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Florida Gov. Rick Scott's (R) pre-election voter purge hasn't had much success lately, but that didn't stop him from going to a Tea Party Express event yesterday, urging far-right activists to help rally support for his scheme.
Wearing khakis, a blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his signature custom-made cowboy boots, Scott defended the purge and enlisted their aid getting President Obama's administration to cooperate by granting access to a federal immigration database.
"Okay so the latest is who should get to vote in our state and in our country. People that are citizens of our country. It's very simple, right? Who comes up with the idea that you get to vote if you're not a citizen?" Scott asked near the end of a 15-minute speech at the Tallahassee Antique Car Museum.
As straw-men arguments go, Scott's is a doozy. "Who comes up with the idea that you get to vote if you're not a citizen?" Well, no one; the governor is attacking a line that no one is defending. Rather, the problem is Scott's plan, though ostensibly about purging non-citizens from the voter rolls, has ended up unjustly targeting tens of thousands of eligible citizens, making this more of a voter-suppression plan than anything else.
Indeed, given that 87% of Scott's purge list is made up of minorities, minority voters tend to support Democrats, and the scheme is being executed five months before Election Day, the partisan motivations behind the governor's agenda is rather transparent.
Nevertheless, Scott vowed yesterday that he would not back down from his suppression tactics, and was reportedly emboldened by last week's recall election in Wisconsin. In an unintentionally-hilarious twist, Scott was introduced yesterday by Tea Party Express co-founder Amy Kremer, who told the crowd, without a hint of irony, that the voter purge is necessary because, "If the Democrats cannot win it fair and square, they will steal it."
The next question, of course, is what will happen among those who have the most control over this process: the county elections supervisors.
As Rachel explained last week, Scott can send purge lists to the counties, but it's up to the county officials "to actually do the purging ... and lately the county officials in Florida are not much in a mood for what the state is telling them to do." Indeed, as of Friday, these 67 county election chiefs said they would not move forward with Scott's purge plan because they lack confidence in the integrity of the governor's list.
One county elections supervisor said, "We're just not going to do this. I've talked to many of the other supervisors and they agree. The list is bad. And this is illegal."
However, Maddow Blog commenter Luckton noted this morning that the scheme "is still being carried out by a few of the county supervisors," who are buckling to pressure from the governor.
Also keep an eye on Scott's next move, which may include filing suit against the Obama administration for not helping him purge more voters from the state's rolls.
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never has there been a more appropriate spokesman for the loathesomeness that is the GOP.
Rick Scott spent over $73 million of his own money to become governor of Florida, a job that pays $200,000 a year. And all he's done is to make it more difficult for people to collect unemployment benefits, make the elderly pay more for their healthcare, and now he wants to prevent over 100,000 people from voting.
I don't understand how anyone can be so demented to spend a fortune just so he can get in political office to make it more difficult for people to get help and vote. How can any sane person have this as a goal in life?
Question for Rick Scott: Who comes up with the idea that you can arbitrarily take away from Amercian citizens their right to vote?
That's right - Republicans. There's a right way and a wrong way to purge non-citizens from voting rolls. Yours is the wrong way. Your county officals understand that. Why don't you?
Thats why they are Union-busting , to get rid of the Democrat voter , Its another way of voter purge, I guess in their mind its okay ..... Hitler Did It Too ! !
If anyone can show evidence of widespread voter fraud, could they please post it here or take a hike.
That's just it, other than Kathryn Harris in 2000 - there hasn't been demonstrable proof of "voter fraud". Course that's just "fact" and good knows the GOTP don't do F-A-C-T-S!
thank you Luckton for all the links
I think that some of the supervisors are "buckling under" to the governor, rather than "bucking to" him. LOL And, of course, Rick Scott is a jerk. Right on, Rachel.
thank you luckton for the links
Produce some evidence of voter fraud, Voldemort. The only documented voter fraud I know of in Florida was Ann Coulter.
If its voter fraud in he rare cases where someone ineligible casts a vote, isn't it a more significant voter fraud for state officials to batch delete registered voters' eligibility using poor-quality lists?
He sounds like he belongs to " The National Peoples' Gang"(National Population Growth organization) There is actually an organization that was created to decrease the surplus population. I just could never believe they would actually carry out the plans. If the Tea Party all pooled thier money together they could have left this Country already. If they are upset with our population they should cease any effort to illegalize birth control. They can't seem to get it through their heads that there is no such thing as a super race Hitler tried this and as a result he created faulty genes. Once they comprehend that we are all Gods' children and that all Nations were once one and are trying to accomplish that again, but not in the physical sense, then they can start getting busy with the job of living and helping others survive. We need more farms in order to help feed the World we don't need prejudism and hate. The current GOP kinda missed the boat or weren't there when they were handing out brains and hearts. Remember what the doormouse(that's me) said "Feed your Head".
IDIOT's one and all!!!! What a sad commentary that ignorance has finally become fashionable.
Here is a good example of the tactics the TEA party portion of the TEA-Republicans which points to the express notion that they are bigoted, prejudiced and discriminatory in their functions. American's have lost numerous voting rights won during the 50's and 60's. The TEA-Republican's have made a concerted effort to purge, limit, block and dissuade voters in an effort to keep America as white as possible. All these efforts are aimed at people of color. Much started just after Obama won the right to defeat McCain. Partisan motivation is the least of it as it sends a message much like that in the Hitler regime before WWII. Notice it is at the local level where the purges are continuing no matter what the federal authorities tell them. This gives more reason to evict every TEA party member out of office., especially given the comments in Texas by Ron and Rand Paul, both bigoted discriminators full of venom and waiting to take over America. They are using (R) rather than (T) when they run for office. The TEA party has taken over the Republican party as Ron and Rand Paul, avowed racists, stated, "The revolution is working, we have infiltrated the Republican Party, and we will convert the Republican Party to defenders of liberty."
Methinks he doth protest too much! I find it amazing that they are claiming voter fraud when they won the last election. Where was all that voter fraud then?
Anything to distract from and delay dealing with real issues. Tea Bagger nonsense. The funny thing is, one of the founders of the Tea Party wants nothing more to do with them since they've gone so far off the edge.
This is about trying to become a permanent Republican Super-majority and swinging the presidential election .
I live here in Florida and it is downright scary what happens when there is a completely Republican government.
The minority can rule if given the opportunity.
Right on, Grover if they are serious about voter fraud they waited too long to fix it, and they should not be allowed to tamper with it now. They should pass a law that prohibits tampering with voting laws during the year there is an election. It is very obvious to all Americans that they are attempting voter suppression. So much so that Eric Holder is investigating all allegations. And the Publicans can't stand this. They have gone so far as to yell at him in front of all America to see. The difference of the level of intellegience between the GOP and Democrats is astronomical.
Obviously the answer to this evil threat is to eliminate democracy altogether and let no one vote. Purity would be assured. Isn't that the logical extension of what he is proposing. And while they are at it, let's stop everyone from getting married so we have no more mistakes and the purity of the institution of marriage will be secured once and for all.
It seems then that we (people with values of equality) need to register and urge to vote as many people as he intends to purge. What then, Scott? Make voting illegal?
When they were passing out brains , they thought they said trains and they said i'll take a trip .
Once a person has filled out the same paper work as everbody else and been approved to be a qualified voter, the burden of proof that that person is not qualified should be up to the state. To take someone off the voter rolls by simply notifing them that they are thought to be illegally on the rolls assumes guilt of voter fraud without a trial. If even one legally qualified person is denied to vote, the person (voter official) who denied them the opportunity should be put in jail. I didn't know that people can leagally stop me from voting without proving that I am not eligible.
As someone who has voted for candidates of both parties, I am totally lost as to who is advising the GOP. Is casting yourself as obstructionists to anything the President proposed to get the economy moving? As against fair pay and a woman's rights over their own body? As trying to suppress minority voters... who just happen to often vote for the other party? THIS is the image the GOP has chosen for itself? Not only have they nominated a man who can't seem to tell the truth about anything when campaigning, I see they plan to start using Darth Vader as their mascot. SMOOTH!
I have evidence that the GOP was trying to commit voter fraud. My SIL is not a citizen, nor does she reside in the US. But she holds a greencard and was visiting us for 6 months or so. She got a phone and a bank account so statements came to our house. And right after she left came a "Vote for me!" leaflet from a GOP contender. Of course, my Republican friends said it was just a "mistake" and anyone could have sent it, even Obama. Maybe, but no Democrat sent her a "vote for me" card!
Skeletor...
What would happen if Homeland Security asked the state of Florida for its lists distributed to the Supervisors, and DHS used Florida's list without releasing the DHS list which would violate privacy issues and whose security might not be guaranteed? Surely the DHS computers are large enough to handle the names and could cross-reference the names fairly quickly, and using the Florida lists report back any names that did not appear in Homeland Security's data base. Then, the lists could be returned to the Florida supervisors who could notify any person who might not be a citizen that they will be expected to produce photo id, a birth certificate, and whatever other bonafides of proof of citizenship Florida has under their new laws at the next election. No absentee ballot would be sent unless proof was submitted prior to the next election (in August) or the November election. That way no one is "purged", but someone who was on either list would have the opportunity to produce proof of citizenship prior to the elections or on the day. Could this idea have merit? (sorry for the bold, couldn't get it to unlock.)