter

[Mink]

Hopefully the 2008 presidential election will be rig-free of voter fraud. While Mccain insist Obama is affilated with ACORN, could Mccain be working with Bush on ensuring another Republican win?

www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/17/obama.acorn/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Obama campaign announced Friday that it is asking Attorney General Michael Mukasey to turn over any investigations of voter fraud or voter suppression to Special Prosecutor Nora Dannehy.

Dannehy is also the special prosecutor recently appointed to investigate the U.S. attorney firing scandal.

It's the latest salvo in an escalating war over allegations of possible voter irregularities during the upcoming presidential election.

"What they're actually about is the unprecedented effort to essentially sap the American people of confidence in the voting process," Bob Bauer, the Obama campaign's general counsel, said Friday on a conference call.

Bauer said partisan politics was behind Thursday's leak from senior governmental officials about a preliminary FBI investigation into the voter registration activities of ACORN, the embattled community organizing group that has become the focus of Republican efforts to highlight possible fraud as the election approaches.

tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/iglesias_im_astounded_by_dojs.php

Iglesias: "I'm Astounded" By DOJ's ACORN Probe
By Zachary Roth - October 16, 2008, 6:50PM
David Iglesias says he's shocked by the news, leaked today to the Associated Press, that the FBI is pursuing a voter-fraud investigation into ACORN just weeks before the election.

"I'm astounded that this issue is being trotted out again," Iglesias told TPMmuckraker. "Based on what I saw in 2004 and 2006, it's a scare tactic." In 2006, Iglesias was fired as U.S. attorney thanks partly to his reluctance to pursue voter-fraud cases as aggressively as DOJ wanted -- one of several U.S. attorneys fired for inappropriate political reasons, according to a recently released report by DOJ's Office of the Inspector General.

Iglesias, who has been the most outspoken of the fired U.S. attorneys, went on to say that the FBI's investigation seemed designed to inappropriately create a "boogeyman" out of voter fraud.

And he added that it "stands to reason" that the investigation was launched in response to GOP complaints. In recent weeks, national Republican figures -- including John McCain at last night's debate -- have sought to make an issue out of ACORN's voter-registration activities.

[The Big Dog]

What a complete load of horsesh!t.

The SIC investigating the firing of the US Attorneys (which was within the prerogatives of the president... you could ask Bill Clinton who fired all 96 of them at one shot) is the best choice to look into ACORN? Puh-leeeeze.

Two different investigations into two completely different areas. And what statutory authority is there for the Federal Government to look into it? This is a matter for the states, unless Barack would like to re-examine the constitutionality of HAVA. If there was to be a SIC appointed to investigate ACORN, then it would need to be a seperate office with it's own charter and funding.

He needs to shut up and quit posturing.

[Mink]

It must be frustrating that Obama will not be swiftboated, huh?

Mccain basically called for this investigation even though the Republicans planned on harassing voters in states with foreclosures.

I'm hoping this will lead to an election we can agree there is no question of voter fraud.

[jgaffney]

This is the perfect response from the Obama camp. By asking for a special prosecutor to look into ACORN, they have effectively punted the issue beyond November. Please tell us, Mink, how findings of voter fraud in January could undo an election.

"Republicans planned on harassing voters in states with foreclosures." If by that unsubstantiated claim, you meant the challenging of voter registrations which were tied to empty houses, I'm all for it. If you are incensed at these challenges, how do you feel about the tactics that Obama used against Alice Palmer, getting her thrown off of the ballot in Chicago so that he could take her state senate seat away from her?

You know, the funny thing about the frequent use of the derogatory term, "swiftboating," is that the facts in Jerome Coursi's book were never disproved by the Kerry camp. The tactics were decried long and loud and that got all of the press. However, the claims made by Dr. Coursi were never shown to be false.

[Mink]

Oct 19, 2008 16:50:23 GMT -5 jgaffney said:

This is the perfect response from the Obama camp. By asking for a special prosecutor to look into ACORN, they have effectively punted the issue beyond November. Please tell us, Mink, how findings of voter fraud in January could undo an election.

By requesting to have investigation findings be turned over to a special prosecuter is the right move to ensure a successful election as opposed to another chaotic mess we have witnessed back to back. You must think Obama will win otherwise you wouldn't care if it didn't overturn a Mccain victory.

"Republicans planned on harassing voters in states with foreclosures." If by that unsubstantiated claim, you meant the challenging of voter registrations which were tied to empty houses, I'm all for it. If you are incensed at these challenges, how do you feel about the tactics that Obama used against Alice Palmer, getting her thrown off of the ballot in Chicago so that he could take her state senate seat away from her?

Regarding the foreclosured voters, in Michigan, law states they will have no problem voting, however the other states where foreclosures caused voters the inability to cast a vote, is un-American. Everyone who is eligible to vote should have the right especially in light of the recent downturn in the economy.
As for Alice Palmer, please stick to the topic or start another thread so we may all be enlightened. I'm not aware and it has nothing to do with this topic.

You know, the funny thing about the frequent use of the derogatory term, "swiftboating," is that the facts in Jerome Coursi's book were never disproved by the Kerry camp. The tactics were decried long and loud and that got all of the press. However, the claims made by Dr. Coursi were never shown to be false.

You know what is funnier is the fact that Republicans like to think they can corner people with their "rovial" naugens. This is exactly what Obama learned from them at Kerry's expense. Kerry was advised to speak up yet he didn't. That doesn't make the swiftboat lie a truth.

[jgaffney]

Mink, you're getting your quote, /quote thing all confused. I always preview my posts to avoid embarassing mistakes like that. Also, I have a tendency to miss the Caps key.

The case of Alice Palmer has everything to do with the current thread. In Barack Obama's first run for the Illinois State Senate, he effectively had her thrown off the ballot, along with the other candidates, giving him the win in a walk. Here, I'll save you the trouble of researching it:

Alice Palmer was the sitting Senator when Mel Reynolds resigned from the US Senate after being caught in a sex scandal with a 16-year-old campaign worker. (Reynolds was also convicted of wire fraud and other charges stemming from a FEC investigation. Reynolds later had his sentence commuted in the last minute flurry of pardons signed by Clinton). When Palmer announced her intentions to run for Reynolds' seat, she also hand-picked Obama to be her successor in the state Senate. Palmer was the one who arranged the kick-off of Obama's campaign in Bill Ayers' house.

Unfortunately, Palmer lost in the special election for Reynolds' seat, to Jesse Jackson, Jr. After her loss, she turned around and announced that she would contest the state Senate seat she was ready to hand to Obama. Because of the lateness of her decision, she had to submit signed petitions to get her name back on the ballot. Obama hired a fellow Harvard Law School alumnus to challenge the names on the petitions, with the result that not only was Palmer's name removed, but also the other three challengers in the race, handing the seat to Obama unchallenged.

Source

The reason that I raise this as a relavent point is to point out that Democrats have no problem at all with a Democrat candidate who uses tactics like this, but scream bloody murder if a Republican dares to "disenfranchise voters."

Feel free to dispute any of the facts I have presented above.

Please elaborate on your claim of a "swiftboat lie."

[The New Guy]

i'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that california goes for obama next month. anyone wanna bet against me?

[Mink]

Mink, you're getting your quote, /quote thing all confused. I always preview my posts to avoid embarassing mistakes like that. Also, I have a tendency to miss the Caps key.

Oh, yeah....excuse me, he-he. I have to admit, I was busy at the time, just posted and did not edit, oh well, you get the drift, right?

The case of Alice Palmer has everything to do with the current thread. In Barack Obama's first run for the Illinois State Senate, he effectively had her thrown off the ballot, along with the other candidates, giving him the win in a walk. Here, I'll save you the trouble of researching it:

Alice Palmer was the sitting Senator when Mel Reynolds resigned from the US Senate after being caught in a sex scandal with a 16-year-old campaign worker. (Reynolds was also convicted of wire fraud and other charges stemming from a FEC investigation. Reynolds later had his sentence commuted in the last minute flurry of pardons signed by Clinton). When Palmer announced her intentions to run for Reynolds' seat, she also hand-picked Obama to be her successor in the state Senate. Palmer was the one who arranged the kick-off of Obama's campaign in Bill Ayers' house.

Unfortunately, Palmer lost in the special election for Reynolds' seat, to Jesse Jackson, Jr. After her loss, she turned around and announced that she would contest the state Senate seat she was ready to hand to Obama. Because of the lateness of her decision, she had to submit signed petitions to get her name back on the ballot. Obama hired a fellow Harvard Law School alumnus to challenge the names on the petitions, with the result that not only was Palmer's name removed, but also the other three challengers in the race, handing the seat to Obama unchallenged.

Source The reason that I raise this as a relavent point is to point out that Democrats have no problem at all with a Democrat candidate who uses tactics like this, but scream bloody murder if a Republican dares to "disenfranchise voters."

I know you think this is relevant, but isn't that exactly what the Republicans are doing and have been in the last two elections?

Feel free to dispute any of the facts I have presented above.

Please elaborate on your claim of a "swiftboat lie."

The "swift boating" are the cheap shots Republicans take during elections. I call it "swiftboating" due to what happened with Kerry, but Bush also used the low blows on his own. Remember what he did to Mccain in the 2000 Republican primaries with the "black" child? I thought that was inappropriate. At that time, I felt for Mccain, who also didn't dispute it and it wasn't true.

Now, this thing with Ayers and ACORN is ridiculous. The Republicans screaming "fraud" when they were in position to harass innocent voters at the polls again is what Obama could predict and ready for it.

[The Big Dog]

Oh the "Kerry got swiftboated" canard. Did he ever, once, disprove any of what was presented? The answer, in case you forgot, is "no".

And Barack has done nothing, so far anyway, to clear up questions around his associations with Ayers, Wright, ACORN, Rezko, etc. etc. etc. He and his surrogates holler "unfair", "racist" and "swiftboat" but do nothing to actually answer the questions.

Of course Dan Rather continues to stand behind the forgery of documents used to trump a phoney story about Bush in the '04 cycle, even though the outright falsehoods he ran with cost him his job at CBS, as well as the careers of at least two others. And some on the left continue to lionize the lying old poof.

So I guess from all that we could take that it's okay for a leftist to swiftboat a perceived conservative so long as his heart is in the right place, eh?

[Mink]

Oct 20, 2008 23:36:59 GMT -5 The Big Dog said:

Oh the "Kerry got swiftboated" canard. Did he ever, once, disprove any of what was presented? The answer, in case you forgot, is "no".

Isn't that what I just said in my last post. I also said that no response doesn't mean it is true. This is where Obama learned to answer quickly after every mud-slinging remark.

And Barack has done nothing, so far anyway, to clear up questions around his associations with Ayers, Wright, ACORN, Rezko, etc. etc. etc. He and his surrogates holler "unfair", "racist" and "swiftboat" but do nothing to actually answer the questions.

He has, but you guys need to clean out your ears.

Of course Dan Rather continues to stand behind the forgery of documents used to trump a phoney story about Bush in the '04 cycle, even though the outright falsehoods he ran with cost him his job at CBS, as well as the careers of at least two others. And some on the left continue to lionize the lying old poof.

Was that the story that Bush, joined the airforce, but never showed up and managed to dodge going into war?

So I guess from all that we could take that it's okay for a leftist to swiftboat a perceived conservative so long as his heart is in the right place, eh?

What Leftist......Dan Rather? He wasn't running for any office and as you said, he lost his job.