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Prosecute the Crossovers?
- Filed under: Democrats '08, Ohio Government
- Date: Mar 27,2008
Openers: About 17,100 Republicans and 3,000 Democrats in Cuyahoga County switched parties in the March 4 primary, the county Board of Elections found during an investigation of whether voters lied when they signed affidavits pledging allegiance to their new party.
But Ohio's elections chief warned Tuesday against prosecuting any of these 20,119 crossover voters because doing so could be a violation of free-speech rights.
This whole notion is just dumb. CC Board of Elections member Sandy McNair wants county prosecutor Bill Mason to look into this whole situation (now known as Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos"). Mason said "It's going to be very difficult if not impossible to make a case against a voter who has switched parties." No kidding. The county's prosecutors office is overworked as is, you know, with stuff that is actually important. Our "exceptional" SoS, Jennifer Brunner, doesn't even think this is practical. (Exceptional is how my liberal colleague here, Kyle, termed Brunner in his post yesterday. Obviously I do not share the same opinion.)
I suppose if we did go forward and try to go after the offending voters then we would also need to find out which staffers from the Clinton and Obama campaigns called known Republican households and asked them to switch parties while soliciting their vote. Maybe even Barry and Hillary themselves would be found to have made a call or two. Get Ken Starr on the line!!
Democrats are just mad that Republicans are influencing their primary - even though many of them have voted for McCain in the past and they orgainzed an effort to vote for Romney in Michigan last month because they thought he would be easy to beat. It is your own fault for having the best two candidates ever!! Which party and their complicit media partners have also been planting fake documents and stories to influence elections in the past? Democrats. Maybe some of those people should be facing jail time, no? Are we going after the 3,000 Dems that picked up a Republican ballot as well?
If this whole crossover voter thing is that big of a deal to you, here is my advice: start thinking of strategies to change the law and make it a closed primary. McNair himself could run for elected office and make this issue his main platform. But prosecution sure doesn't seem like a real smart way to "unite" the country, now does it? Did it ever occur to you people that maybe some of the people actually plan on voting for the Democrat candidate in November? It shouldn't, since all I hear is how bad Republicans are. If anything, maybe Bill Mason should take look at McNair's role on what has to be one of the most poorly run board of elections in the United States.
The Reynoldsburg based blog, Fundamental Truths, disagrees with me and says Brunner needs to go after the party switchers. King of King's Right Site agrees with me.
(UPDATE, 3/28): Limbaugh safe from voter fraud charges.
What say you?
16 Responses for "Prosecute the Crossovers?"
Agreed. It'd be a waste of time and energy to continue on with the investigation. Fix the problem for future primaries so that it can't happen again and move on.
Ben -
I remarked about this when the Democrats on the Cuyahoga County "Bored" of Elections first thought about becoming the new "Thought Police."
Furher Brunnehilda has accomplished the first task of getting Hillary elected - she stole the Ohio primary for her. This is why she will refuse to address any cross over votes.
When they say she fixed the election process in Cuyahoga County - they're correct! She did "FIX" the election, but not in a way to restore integrity. Many long time poll workers have expressed that this recent election was the worse they ever witnessed. Top to bottom in every aspect.
People (some) of both parties were responsible for this though. The Democrats for being blind to not see how Brunner's actions directly influenced their primary for the benefit of Brunnehilda.
GOP chair Blob Bennett and his quest/struggle to keep his seat on the Cuy. Co. "Bored" of Elections is the event that started the ball rolling in enabling Furher Brunnehilda and her goose-stepping, Nazi-like tactics.
Now the dems cry foul because O'Dumbo lost the Ohio primary and the GOP cries she is out of control and it is their ego-bloated chairman that empowered her.
And I thought the Republicans were supposed to be the "Thought Police."
Once again, Secretary of State Brunner makes the right call. Please stand at your computer and giver her a well deserved round of applause.
The whole primary system leads to problems like these arising. Each primary/caucus in each state has a different set of rules and a different set of voting guidelines. Streamline the process with each state having closed primaries for each party. Do away with the time consuming caucuses, and do away with open primaries and rules that allow people to switch parties on a whim.
Why would you want to make all primaries close? I don't get it - how does segmenting the population and restricting voters from supporting a potential candidate of their choice embody the principles of the electoral process? The primaries should be completely open. And, the thought of prosecuting crossover voters should be thrown out the window. Maybe Marc Dann could come out and say it would be a waste of taxpayers' money, since he needs to ensure he has some left over for his state paid gas, driver, and flame painted SUV.
Kyle - your support of Brunner is nearly as disgusting as Ben's support of Blackwell was. You shoul dbe embarrassed to have your name attached to any statement supporting her.
It is implausible to go after any of the voters, because it will be impossible to find their real intent.
2 Exceptions:
1) Voters that later go on record about committing the fraud (perhaps on a website, or something). However, hunting thru all that seems a waste of time. But if a clear case is presented where someone brags on their website about the fraud, prosecute them. Its a crime.
2) Rush Limbaugh himself could and should easily be prosecuted for his solicitation to commit voter fraud (assuming the jurisdictional issues could be overcome, which i don't know enough about). Limbaugh openly encouraged voter fraud, on a wide-scale.
And while all this may seem stupid, it is what it is: IT IS VOTER FRAUD.
It may have happened in other places (Dems in MI), but that is no excuse.
So I would prosecute under those exceptions. Then if the entire pledging/declaration process is struck down, then so be it.
My thought is this….get over it! Its in the past. It did not influence the outcome of the election. And if you believe it did, I'd like to see the evidence.
If you don't like the way Ohio handles its primary, lobby the legislative brench to change it.
Finally, as democrats, we have bigger things to worry about than prosecuting Rush Limbaugh.
The crossover voters are sufficiently punished by having to carry on their conscience that they voted for Sen. Clinton.
Chuck, there have been two people who have called into Rush Limbaugh's show who say they are Republicans who have been elected delegates for Hillary in Texas. Their states intent is to game the convention to try and make Hillary the nominee.
In Texas, the Limbaugh cult members, in a conspiratorial election fraud caper, helped hand Hillary a very close primary election. Obama actually won the delegate competition. Some 100,000 strong Limbaugh Marauders made the difference in the popular vote count.
What to do? In a country where lawlessness by the powerful is so rampant and easily accepted as just the way it is…..there's really nothing that can be done.
The Democrats, after this cycle, should tighten their rules….but that won't make any difference, not really….not while lawlessness is part of the GOP platform.
The GOP needs to be dismantled, the criminal portion discarded, and a new party formed. Snowballs, hell….
I agree with what Large Bill said….there is no way I could ever vote for Clinton or Obama. I could never let myself do it.
[...] that — It turns out that crossing over works in both directions (HT Ben Keeler at The Point): About 17,100 Republicans and 3,000 Democrats in Cuyahoga County (CC) switched parties in the [...]
Large Bill–
I do not believe it is accurate to use the word "conscience" & "Democrat" in the same sentence.
You can't be one, if you have the other.
Republicans like Ben should be the ones going to jail for their support of people like Bush, Cheney, Taft, Blackwell, etc.
Thanks Tom…I have come to count on you for insightful comments.
A simple solution to this game that both sides play is that a person can change parties but must wait for 6 months after changing affilitation before voting in the primary. End of problem.
NOW ON TO THE REAL ISSUE—-Why in the hell should the public be forced to pay for the parties primaries. Let the parties pay for their own dog and pony show. We have better things to do with our tax dollars.
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