If you haven’t been able to follow Reagan-appointed federal appellate court judge Richard Posner’s stunning disavowal of his landmark 2007 polling place Photo ID law ruling – from admitting he got it wrong a few weeks ago…to unconvincingly unadmitting it this week — I’d hardly blame ya.
On this week’s BradCast on KPFK/Pacifica Radio, I tried to help make sense of the Photo ID Posner Coaster, as much as possible, and explain where it leaves the continuing fight against the ramped up GOP voter suppression in this country.
We also covered the criminal charges recently filed against repeat offender Diebold (for what the U.S. Attorney described as “a worldwide pattern of criminal conduct”); the new way that KS and AZ have come up with to keep legal voters from voting; and, with NJ Gov. Chris Christie up for re-election next week and taking a bow for his post-“Superstorm Sandy” performance one year ago this week, it seemed a good time to revisit the secret Koch Brothers audio tapes we revealed in 2011, when Christie was lauded at a secret Koch Brothers meeting in Colorado, where brother David introduced him proudly as “my kind of guy”, among other praises sung.
Oh, and Desi Doyen joined us, as usual, for the latest Green News Report and lessons — learned or otherwise — one year after “Sandy”…
MP3 Download or listen online below [appx 58 mins]…
[audio:http://bradblog.com/audio/KPFK_BradFriedman_RichardPosnerPhotoID_103013.mp3]
David Koch: I can see myself in Chris Christie
Charles Koch: I could see 3 of you in Chris Christie
I think it is a misleading to call it GOP war on voting. Who in us government of either party and who in media has really called for an open examination of electronic voting? Who in media or government has for an open hearing on the destruction of ACORN. You’re pretty alone Brad.stop implying that democrats are your friends, How about a list of who can be counted on? BTW your site is not very mobile friendly
Investigations in Wisconsin are looking into koch groups — will this snag “dark money” as it did in California?
Will it identify election fraud and then hold someone (i.e. “dark money” groups) accountable?
You posted about Diebold and federal criminal charges the other day.
I saw this post which builds on your posting (and give Brad a h/r) more about what is happening in the Badger State:
Are Feds Looking Into Dark Money & Election Fraud Here & Across America?
Actually, Adam @2, the spate of voter suppression laws are almost exclusively the product of the GOP and ALEC.
I don’t think Brad disagrees with your take on e-voting. Indeed, he has been as critical of Democrats as he is of Republicans. See, e.g., CA GOVERNOR APPROVES RADICAL NEW ELECTION LAW ENDING ALL FEDERAL TESTING OF NEW E-VOTING SYSTEMS IN THE STATE
Adam @ 2 said
I agree with your larger point, Adam. Though allow me to describe my distinction, as I see it, in covering the “GOP War on Voting” (and, actually, I prefer to use “War on Democracy”, in general, thought I didn’t in this case, for various reasons) as separate from the failures you accurately describe in the Democratic Party.
The Republican Party is actively trying to prevent legal voters from voting. They are doing so for a perceived political advantage, and lying about their reasons.
The Democratic Party, as far as I can tell, is trying to assure legal voters can vote. They are also doing so, in no small part, for their own perceived political advantage, but at least in this case, they are on the right side of the law and the Constitution and morality, whatever their reason for it.
They have been incredibly naive and/or cowardly when it comes to concerns about electronic voting and the hit-job carried out on ACORN, and I have been appropriately critical of them throughout the years for all of the above. So, to suggest I am “implying that democrats are your friends”, would be an incorrect inference on your part. I haven’t said anything about being anybody friends. I have tried to report accurately and correctly on all issues in regard to elections and election integrity, no matter where the chips fall.
I see Ernie referenced my critical coverage of Dems in their push for the terrible SB 360 law in CA. I was similarly critical of Dems recently in CO where they passed a similarly terrible “election reform” bill, and I have gone to bat many times for Republicans when they’ve gotten screwed by the voting system. (See Joe Miller in AK and Allen West in FL as just two recent examples.) And I’ve been pretty unrelenting on Eric Holder and the DoJ as well, by the way, for not doing nearly enough to fight for voting rights in states not perceived to be important enough to the Democratic Party.
Anyway, I hope that helps you understand the difference as I see it between the GOP’s purposeful, agressive “war on voting” (or, “war on democracy”, more accurately), attacking the most basic right to vote, and the DNC’s nowhere-near-agressive-enough, for any number of reasons (and some of them could very well be nefarious as well), naive, lazy, cowardly failure to do enough about it all.
I agree. It’s not very not-mobile friendly either. If I could afford to do something about both of those things, I would! 🙁
Brad & Ernie, you’re right. My responses were unfair and inaccurate. I apologize. The whole situation is driving me bonkers (even though I’m in Canada). It is like an extended version of the Twilight Zone or being trapped in a Franz Kafka story, only it is real. Or is it more like Alice in Wonderland?
Brad, I find your site quite navigable on a desktop or laptop. It wasn’t a big deal for me to look at the site on my mobile device, either, except that I had to zoom in and scroll around a lot. I’m sure any number of talented university students having the credentials you’d require, would happily step forward to make adjustments you require.