Guest blogged by John Gideon of Voters Unite dot Org
Soon after the release of the much awaited Baker-Carter Report, and after the immediate, loud, and overwhelmingly negative response from voting activists, bloggers, some MSM, and even some members of the Baker-Carter Commission, the reactionaries on the far right have finally let their opinion be known.
In a clear attempt to bolster sagging public opinion on some of the Baker-Carter Report’s 87 points, Phyllis Schlafly has joined the fray with a new column called Thanks, Jimmy Carter.
Ms. Schlafly lauds the commission for including a verifiable paper trail as a solution. Actually, Ms. Schlafly is wrong. The commission report suggested that a voter verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) should be provided. A VVPAT is a voter verified paper ballot combined with a random, robust audit using those ballots. This is a far-cry from Ms. Schlafly’s ‘verifiable paper trail’.
But it seems the whole reason for Ms. Schlafly’s diatribe is really to bolster the conservative agenda item that would require a voter ID before anyone can vote. On the way to her goal, Ms. Schlafly took the opportunity to sling mud at Tom Daschle, who was a dissenting voice on the panel with regards to the voter ID issue. Ms. Schlafly, of course, didn’t mention that Mr. Daschle was joined in his dissent by fellow commissioners Raul Yzaguirre and Spencer Overton.
Ms. Schlafly says:
She fails to quote directly from the report where it says:
In fact, some commissioners have called this “issue” a solution in search of a problem.
In a fit of obfuscation, Ms. Schlafly says that 24 states require voters to prove their identity at the polls and 12 other states are considering it. She forgets to mention that voter registration cards, driver’s licenses, utility bills, and library cards are all acceptable identification in most of those 24 states.
In what seems to be a page from the “conservative reactionary handbook”, Ms. Schlafly proceeds to scare the reader with stories of far-right politicians who only lost because hundreds of illegal aliens somehow voted against them. She forgets that Bob Dornan was a loud-mouthed bully that no one liked, especially his constituents.
Ms. Schlafly seems to forget that the GOP is supposed to be small-government and balance the budget. Voter ID is another big government proposal that will take someone to oversee it (a position for a Bush cronie) and may cost over $4 billion. The state of Georgia wants to charge $30 per voter ID card. There are over 142 million registered voters in the United States.
Ms. Schlafly has also decided to ignore the fact that not everyone has a photo ID and not everyone can get a photo ID. Not everyone drives or has a drivers license; certainly not the poor, disabled, or elderly. Not everyone even knows where to go to get a birth certificate to prove they are an American citizen. I guess Ms. Schlafly would like to just forget about the people in the Gulf States?
So let’s be honest about all of this. Our elections are not controlled by illegal aliens whose only wish is to defeat conservative candidates. The present identification requirements are just fine, thank you. Give the states a chance to institute the Help America Vote Act state-wide registration data bases and clean those lists of felons and dead voters and those who have moved away. Let’s give Carter and Baker a pat on the back and tell them both, “Nice try, guys, but we can take it from here”. After all, it is our democracy and our voting system. It certainly does not belong to Ms. Schlafly or her ilk and it does not belong to either Jimmy Carter or James Baker.
This proves that the Brad Blog is correct on all accounts
Otherwise why would they keep this phony ACVR propoganda propogating, except other than to confuse the masses on the election/voter fraud debate?
Keep them on the defensive guys
Is Phyllis Schafly still around? Since when does she qualify as an expert on election fraud?
Bring back Maggie Thatcher and Peggy Noonan! Is Claire Boothe Luce still alive? Good Lord…if the best the right wing can do in defense of the 2004 election is to summon up post-menopausal Reagan-era warhorses to decry "voter fraud," it must mean that Ann Coulter has forfeited the last of her credibility.
In Oregon we vote by mail. All paper. No ID required. Just a valid voter registration and a valid address. Personally, I love it. But I’ve never really considered the potential for fraud.
It’s too bad Jimmy Carter is involved in all this.
I have always seen him as an honest, intelligent man
with great ethics. Plus, he has a heart. God only
knows how this would have turned out without him.
Bush’s plan to reward & to give legal Status to Illegal Aliens is nothing but a total Rip-off of Americans Citizens in every way possible. Jobs he can’t outsource he brings in Cheap Labor from third world counties!
He really seems to have a plan to turn this country into another Mexico. Where the few are rich and powerful and the rest are very poor! Maybe he looks on it as taking care of his peers and the rich and elite like he came from! But he will destroy the American we know and love in the progress and the country that was the envy of most of the world!
First this country and Standard of Living was based on a fair wage for an honest days work. Businesses that cannot afford to pay a livable wage should not be in Business.
But his plan is to provide all businesses no matter how profitable they are with nearly Slave labor rate, while letting American Citizens pay for their Medical Benefits including a new kid every year, Educating their children, providing food stamps, welfare, and of course they enjoy free medical benefits, plus they are all very knowledgeable about getting every other Benefit they can get!
So the labor is not cheap it is just cheap for the Businesses hiring them, which will be every business that possibly can!
Meantime there is 14 millions Americans with no jobs and soon will be many more under his plan. Always before, if the Labor Market is tight Businesses must increase the pay to get required labor and everyone benefit’s, the money spent increases the standard of living and more jobs etc. with an expanding piece of pie for all. It is what made the Middle Class which is the glue that binds a nation and holds us together!
But his plan sets the factors that made us a rich Nation on end! His plan and will lead to a Nation of Peons with a Standard of living like Mexico.
It is very hard to believe that Politicians care more about the Money from Business and Latino Votes than the Future of this country!
But it seems know one cares what will happen to this country a few years down the road.
The American that was the Hope and Dream of people around the World will be no more!
Our Standard of living is steady decreasing and will continue to at a faster pace if he gets this Bill passed.
It is obvious we have some very Stupid People representing us or very Corrupt people, either one or the other.
Under his plan the Business owners & Companies profit with the rich getting richer and the rest of American much poorer!
They get nearly Slave Labor and the rest of Americans still working gets to pay approximately 12,000.00 per year in benefits for each Illegal Aliens here!
Meantime they are taking American Jobs & sending the Money they get back to their Home Countries, their Kids get American Citizenship with a 50% school drop out rate more poor uneducated ones to support with an uncontrolled breeding rate means an accelerating rate of poverty!
They rate they breed with turn this country into another poor Latin American country within 10 to 15 years at most!
People that have good jobs, homes etc. Had better wake up because we are in great danger of becoming a third World Country. What all Americans should realize what hurts some Americans will eventually hurt all Americans and this Country!
I ask all people reading this do some very serious thinking about the ramifications of allowing this to happen!
If you do research and think you will realize this letter is very true and it will happen, unless we make our voices heard from every State and in great quantity!
Think of the Country your Children and Grand children will inherit! I can promise the American Dream will be no more!