Thursday, October 07, 2004
Smellin' Pollcats?
Dog with a bone on this, sorry… but after all the hard work we’ve done it would be, well, incendiary to try to flush it. Nothing anywhere about a contingency plan for how to handle any event that disrupts the Day that the Forces of Evil are Defeated (Nov. 2). Anywhere I can find, anyway. Thanks to shystee for the tip on Soaries. Nothing there, either, about a plan. But they’re sure kicking up a lot of dust about the possibility that it could happen:
“Attorney General John Ashcroft quietly has issued a sweeping directive that authorizes the FBI to use hundreds of law enforcement agents from other federal agencies to help investigate any terrorist plots that target the Nov. 2 elections. The directive - the first of its kind since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks - allows the FBI to tap agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of a nationwide effort by FBI-led counterterrorism units to seek out and stop any plots against the elections…”
Whenever Asscroft does something “quietly,” it’s time to worry.
But the persistent warnings about terrorism also have drawn skepticism from some Democratic election officials and civil-rights advocates who have accused the Republican White House of creating a climate of fear that, among other things, could suppress voter turnout. Heavy voter turnout historically has favored Democrats in U.S. elections.
Engy Abdelkader, civil-rights director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says that Arab-Americans and other minorities could choose to stay away from the polls if they believe that federal agents will be questioning people there. "This could have a very politically chilling effect on our community," Abdelkader says. "We are monitoring this very closely."
via FBI to get help on Election Day plots
Meanwhile, some Democratic election officials are questioning whether there is a political angle to the Bush administration's repeated terrorism warnings. Rebecca Vigil-Giron, a Democrat who is New Mexico's top election official, says she wonders whether the warnings amount to a veiled Republican effort to suppress voter turnout. Historically, heavy turnout in U.S. elections has favored Democrats.
Attorney General John Ashcroft… this week rejected the notion that the Republican White House has hyped the threat to discourage voting. Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo says it is "absolutely absurd that we would seek to depress the vote."
Still, there is skepticism. Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, a Republican, says he was "flabbergasted" at the reaction last month when he sent letters to local election clerks urging them to develop plans to respond to "an immediate and present danger." Some local officials accused Rokita of trying to intimidate voters. "Given the concern about terrorism," he says, "I felt somebody ought to be out ... making sure we were talking to each other."
via Election warning causes anxiety
Skepticism? No, we’re trusting little sheep. Look, it just makes sense that if you suspect an attack could occur, you would plan for how to handle the elections if it did. But they’re not doing that. They’re pulling out all of the law enforcement stops to “investigate” vague warnings and ramp up fear. Could be CYA after 9/11, but it could be voter intimidation. WTF? I smell a setup.
And the rumblings on the street are that if anything should happen that smells like someone is polecatting up the polls on Nov. 2, the cry will rise up: “To the barricades, citizens!” Surely even the beltway zombies can see what would happen if the election craters. Can’t they? Oh, right. These are the ones who planned so carefully for iWaq and worked tirelessly to prevent 9/11. Never mind, Ms. Litella.
“Attorney General John Ashcroft quietly has issued a sweeping directive that authorizes the FBI to use hundreds of law enforcement agents from other federal agencies to help investigate any terrorist plots that target the Nov. 2 elections. The directive - the first of its kind since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks - allows the FBI to tap agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of a nationwide effort by FBI-led counterterrorism units to seek out and stop any plots against the elections…”
Whenever Asscroft does something “quietly,” it’s time to worry.
But the persistent warnings about terrorism also have drawn skepticism from some Democratic election officials and civil-rights advocates who have accused the Republican White House of creating a climate of fear that, among other things, could suppress voter turnout. Heavy voter turnout historically has favored Democrats in U.S. elections.
Engy Abdelkader, civil-rights director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says that Arab-Americans and other minorities could choose to stay away from the polls if they believe that federal agents will be questioning people there. "This could have a very politically chilling effect on our community," Abdelkader says. "We are monitoring this very closely."
via FBI to get help on Election Day plots
Meanwhile, some Democratic election officials are questioning whether there is a political angle to the Bush administration's repeated terrorism warnings. Rebecca Vigil-Giron, a Democrat who is New Mexico's top election official, says she wonders whether the warnings amount to a veiled Republican effort to suppress voter turnout. Historically, heavy turnout in U.S. elections has favored Democrats.
Attorney General John Ashcroft… this week rejected the notion that the Republican White House has hyped the threat to discourage voting. Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo says it is "absolutely absurd that we would seek to depress the vote."
Still, there is skepticism. Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, a Republican, says he was "flabbergasted" at the reaction last month when he sent letters to local election clerks urging them to develop plans to respond to "an immediate and present danger." Some local officials accused Rokita of trying to intimidate voters. "Given the concern about terrorism," he says, "I felt somebody ought to be out ... making sure we were talking to each other."
via Election warning causes anxiety
Skepticism? No, we’re trusting little sheep. Look, it just makes sense that if you suspect an attack could occur, you would plan for how to handle the elections if it did. But they’re not doing that. They’re pulling out all of the law enforcement stops to “investigate” vague warnings and ramp up fear. Could be CYA after 9/11, but it could be voter intimidation. WTF? I smell a setup.
And the rumblings on the street are that if anything should happen that smells like someone is polecatting up the polls on Nov. 2, the cry will rise up: “To the barricades, citizens!” Surely even the beltway zombies can see what would happen if the election craters. Can’t they? Oh, right. These are the ones who planned so carefully for iWaq and worked tirelessly to prevent 9/11. Never mind, Ms. Litella.
