Kansas GOP Chair Sends Email Boasting of Voter Caging
By Bill W. Tuesday Dec 25, 2007 8:38am
Kris Kobach, a former counsel to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft who is currently the chairman of the Kansas GOP, sent out an email on Thur entitled "Kansas Republican Party Year in Review" in which he brags of voter caging. Blue Tide Rising has the goods:
... Kris Kobach, chairman of the Kansas GOP, sent out a self-congratulatory litany of accomplishments. Among them was one particularly eye-catching item:
"To date, the Kansas GOP has identified and caged more voters in the last 11 months than the previous two years!" [...]
Slate.com has the best comprehensive write-up on how the Republican Party employs caging techniques to suppress the votes of the poor, the deployed, and college students. (You know, likely Democratic voters.)
Did we mention it's illegal? And that Kris Kobach is proud to be doing it?
Since Kris Kobach can't expand his own party or force his own Party's members to support his candidates he's shamelessly trying to keep Democrats from voting instead. This is the stratagem of a desperate and shrinking party.
Someone needs to ask Kris Kobach which voters he's caging and how he's doing it. Someone like a newspaper editor or perhaps a Grand Jury. ... (more)
More on Kris Kobach here and here (He apparently suffers from an advanced case of Lou Dobbs disease). Depending on what methods are being used in Kobach's admitted voter caging scheme, it may very well be illegal, but hardly surprising. Voter suppression through caging lists has become a standard part of the Republican playbook to steal elections for some time now. In Sept McClatchy detailed current Republican voter caging efforts underway in Florida and Ohio to "impede Democratic-leaning minorities from voting in 2008," and back in July PBS NOW took a look at the Republican Party's voter caging plan "designed to keep Democrats from voting, allegedly by targeting people based on their race and ethnicity." Watch that video here.
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It's only cheating if you're caught, and maybe not then.
Greg Palast has been all over this for a couple of years now. If you haven't read his book "Armed Madhouse: Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf?, China Floats, Bush Sinks, The Scheme to Steal '08, No Child's Behind Left, and Other Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Class War", you need to run, not walk, to your local bookstore today and pick this up.
Like most petty thieves, these people are just not that smart. Yet, without police protection, no petty would go to jail. Since we have no Justice Department to speak of, these people know they can get away with whatever they please.
Jared Taylor-esque racial hygienists on the march in what Chris Matthews called the party of national security and of moral values on October 9th
Yes , yes, please do go ON, we're all listening.
Tactics such as "voter caging" are just more signs that the GOP "leadership" has never had any real leadership abilities to offer the voters and they know it. Just about every aspect of the U.S. from its: society, military, economy, global image you name is going down the toilet and its all due in large part this same GOP leadership. The only people that would need to use criminal or underhanded methods such as "voter caging" are those that know they are failed leaders.
Dammit, these assholes are getting more Nazi-like every damn day.
When any person or group of persons is so unconcerned with prosecution that they can BRAG about committing a crime without concern (or even an inkling of shame) regarding any possible consequences for what they've done, people better sit up and take notice that something is SERIOUSLY wrong.
1] When asked specifically what he meant by his caging statement, Mr. Kobach responded: "I can't recall" and everybody said o.k. and moved on.
2] When asked specifically what he meant by his caging statement, Mr. Kobach responded:"I was referring to actual cages where we put people until they came to their senses and voted Republican. We would never wash names from voter rolls - *that's* illegal!"
Look, anyone who thinks either the Republicans or Democrats have an ounce of righteousness among them ought to read Dick Morris' recently released book 'Outrage'. What our elected politicians have been doing to this country is more than an Outrage, its immoral, unethical and downright illegal. Morris takes an unbiased and heavily documented approach to revealing just what goes on in Washington. I smell an American Revolution in the air. Maybe not this year or next but soon. It seems essential if we are to restore our nation.
theWalrus @ 9:
Does this fuckhead need a kick to balls or what?
This story needs a lot more attention. I hope Josh Marshall et al, ThinkProgress and Keith Olbermann don't jump all over it.
dugg it
Last election a political party in a city here, actually gave food to a few poor people, in exchange for their votes.
They got seriously burned over it, though technically, it was not illegal as such.
When I look at what you have had to deal with the last decade, I honestly am not sure I can believe my eyes.
OK, I'll say the obvious.
How ironically apropos it would be for Kris Kobach to end up in a supervised cage for illegally caging potential voters.
What more precious right is there in a democracy than the right (it should be a 'duty') to vote?
And preventing that is a heinous crime, not a peccadillo.
oops, my bad
justabill @ 12:
That's better.
So is anything going to be done about this, or is this just another story I read here and nowhere else? Over the last 8 years, I've seen the most outlandishly anti-American shite imaginable coming from their end. But not a damn whiff of repercussions.
I know voter caging is an old cliche, but I still am not convinced he is using it in that context. It has more of a homoerotica/S&M in there. Is it ignorant to assume that all Republican leaders in Middle America are?
More GOP news!
Murdoch just bought Hustler.
The only management change he's making is that all models must be republican.
We're sure gonna be looking at a lot of ugly twats.
if the repubs win this next presidential election, we are fuked as a nation
Preacher Boob @ 18:
Larry Craig is getting an expose in the Jan 08 Issue.
Scott Adie @ 10:
Don't tar all Democrats with the same brush. The worst (real) Democrat out there is better than the best Repugnant.
"The difference between bad and worse is a more important distinction than the difference between good and better." - Robert A. Heinlein
Remember 7 years ago when the Naderites said that there was no difference between G-Dub and Al Gore? Does anyone still believe that?
Preacher Boob @ 18:
Oh goody! Maybe he'll have Ann Coulter do a centerfold so we can see how big her penis is.
Caging isn't really a new thing. In 1972, I was living in Isla Vista, CA, right next to the UCSB campus. Just before the election, I got a piece of mail from a stock brokerage or some such financial business, advertising its wares. It was not the kind of advertising we students without a penny to our names usually got.
After the election, I read in the paper that the Republicans were behind the mailing. Since the Post Office wouldn't deliver mail if the recipient's name wasn't on the mail box, and since people in Isla Vista moved about every six weeks and getting your name on your new mail box was never a big priority (remember, these were the hippie days) the Republicans figured they'd be able to challenge LOTS of voters.
McGovern carried Isla Vista by a huge margin, 80%+ if I recall correctly. And I don't know how many legitimate voters were unable to vote that day because of the caging. But even if no one was prevented from voting, it wasn't because the GOP wasn't trying hard.
jay @ 19:
We've been fuked for 7 years now.
Scott Adie @ 10:
I'll have to check that book out, though I don't need anyone to tell me just how fucked up this nation is. It doesn't hurt to keep reading to stay angry and motivated. A few months ago, people laughed at me for advising them to start stocking up on food and water, and other items necesary for such times. Now they're beginning to think I(and others as well) may be onto something. The next year is going to be make it or break it time for this country.
myiq2xu @ 21:
But that is one of the best dems vs. The worst Repug that will ever exist. the famous Republican, John Wayne Gacy would've made a better President.
That doesn't prove your logic that the worst Dem, say Jeffrey Dahlmer is better than best Republican.
I wonder how he's going to deny saying what he just said, and then doing again what he just denied saying he was proud of doing.
myiq2xu @ 24:
It's been fcked since Reagan. Clinton was just a short reprieve of sorts. It fell off the cliff into insanity 7 years ago.
I agree completely
Lou Dobbs disease, i. e., protecting our borders. Stop saying anti-IMMIGRANT, it's anti-ILLEGAL ENTRANT. Too bad so many liberals can't fathom that there's a difference and that it matters very much to the legal citizens of this country.
liberalNmoderation @ 25:
Did Dick Morris mention that he's the worst offender? Love seeing the pot calling the kettle black.
These stories need to be brought to everyone's attention and OFTEN!! - I'm sick and tired seeing that fat weasel, Karl Rove playing a victim of a non-issue (voter fraud) when the murderous moron he helped put into office - probably wouldn't get elected as dog catcher in an environment where these disgusting practices couldn't take place.
kaT @ 31:
Dick Morris was too busy sucking toes to notice that he is the worst offender and a shameless opportunist - No disrespect - but you've got to be a real idiot to consider any sylable coming out of his yap as unbiased!!!!
Joe O. @ 6:
True Joe, but @ the end of the day, the only thing they care about is the fact that they have the power to continue robbing the people all around the world. They don't give a rats ass if you think they're morally bankrupt.
RockmanEnough @ 34:
Agreed. For them, its all about greed and power and they will do anything and everything to keep it.
Look, politics is a game.
Hell, humans have turned all of life into a game.
In civilized societies, we play the games with rules, either in an attempt to make the 'game' 'fair and just', or at least attempt to rein in some of the egregious excesses that can occur, human 'nature' being what it is.
So we (supposedly) have a nation of 'Laws'. That's what the Constitution is, a 'Law'. It's THE rule book for our society.
And when the members of our society flaunt the Law, the Constitution, and pay no penalty, guess what? Tomorrow, bigger, better, more excessive flaunting.
That's why Impeachment is so important. It's the designated penalty for the president, or other 'High Officials', ignoring the Constitution.
That's why the 'Immigration' problem is so important, the solution must not condone law-breaking.
And that's why 'Voter Caging' must be dealt with promptly, and severely, and so must tamperable voting machines, because if we don't do our best to assure fair voting for all, we don't have a 'democracy'.
I agree wholeheartedly, Preacher Boob. There is a systemic problem in most so called democracies today. Not only in the US, but in Europe as well. This leads to apathy which spirals the problem. The question is: How do we stop the vicious circle.
Caging caannot be accomplished without the full cooperation of the Secretary of State. In this case Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh.... a longtime REPUBLICAN. The Kansas Democratic party need to file a federal law suit against the Secretary of State.
And they need to do it now!
What is pitiful is that, to the best of my knowledge, caging is only illegal when it is explicitly racial caging.
This really highlights the fact that our lapdog Democrats have failed to do ANYTHING to reform the electoral system in our country.
During the 2006 elections I had probably 4 people call me and ask me if they should bother to vote. I told them all that the Thugs can only get away with stealing a close election. They certainly are working "enhance" their vote rip-off technology.
this date is the first day of kwanzaa:
umoja or unity.
salam malakim my brothers and sisters.
myiq2xu @ 29:
Hare may have been better than Burke, but I never would've invited either over drinks.
If this practice is indeed legal, where the hell is the enforcement of the rule of law? Has bush taken this country to a state where laws don't matter, and the repukes and those who emulate them can do whatever they damn well please?
We really are in trouble here, and it will only get worse if fascists continue to run our country - be they repuke or demoquack.
Caging is what ? Yeow, blazing saddles. As Slim Picking’s said “ what is the wide world of sports is goin here”. The latest and greatest term for wire taping telephones and the Internet. When is America going to believe we have
“Wal-Mart” minds of the GOP driving America into the ground, now using the caging method. Yikes.
Currently watching the Family for Online Internet Safety, on C-Span. The real glaring thing about this association is the people who work in it. Mostly CEO’s, Directors, and high level people in corporate America. All this leads me to a ponder on a prophecy of what has been going on ever since the Internet inception. Plus this new ideal of caging going on.
This Kansas politician likely has been part of a cartel of the Republicans which already have servers, hubs and Internet equipment with proprietary software to create your profile and put every American into a “caged” data base, and use and abuse any way they can make a buck, or proliferate power. All the while parading around the social responsibilities of safety for our children. Likely the “Mark Foley” effect is in full swing here.
All installed to prevent a self regulation private citizenry that can flush out investigating those secret trust fund babies. The cartel is doing nothing more then protecting their perversion of profiteering so they set up baby setting software to prevent their very own from giving the public any chance of an ideal of what they really do to swindle more money into those secret trust fund baby accounts. Believe it there are whole generations that have no clue as to what Compassion is, or understand what the reality is that is going on, George Bush is infinite proof.
I read this article and groaned aloud. Having gone through the Florida 2000 and 2004 elections, I knew what kinds of people engaged in the vote caging in Florida. These people have no consciences, no ethics, and likely no morals. They should not be allowed anywhere near any political or legal position of responsibility. They are common criminals. I was a registered Republican and I felt disgust, as did many others I knew who witnessed these actions. I can also assure everyone that the news outside of the state of Florida did not report the actual news, but rather a prepared version that did not reflect the reality on the ground in Florida.
I don't know who I blame more in vote caging, the rePUGs who as a force are better than Icepick Harry at criminal endevors or the Demo leadership who havent done much about caging over the years especially when a judge during Reagans term threw the book at at the rePUGs.
Kris Kobach is a thug in a Brooks Brothers suit. And proud of it. He has run for the KS-03 house seat held by Dennis Moore and lost decisively (but I'm sure it was the fault of those brown and black people in Wyandotte County that he was thumped, not the goodly god-fearing white folk in Johnson County.) He is all for sending the U.S. military to the southern border to stop illegal immigration, as he advocated at the 2004 Republican convention, but he hasn't said a word about the employers who hire undocumented workers.
If the feds don't step in on this, Kansas is screwed. The Attorney General is resigning in a sex scandal (but the malfeasance and harassment took place while he was still a Republican).
The caging ploy really got ginned up after Nancy Boyda kicked Jim Ryun to the curb in the KS-02 in 2006. The KS-02 is home to both Ft. Leavenworth and Ft. Riley, and the military vote put Boyda over the top. (Contrary to popular belief, military families vote locally when they have kids in the school system.)
natisman @ 45:
Yeah, which pig has the worst shade of lipstick?!
Disenfranchising voters is not a solely Republican phenomenon. Repugs do it by removing voters from rolls. Democrats do it by keeping candidates off ballots. I'd like to see Gregg Palast focus some of his energy on that dirty little secret.
When it comes to using disgusting tactics to suppress democracy, Republicans have nothing on the Democrats. Just ask Ralph Nader.
Sorry guys/gals, but......The United States of America broke untold international laws by invading TWO sovereign nations, and killing a million plus of it's citizens. Yesterday being the so-called "christian" holiday, many more were killed in numerous attacks that were created because the US is there. Period. Voting caging? Big deal. If these clowns are not all on trial in an international tribunal and sentenced for crimes against humanity, then there is something right screwed about the US. Whether you voted for these idiots or not, is it not YOUR responsibility to make them accountable not just to the US voter, but to the world as a whole? Do you not owe that to the world? Voter caging? Good God, is that ever terrible. Why, what's next? Perhaps they'll try to forcibly bring democracy to the USA!!!
rtbwa @ 33:
Worst offender? Compared to damn near anything you care to mention that's gone on(still goin on) in this "administration" by damn near EVERYONE involved top to bottom...one could hardly claim that Morris is the worst offender. I know he's no saint, not by a long shot...These repubs make him look like one though. So, I scoff at thee!
Concerned Canuck, it IS a big deal - the thugs retain control and give it a patina of legitimacy by manipulating who votes.
Vote caging is just one essential ingredient of the Republican strategy of "Divide, Suppress and Conquer" which aims to drive down the participation of potential Democratic and independent voters through unprecented redistricting, curbs on registration, onerous new ID requirements, and polling place eligibility challenges.
For the details, see:
"Supreme Court Test for GOP Vote Suppression Strategy."
--Blue Girl @ 51:
It's well documented that both parties are corrupt. So? You people vote for them. Daily people praise 'em whether they be Dems or Reps. They claim to represent you to the world, as they kill, rape and pillage. No guilt?
Paladin @48
That's a bit of a stretch. To be a valid comparison you'd need a representative from the Democratic party stopping people from signing a petition to show Nader had sufficient votes to even be a candidate.
Are you saying that representatives of the Democratic party are preventing people from signing petitions? Or that they are also caging voters?
If so how about some proof.
RockmanEnough @ 37:
We must insist on our lawmakers creating rational laws. We must elect a rational law-enforcer, in the presidency. Who, not so incidentally, we can trust to appoint rational law-interpreters.
None of this can be done without an as-fair-as-possible voting system, so insuring that must be priority ONE.
Paladin @ 48:
Wingnut Troll response to GOP scandal #1: "The Democrats do it too!"
I am one of the people screaming for better representation and primary challengers. But seriously - this "pox on both there houses" schtick is getting old.
People used to say that there was really no difference in the two parties. The last seven years have show us that the folks who said that were abysmally, horribly, perfectly WRONG. Turns out that there really is a difference.
So what would you have us do down here? Just stop having a government? Or keep struggling to repair the one we have?
Personally, I kinda fell in love with the notion of the government we learned about in ninth grade Civics, and think we ought to give it a go.
So what would you have us do down here? Just stop having a government? Or keep struggling to repair the one we have?
When a government is worse than no government then it's time to get rid of it. I think that's Common Sense, or something Thomas Paine said.
Thomas Paine didn't have all those Nukes to keep track of when the government went away.
That is what made the demise of the Soviet Union so scary - the number of nuclear powers practically doubled overnight. In place of one, now there were four.
I'm all for a revolution, I just think we ought to use ballots a while longer, rather than head right for bullets.
They aren't going to be subtle in 08. Expect GOP vote theft in every state, every precinct. They know with a bankrupt platform and lunatic candidates its their only chance. Steal, intimidate, lie-- its the new GOP.
myiq2xu @ 56:
Wingnut Troll response to GOP scandal #2: "The Democrats did it first!"
Tell you what...let's all send letters to all of our Congresspersons, the President and Vice President and all federal appointed officials and make it something that requires response. If they don't respond with a signature, let's strip them of their voting privileges. Come to think of it, we could send letters to all registered Republicans. Let's challenge them.
What more precious right is there in a democracy than the right (it should be a ‘duty’) to vote?
In Australia - you are actually fined if you don't vote and I'm all for it.
Lets just get some good hemp rope - lots of it!
Time for a good ol fashioned nationwide necktie party!
Wasn't there a restraining order against the repug party for voter caging? Why are they still able to do this? These democracy- hating thugs need to be completely removed from power next year.
Koback is the brains behind the Loyalty Oath. When even the "Freepers" think you've gone too far, you should probably reassess.
The Republican Party has been made into the image of its number one financial supporter, the number one molder of their thoughts. Unfortunately for the USA and the world, the conservative movements' savior and go to guy wants democracy replaced with theocratic fascism so that has become conservatism's goal.
The conservative movement's savior.
Conservatisms' number one funder.
--Blue Girl @ 59:
Heh, I think of that "quote" as a response to any calls to do away with government. Many years ago I'd go for anarchy. But came to the conclusion that it would only work if a constant state of individuals struggling against each other (the way of nature) or in a stagnant society and culture where no change ever occurs.
Revolution is as natural as the Earth going around the Sun. Popular vote is just a means to allow change to be bloodless. I'd just wish those wanting to prevent it would see the alternative is much less attractive.
--Blue Girl @ 57:
That is a good point. The Democrats work hard with Republicans in the spirit of bipartisanship to achieve Republican goals, but Republicans don't work with Democrats to achieve Democratic goals.
I see now.
Wait till they find out that God and Jesus are not a republican or democrat. Oh my....
The whole purpose of the American political class is to maintain power by thwarting the substance of popular sovereignty while maintaining its form.
Shortly after the American Revolution the US govt was taken over by precisely the same corporate interests intent on global expansion that the Revolution was fought to end.
The only difference was that the British were no longer the profiteers, it was "Americans" (mostly) doing the plunder-for-profit.
In 1845 the US annexed Texas, which had just seceded from Mexico. In the ensuing Mexican American War (1846-48) the US (by the doctrine of Manifest Destiny) took one third of what had been Mexico, thus gaining all of what is now Texas, Utah, Nevada and California, most of Arizona & New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
The California Gold Rush immediately ensued, bringing great wealth to the US and to many individuals as well.
The key issue in the American Civil War was whether the Southern slave owners would be allowed to expand into the Western regions, or whether the Northeastern Industrialists (the "War Democrats") and the Republicans (MidWestern railroad interests) would control the Western expansion.
Anyone who seriously believes that "freeing the slaves" by the Federal Govt was anything more than an economic issue -- crippling the South & freeing up enormous amounts of cheap exploitable labor to develop the West -- need only reflect on how that Federal Govt treated the American "Indians".
The same Federal Govt whose boundless compassion freed the slaves, then committed genocide on the "Indians" ?
Yeah .. right.
And there you have it. The Era of the Robber Barons was born in the mid & late 1800's. The US Govt emerged as a wealthy, armed, expansionist force governed by the corporate industrialists, some are Democrats, some Republicans.
The House of Bush was born in this era. Samuel Prescott Bush sold railroad parts to EH Harrington's Union Pacific Railroad, then rose to War Profiteering in World War One.
My MAIN point is -- this did NOT start yesterday.
World War One was orchestrated by the War Profiteers.
World War Two was orchestrated by the War Profiteers. Prescott Bush & EH Harrington's son were -- MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE -- responsible for Hitler's rise in Germany. Sure, the noble Americans fought & defeated Hitler -- but WHO profitted from BOTH SIDES during that War? And WHO worked hard to get that WW2 started?
Yup -- the Bushes & their buddies.
Suggested reading: Smedley Butler: War Is A Racket
This practice is illegal, so why can't some concerned Kansan file a criminal complaint against Kobach? He has already provided the evidence!
Is caging illegal Kansas?
Ohio, Florida laws could dampen Democratic voting
--Blue Girl @ 46:
Shit. This is perfect timing (for the GOP) since our AG is in transition. I don't see Morrison fighting this one. No one will listen to him, and the next Dem AG will have to be spotless.
Beside the point, but doesn't Kobach still have a radio show too? I caught it one night where he spewed typical O'Reilly talking points about Jebus in the public square. Dennis Moore (D-3rd) has sat on the fence, and certainly won't take any lead on impeachment, but I'm sooooooooo glad he beat Kris Kobach.
If it's illegal, where the FUCK are the authorities knock-knock-knockin' on that door?
UnEasyOne @ 61:
#3: It's Clinton's fault!
I'm a democrat but am registered as republican. I vote in their primaries for the weakest candidate and then cast my vote. Sadly, I get all their rhetoric in my mailbox, but whatever... i pick up dog poop with it.
Caging? Yeah, it'd be good for the GOP leadership.
May I recommend a convenient vacation unit on the coast of Eastern Cuba??
rtbwa @ 33:
I'm sure this was planted here to sell books written by a republican nut-case.
Dick Morris: Scumbag. Hooker lover. Fox Noise analyst favorite. Two-faced to the max.
Don't buy the book.
Anyone who is seriously talking about revolution should consider a few things first:
1) Not everyone will agree with you. Right now, 25% of the people in our country still approve of G-Dub. During the American Revolution, only about 1/3 supported it, 1/3 were against, and 1/3 didn't care. (Actually, it was a rebellion, not a revolution, and it was the elites in the colonies that most actively supported it.)
2) Look at places that had revolutions during the 20th Century, like Russia and Mexico. Do you really want to see that happen here?
3) If you succeed in scrapping our current system,