Presto-Changeo

Now this here is journalism. Ian Urbina of The New York Times obtained an original copy of a report indicating that "a federal panel responsible for conducting election research played down the findings of experts who concluded last year that there was little voter fraud around the nation." This conclusion was, of course, trouble for the official GOP talking points. Hence, the solution: "Instead, the panel, the Election Assistance Commission, issued a report that said the pervasiveness of fraud was open to debate."

It's really scandals on top of scandals on top of lies with this whole song and dance. Everyone knows that Republicans are good at identifying certain kinds of procedures that tend to depress turnout among pro-Democratic demographic groups. Fraud is the rationale for the procedures, even though nobody ever finds any evidence that it's a serious problem. So one needs to gun up a lot of mumbo-jumbo in order to be able to deploy the fraud argument as a smokescreen for vote suprression. Increasingly these days, the GOP is getting caught red handed doing it.

Comments

"Increasingly these days, the GOP is getting caught red handed doing it."

Well, I'd say that whether or not the GOP is doing that is open to debate...

Posted by Petey | April 11, 2007 1:30 AM

I doing think its legitimate to critically consider the motivations behind the actions of the GOP. Or, at least, I think the legitimacy of such criticism is open to debate.

Posted by Sam L. | April 11, 2007 1:54 AM

With the notable exception of Rumsfeld I don't see where getting caught red handed in a malfeasance/incompetence/in over your head scenario has cost anyone important their job. Even Gonzales manages to hang on for weeks (soon to be months?) beyond his expiration date despite demonstrable criminality (lying to Congress?). Condi, Karl, Bush and Cheney should all be in jail. At least Powell resigned while he had a bit of his reputation to salvage.

Posted by steve duncan | April 11, 2007 8:41 AM

"At least Powell resigned while he had a bit of his reputation to salvage."

Simply not true -- did you see his UN presentation?

Posted by theCoach | April 11, 2007 11:10 AM

Whether Powell resigned or was fired is an open question. I suspect that the term "left by mutual agreement" would be appropriate in this circumstance.

Meanwhile, the morons in charge do need to realize that history will look upon this as the most incompetent, corrupt and immoral regime in this history of this country -- and possibly of this hemisphere. And everyone who participated in this regime will have that fact front-and-center on their Wikipedia entry in the year 2100.

Posted by fubar | April 11, 2007 11:27 AM

Zzzzz. The bipartisan panel hires a couple of consultants. The consultants produce something. The panel disagrees with it somewhat. Shocking. The consultants were not the people appointed to come to conclusions; they were hired by the panel.

Moreover, it is funny to see this in the story: "Though the original report said that among experts 'there is widespread but not unanimous agreement that there is little polling place fraud'". To paraphrase Ezra Klein, you know, whenever you read someone saying, "There is little dispute among 'experts' that [blah blah blah]," it's probably a safe assumption that "blah blah blah" actually engenders huge amounts of dispute.

Posted by Al | April 11, 2007 11:46 AM

One side points out that there is very little voter fraud, but there is a problem with vote suppression. The other side imagines voter fraud as a means of further suppressing the vote. There's only "controversy" if we take lies as legitimate aspects of a debate, rather than misrepresentations that are properly ignored. It's factesque!

Posted by T. Paine | April 11, 2007 12:03 PM

"To paraphrase Ezra Klein, you know, whenever you read someone saying, 'There is little dispute among 'experts' that [blah blah blah],' it's probably a safe assumption that 'blah blah blah' actually engenders huge amounts of dispute."

That's so stupid an assertion, it's worthy of Jonah Goldberg. In fact, Goldberg probably once wrote the exact same thing about global warming.

In truth, most of the time when someone writes that statement, it's probably a fair assessment.

Posted by Keith M Ellis | April 11, 2007 12:03 PM

Typical Rove: allege voter fraud, which rarely exists and or has any influence on the outcome, as cover for voter suppression.

Five minutes exchanging voter this and voter that on the nightly news and the public is lost, never knew what the issue was, and never knew a good chunk of neighbors just lost their vote.

Posted by earlofhuntingdon | April 11, 2007 12:38 PM

Powell is an Uncle Tom dancing for whitey. ANY minority that is a Rethuglican stopped caring about furthering his/her race long ago in favor of $$. He knew the U.N. speech Scooter wrote was wrong, but he did the deed anyway, truly Bush's "boy". Bush and company should NOT be jailed, they should be executed for high crimes, murder and treason. Powell should swing from the gallow's pole with the rest of them.

Posted by GMan | April 11, 2007 12:53 PM

The only documented case of voter fraud in 2004 that i've heard about was Ann Coulter. Why isn't she being treated as appropriately as Don Imus, anyway?

Posted by tp | April 11, 2007 2:33 PM

Why isn't she being treated as appropriately as Don Imus, anyway?

I actually wondered that myself. I can't figure out why Don Imus has been singled out from likes of Rush, Savage, Coulter and company. I'm not suggesting that Don Imus shouldn't be torn apart between two jeeps or anything. Just that I can't figure out why all of the sudden a switch flipped and everyone is all fired up about civility on the airwaves when right-wing cretins have been making money hand over fist polluting them the last 20+ years.

Maybe with the implosion of the Republican Party, the profit margin on hate is dwindling? Just thinking out loud.

Posted by Make That 85% | April 11, 2007 7:13 PM

Screw the RNC, Screw the DNC. I'm looking forward to the Revolution and seeing these SOB's swinging from streetlamps!

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