Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty (rafflaw)- Guest Blogger
It seems that trouble is brewing again in the State of Florida since election officials have discovered suspicious voter registration forms in at least 10 Florida counties. “Florida elections officials said Friday that at least 10 counties have identified suspicious and possibly fraudulent voter registration forms turned in by a firm working for the Republican Party of Florida, which has filed an election fraud complaint with the state Division of Elections against its one-time consultant.” LA Times
If you guessed that these possibly fraudulent registration forms were just a minor error or blip on the registration screen, you might be wrong. When you have these documents turning up in 10 counties, including the two largest counties, Miami-Dade and Duval counties, people should sit up and notice.
“Vicki Davis, president of the Florida State Assn. of Supervisors of Elections, said Friday that she had heard from elections officials in Lee, Bay, Clay, Santa Rosa, Escambia and Okaloosa counties who had also identified problematic voter registration forms turned in by the Florida GOP. Pasco County officials discovered possibly fraudulent forms during the Republican primary, Davis said. Cate, the spokesman for the state elections division, said possibly fraudulent forms have also been reported in Miami-Dade and Duval, two of the state’s most populous counties. The number of suspicious voter registration applications was unusual, Davis said. “There might be an occasional one, but I don’t think we’ve ever had this number of counties that have had this number of cases all at the same time,” she said.” LA Times
The company at the heart of this potential scandal was recommended to the state Republican organizations by the Republican National Committee. “The controversy in Florida — which began with possibly fraudulent forms that first cropped up in Palm Beach County — has engulfed the Republican National Committee, which admitted Thursday that it urged state parties in seven swing states to hire the firm, Strategic Allied Consulting.The RNC paid the company at least $3.1 million — routed through the state parties of Florida, Nevada, Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia — to register voters and run get-out-the-vote operations. Wisconsin and Ohio had not yet paid the firm for get-out-the-vote operations it was contracted to do.” LA Times
Does it concern anyone else that all the states involved so far could be considered swing states in the upcoming Presidential election? If this company was working in several other states, could this improper activity show up in the other states listed? These improper registration forms could cause havoc at the polling booth and force many legal voters to vote by provisional ballot, that in many cases never get counted. This is not the first time the owner behind this company has been in trouble. The history behind Nathan Sproul, is interesting to say the least.
“The firm’s founder, Nathan Sproul, is a longtime Republican strategist whose reputation was tarred by widespread accusations of voter registration fraud and attempts to suppress Democratic voter turnout. George W. Bush’s campaign reportedly paid Sproul over $8 million for his work in the 2004 election. Sproul, now under new scrutiny, claims he started Strategic Allied Consulting because the RNC wanted to hide his past:
Sproul said he created Strategic Allied Consulting at the RNC’s request because the party wanted to avoid being publicly linked to the past allegations. The firm was set up at a Virginia address, and Sproul does not show up on the corporate paperwork.
“In order to be able to do the job that the state parties were hiring us to do, the [RNC] asked us to do it with a different company’s name, so as to not be a distraction from the false information put out in the Internet,” Sproul said.” Think Progress
Why would the RNC push this company on the state organizations, knowing the shaky history of Mr. Sproul? If I remember correctly, the Republican Party crucified ACORN when they admitted that certain employees had turned in improper registration forms and turned in those employees to the authorities. Is the Liberal Media going to follow the same path and relentlessly attack Mr. Sproul and his organization and the RNC for these alleged voter registration transgressions?
Since the RNC suggested that Sproul start-up a whole new company to do this work, is this an example of a planned dirty trick by the Republican Party or is it just an example of a guy with a checkered past not doing a good job at supervising his workers? “The suspected fraud included apparent cases of dead people being registered as Republican voters, said Paul Lux, the supervisor of elections in Okaloosa County and a Republican. He compared the suspected fraud to the alleged acts of ACORN, the liberal activist group that became the center of a national controversy several years ago. “It’s kind of ironic that the dead people they accused Acorn of registering are now being done by the RPOF” [Republican Party of Florida], Lux said in an interview with NBC News.” NBC News
Ironic was not the word I would have used. What do you think happened here? Is this another ACORN situation that can be blamed on “bad apples”? When you combine the Voter ID laws and this kind of activity, it could be argued that this is just part of an illegal strategy to disenfranchise voters. Let’s hear your opinion!
James O’Keefe and the myth of the ACORN pimp
By ERIC BOEHLERT
February 17, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/research/2010/02/17/james-okeefe-and-the-myth-of-the-acorn-pimp/160485
Mike Spindell bleated “You are either a baldfaced, recalcitrant liar, or just an ignorant man. You can’t supply any evidence for your statement other than from other liars with no evidence either.”
Mike,
Acorn? Does that ring a bell? Let me understand what you’re trying to say here. There wasn’t any evidence of multiple voters or fake names voting in Obama’s election?
“Mike, Acorn? Does that ring a bell?”
Hubert,
It does ring a bell and in truth defines you not as a “bald-faced liar” but as a truly ignorant FOXNews watcher. ACORN was a non-issue made up out of tissue paper, except that it allowed the truly ignorant to believe that a plot was afoot to register voters illegally.
Mike, you have admirable ability with words which anger and hostility only serve to diminish.
Any organization, be it left or right, has an agenda. Mr. Turley is likely familiar with Acorn from his time in New Orleans. It may have begun with noble intention but at some point lost it’s way.
News has become nothing more than opinion, exaggeration, and caricature. Huffington Post and Media Matters on the left, Fox and Limbaugh on the right. Same difference.
Personally I would enjoy understanding your thought process, but ugly verbage is a repellant.
Tricksy,
I don’t suffer fools gladly, nor do I debate with the ignorant. Hubert is merely repeating talking points with no validity. To engage him in honest debate is a fools errand and I am not a fool. As for the media of the mainstream, it is all nonsense prattled by fools all over the political spectrum. Hubert takes the lies bandied about seriously, I don’t. As for Acorn I’ve no doubt there are warts but it is a benign program and not the evil conspiracy that right wingers make it out to be.
Unfortunate, Mike. You seem to share the same attributes as the politicians who are unwilling to question themselves. We live with the consequence – a dysfunctional system of governing.
Tricksy,
I question myself all the time, most rational people do. However, Hubert was dealing in lies and fantasy and unlike the media I don’t believe that all ideas no matter how insane are equivalent.
Malisha 1, October 2, 2012 at 3:38 pm
I’m an independent.
Matt J, my meetings where people have to stand up and say, “My name is so-and-so and I am a Leftist.”
You don’t come either. 🙁
Something that occurs with some frequency on this blog: I have to look something up. Tu quoque fallacy is the word today.
Thus, it is a form of the ad hominem argument.
Did I really see someone implying that there is nothing to be concerned about in allegations of Republican voter fraud because Democrats may have engaged in even worse voter fraud? Holy carp, Batman! I’ve never seen such a perfect example of a tu quoque fallacy.
Elaine,
Which Hugo are we talking about again? 🙂
Malisha 1, October 1, 2012 at 10:58 am
Hey Ralph A, a coupla, few things:
1. I am a Leftist. In fact I am The Leftist.
2. I am in fact the permanent lifetime president of the Leftists. (In my will, my successor will be appointed.) Others on this blog have not attended any of my meetings, so I never gave them any badges, so there.
3. I am not a Chavez fan.
4. I am not a fan of Ahmadinejad and besides, he spells his name wrong.
5. I do not make Gene H blissful.
Just soze you know.
========================
What meetings?
Policy Brief on the Truth About “Voter Fraud” prepared by the Brenan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law
“Summary
* Fraud by individual voters is both irrational and extremely rare.
* Many vivid anecdotes of purported voter fraud have been proven false or do not demonstrate fraud.
* Raising the unsubstantiated specter of mass voter fraud suits a particular policy agenda.
* Claims of voter fraud should be carefully tested before they become the basis for action.”
Sorry but BZZZZZZZZZT!!!! (Tacky buzzer sound) Sorry democrats. Obama set a precedent when he was elected. We saw such voter fraud that has never been witnessed. We had dead people voting. We had family pets voting. We had people voting in multiple districts. We had some districts that had more votes cast than they had registered voters. We had prisoners voting. You name it, it probably voted. This is how Obama got an election. By voter fraud. But no one could say anything about it because the inevitable race card would be shown. No one dare to examine the voter fraud.
That being said, even if there was some sort of fraud in Florida, if anything was said, ANYTHING, it would be such an intense double standard that the earth would probably stop spinning on its axis.
As some know as well, the alleged voter fraud in Florida when President Bush was elected was utter nonsense. They counted the votes over and over and over. Even with extremely warped standards from Al Gore (which was interesting to note, didn’t even carry his home state) President Bush received more votes. I remember a year or two later, after a very thorough investigation by several major news agencies, they counted the votes again. And it was published in a very small article, buried several pages in the newspaper, that President Bush received more votes. But STILL, we hear bleats from wingnuts saying President Bush “stole the election”.
so thanks to Obama, no one can ever say anything about voter fraud. That’s how he won, and he will probably be re-elected with voter fraud.
“We saw such voter fraud that has never been witnessed. We had dead people voting. We had family pets voting. We had people voting in multiple districts. We had some districts that had more votes cast than they had registered voters.”
Hugh,
You are either a baldfaced, recalcitrant liar, or just an ignorant man. You can’t supply any evidence for your statement other than from other liars with no evidence either.
rafflaw,
You can be–but only if you swear allegiance to Hugo and his friends!
Malisha,
can I be the VP of Leftists? 🙂
Ralph,
“You have not refuted a single point that I’ve made.”
Actually, I’ve refuted every “point” you’ve made because most of them are based in barely cogent logical fallacies. As we all know, the primary tool of the propagandist is the propagation of the logical fallacy – a lie that has a veneer of logic and/or truthfulness but really isn’t either logical or truthful. You make statements and present no proof. That is no way to combat against the dissection of your illogic. It is, in fact, the tactic of children. Speaking of which . . .
The rest of your ad hominem babbling is simply a projection of your fears of your own intellectual inadequacy and the weakest of counter arguments. You seem to be under the misconception that what you think of me personally matters to me. That is a right that is earned, not due. My sense of self worth does not require your approval. In fact, your counter says far more about you than it does me. You can’t attack my assertions about the fallacies that are your “argument” such as it is, so you attack me instead. You seek to barb that which cannot be barbed. I don’t care what names you call me. I’m only interested in if you can defeat my arguments. And you haven’t.
So there it is.
You should also add psychology to that list of things I am more knowledgeable about than you.
Hey Ralph A, a coupla, few things:
1. I am a Leftist. In fact I am The Leftist.
2. I am in fact the permanent lifetime president of the Leftists. (In my will, my successor will be appointed.) Others on this blog have not attended any of my meetings, so I never gave them any badges, so there.
3. I am not a Chavez fan.
4. I am not a fan of Ahmadinejad and besides, he spells his name wrong.
5. I do not make Gene H blissful.
Just soze you know.
You are right Gene that anything with Breitbart’s name on it is based on lies or is an outright falsehood.
Ralph Adamo
September 30, 2012 at 3:39 pm
“Turley and all the other Leftists on this blog will be delighted to learn to Hugo Chavez has just endorsed Obama. That’s right, your hero, Chavez, has actually come out to support YOUR guy. Chavez is a big supporter of Ahmadinijad, who is also one of your heros (although I realize that you’re not ready to come out of the closet one that one just yet). So it looks like a happy trio of Obama-Chavez-Ahmadinjad is shaping up very nicely. Celebrate and savor.”
*****
How about a little evidence to support your allegations?
1. Who are the Leftists on this blog and how did you determine that they were Leftists?
2. Where is your evidence that any of the people whom you label as “Leftists” are fans of Hugo Chavez?
3. Where is your evidence that Ahmadinejad is considered to be a hero by any people whom you label as Leftists?
Gene, where did you get the idea that you know anything about logic? You obviously know nothing about logic, and even less about history, economics, or politics. You have not refuted a single point that I’ve made. Furthermore, your “writing” style is rambling, jejune, and mindless. However, it will appeal to others of your Leftist ilk, who also cannot think, so I suppose that will make you blissful.
Bron,
As I said, the problem isn’t the poll but rather the Brietbart crew spin on it. It doesn’t tell the whole story when they claim 31%. In context, that’s a far less than solid number.
Gene H;
It has Obama ahead by 6-8 points in a number of different categories. So it would seem to me a legitimate poll.