Von Spakovsky: Still Fabricating Facts, Still Suppressing Votes
Von Spakovsky: Still Fabricating Facts, Still Suppressing Votes
Further demonstrating that no conservative can be so disgraced that they cannot later be published in the Wall Street Journal, Bush-era vote suppression guru Hans von Spakovsky has an op-ed in today’s WSJ claiming that the Justice Department has “spent the last several months misinterpreting key voting rights laws for nakedly political reasons”:
Exhibit A: Justice’s inexplicable dismissal of a civil lawsuit for voter intimidation against the New Black Panther Party. The Black Panthers weren’t content to endorse Barack Obama. They sent their members to the polls last November to “patrol election sites.” Fox News aired a video of two Black Panthers in military-style uniforms in a Philadelphia precinct. One of them was carrying a nightstick. . . . But instead of following through and getting an injunction to prevent this behavior in future elections, the department, now under Mr. Holder, dismissed the lawsuit against all but one of the defendants (the nightstick holder).
Exhibit B: Justice recently stopped Georgia from implementing a key provision of the Help America Vote Act. Passed in 2002, the act requires states to verify the accuracy of information voters provide on their registration forms by comparing it with state driver’s license and Social Security records — a sensible requirement.
Both of Spakovsky’s exhibits have no basis in reality. Although his tale of Black Panthers patrolling polling sites sure sounds intimidating, the real facts are nothing like von Spakovsky claims.
Two African-American men did show up at a polling place dressed as stereotypical Black Panthers, but the Philadelphia District Attorney says that she took no action because there were “no complaints and no evidence” of any wrongdoing. Similarly, Zack Stalberg, Executive Director of the nonpartisan poll monitoring organization the Committee of Seventy, says that the two strangely-dressed men were “off-putting, not quite intimidating.” Indeed, the sole basis for any allegations of voter intimidation are statements by two poll watchers from an organization called “Democrats for McCain.”
In other words, the Justice Department dismissed their claim against the Black Panthers not for some nefarious purpose, but because there wasn’t any reliable evidence showing that the Black Panthers violated the law. Now that Spakovsky no longer works there, the DOJ actually requires evidence before it brings a case.
Spakovsky’s claim that the DOJ “stopped Georgia from implementing a key provision of the Help America Vote Act” is also false. In truth the DOJ halted an illegal voter suppression scheme that systematically screened out “thousands of citizens who are in fact eligible to vote.”
Under the Georgia scheme, new voter registrations were compared to federal and state records to screen for non-matching names, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers and to screen for proof of citizenship. Thousands of eligible voters, however, were screened out because a state employee mistakenly entered the wrong information into a database. Once screened out, a voter had to jump through hoops before they could vote:
[E]lection officials can require these individuals also to appear at the county courthouse or office building, not at the voter’s convenience, but rather on a week day, during normal business hours and, pursuant to state law, with only three days notice.
Moreover, African-Americans were sixty percent more likely to be screened than white voters, and Asian and Latino-Americans were twice as likely to be falsely screened as non-citizens, a textbook violation of the Voting Rights Act.
The bottom line is this: during his disgraceful tenure at DOJ, Spakovsky routinely approved state voting practices that were later struck down by federal courts. He manipulated election law to benefit Republican candidates; he retaliated against career attorneys who stood in the way of his illegal efforts; and he even gave cash awards to career attorneys who towed the party line. Now that he is powerless, he is continuing his anti-voter crusade from the pages of the Wall Street Journal.
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hhhmmmmmmm,
June 9th, 2009 at 4:13 pmremind me once again who’s the wall street journal’s parent company? does it surprise amyome that the apologists for 43 over at news corp would hire this clown?
Is this guy Dwight Schrute’s cousin?
June 9th, 2009 at 4:14 pmWhy yes, Mr. expert on voter suppression, tell me all about voter suppression.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:15 pmI can’t tell you how much I love your opening line:
And as Bill Krystal has proven, it applies to the New York Times and the Washington Post as well. And don’t even get me started on Dick Morris and the rest of the Pep Squad (Perpetually Erroneous Pundits) that make the rounds on Fox News.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:20 pmThe only ones getting air time or space are the stooges on either side. The Reds and Blues get to offer their packaged drivel. Independent voices are relegated to the sidelines.
Look over Think Progress the last few months. Under Bush it was a good news site, often breaking stories. Now it’s full of drivel.
Bush-era vote suppression guru Hans von Spakovsky is sad. TP is the other side of the two party coin. Both devalue a reasoned, enlightened democracy.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:21 pmThe only reason the right wing keeps throwing out claims of voter intimidation is because they lost… if McCain had won, there would be a vast silence from Mr. Von Spakovsky
June 9th, 2009 at 4:23 pmMy name was removed from the voter lists here in Ga before the presidential election last November. They had no reason for doing it since I vote in all national, state, and most local elections. Of course Handel was SOS then and was trying with all her might to reduce the # of minorities who would turn out to vote.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:23 pmNow that Spakovsky no longer works there, the DOJ actually requires evidence before it brings a case.
WHOA!!!!!! BURN, BABY!!!
In fact, this entire post was a verbal smackdown of epic proportions.
I guess it’s on now? Battle Royale!
June 9th, 2009 at 4:27 pm“TOED the Party line” NOT “towed the party line”
It’s a pet peeve of mine.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:28 pmSpaz, igmoe, it was a (R) president and a (R) senate and a (R) house and a (R) DOJ at that time.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:34 pmShorter conservatives:
If they really think those two guys were part of some plot, I’d love to see these clowns walk around the east side of KC on a Friday night. Plotter everywhere! OH NOESSE!~!!!!one
The stupid really does burn.
GOD BLESS PREVIEW!! Nice job, TP!
June 9th, 2009 at 4:35 pmCaption Contest: WaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaA!!!
June 9th, 2009 at 4:54 pmIgmoe, ACORN was not accused of oppressing votes.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:56 pmWipey, read more.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:58 pm… no conservative can be so disgraced that they cannot later be published in the Wall Street Journal…
what’s THAT mean…?
now that it’s a murdoch property, WSJ is just another bird cage liner…
not?
and the editorial page was always fright wing…
June 9th, 2009 at 5:07 pmnot?
That smelly little girl is here too?
June 9th, 2009 at 5:10 pmXisithrus Says:
Igmoe, ACORN was not accused of oppressing votes.
June 9th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
______________
As if the facts have ever stopped ignorant trolls like obamawipes from spewing their talking points…
June 9th, 2009 at 5:14 pmWipey says….Nothing.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article852295.ece
Suck on it troll!
June 9th, 2009 at 5:16 pmand, Ian, you sent this to the WSJ for publication, right?
i mean the rubes that do read it should know the truth…
June 9th, 2009 at 5:18 pmHey asswiper, I’m waiting for you to refute #22. C’mon. Show you have real balls.
June 9th, 2009 at 5:19 pmHey asswiper, when are you going to show what balls you have by refuting #22?
June 9th, 2009 at 5:20 pmThat little girl really needs to check her diet…
June 9th, 2009 at 5:22 pmpoof…
June 9th, 2009 at 5:23 pmConservativeForProgress Says:
Indeed, the sole basis for any allegations of voter intimidation are statements by two poll watchers from an organization called “Democrats for McCain.”
______________________________________________
Are you serious? There is actual video of the Black Panthers in military uniform at the polling place, with one carrying a night stick. There’s a second video of the cops kicking them out. You don’t find that intimidating?
Not at all. Two black guys in leather jackets? Wooo, scarrrry. Where have you lived all your life, anyway? No black people there?
June 9th, 2009 at 5:24 pmHey asswiper, let me help you some….
“Nationwide, ACORN is a favorite GOP target for allegations of voter registration fraud this year.
That’s not new. Similar complaints followed the 2004 elections. A criminal investigation in Florida found no evidence of fraud. ACORN even has a cameo role in the scandal over the 2006 firings of several U.S. attorneys by the Bush Justice Department.”
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article852295.ece
I’m waiting for your refute to this. Got balls?
June 9th, 2009 at 5:24 pmobamawipe$ Says:
Intrepid Says:
——————————————————————————–
Hey obamawipe$, I’m waiting for you to refute #22. C’mon. Show you have real balls.
obamawipe$ Says: What, that left wing bird cage liner??
Translation:
obamawipe$ Says: I neither have the balls to refute this nor do I have anything to defend my rhetoric.
Thought so.
June 9th, 2009 at 5:27 pmIt must be a bummer when even Proud thinks you are insincere, childish, and clownish…
June 9th, 2009 at 5:29 pmCan anyone provide documentation? Not that I don’t think it’s feasible, but I’d feel better with some sources.
June 9th, 2009 at 5:30 pmHey asswiper. Don’t feel all butthurt because you can’t refute the facts laid before you on the table like tonight’s dinner. C’mon, be a real man and refute #22. Man up asspimple. Hmmmmmm….. asspimple has a certain ring to it. Maybe we should call for HR 1001 and call for a vote to name you asspimple.
June 9th, 2009 at 5:33 pmConservativeForProgress Says:
You don’t find that intimidating?
June 9th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
___________
No.
Loitering, maybe, but not intimidating.
Name one voter they suppressed by standing around outside a polling place.
June 9th, 2009 at 5:33 pm“Two African-American men did show up at a polling place dressed as stereotypical Black Panthers….”
A poster above commented that the complaint was from a pro-McCain Group.
Dumb Question: How many Faux News / Rush Limbaugh / Neomaniacs turned out to watch the polls ??????
But black men are scary. Right ?
June 9th, 2009 at 5:35 pmobamawipe$ Says:
now that it’s a murdoch property, WSJ is just another bird cage liner…
not?
WSJ is just another arm of the Reich Wing fool.
June 9th, 2009 at 5:40 pmWow, it’s a troll vortex. No irrefutable facts, aggressive tone (I can almost see the knuckle marks in the dirt), predictable and often already-disproved talking points, and a hypocrisy so devoid of the tenets of irony they can’t even later claim they were joking.
Somebody call Orkin…
June 9th, 2009 at 5:42 pmjust ignore em. They hate that…
June 9th, 2009 at 5:45 pmdbadass Says:
just ignore em. They hate that…
The Troll Freeze is slipping a bit. It’s interesting that wipey has been here continuously since about 6:30 am. Must be a heck of a job that one has for itself.
June 9th, 2009 at 5:53 pmCFPee needs to coordinate better with Obama’s asswiper to get their bad poster / worse poster recommeds together.
What a bunch of childish drivel from these too. Schools out for summer for sure!
June 9th, 2009 at 5:59 pmFrom these two, too!
June 9th, 2009 at 6:00 pmSince the trolls are out thick tonight, I believe I’ll go down to the pub and join me comrades and talk a bit ‘o treason – Good Evening, and God bless Barry Fitzgerald.
June 9th, 2009 at 6:02 pmIf something happened tomorrow to make it impossible for Republics to lie, we would not hear a peep out of them.
It’s nice to know that we have new management that actually cares about protecting our rights to vote, not just Republics right to vote. I wonder how that’s going to affect the 2010 election.
June 9th, 2009 at 6:12 pmMy, my… a black panther carrying a nightstick. That ain’t nothing. The polling place where I used to vote was at a Rod and Gun Club, the “guns and jebus” type. The ultra-right-wing-bigot-hate mongers would hold target practice with their cannon size guns on election day. I’m not talking 22’s. I’m talking BIG guns. Now that was voter intimidation. I managed to get the polling place moved to a much safer facility.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:06 pmobamawipe$ Says:
Link?
Link.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:37 pmNo work tomorrow either I am assuming. What a total loser you seems to be…
June 10th, 2009 at 5:59 am