This year's primary elections were a total failure. And while it's easy to blame Democratic Marion County Clerk Beth White, who now admits her office did not adequately prepare for the primary, Republican Doris Ann Sadler, who previously held the office, had just as many problems. Maybe it's time we blame the elected officials who control the budgets and pass laws concerning elections--Republicans and Democrats.
Sadler had just as many problems? Let's blame Republicans and Democrats? Please do us a favor, Nuvo, and never publish another story on the state's Voter ID law. Nobody has been disenfranchised because of Voter ID. Plenty of people were disenfranchised last Tuesday because Beth White "did not adequately prepare for the primary" as you put it. I'm surprised your paper doesn't care about that fact.
41 comments:
Arrgh. You may be an R and I might be a D, but none of that means anything if we aren't both little ds (first and foremost, believers in democracy). As a society, we have to stop viewing democracy as a political tool to be used to help one party over another. To all my fellow Ds: if there is a conflict between the values of democracy and the political realities of the D party- CHOOSE DEMOCRACY. Same to the Rs. Both parties need to reevaluate the hierarchy of values that are seriously out of wack in this country.
To rephrase what I've said on other posts: democracy is not about a candidate getting elected, a party winning a campaign- it's about the right of CITIZENS to vote. If you even begin to have the thought- well...but, if that citizen was gonna vote for X party/person, then... Stop right there- reevaluate. Be a little d above all else. Shame on NUVO and both parties for not immediately calling for and implementing new elections in the precincts that didn't open. This should have been done immediately- because democracy requires it. Period.
Again- arrgh- sorry for the rant AI :)
Another thing to consider: NUVO comes out on Wednesday, the election was on Tuesday, with the debacle most certainly unfolding after deadline. By the following Wed., it was old news.
And besides, NUVO is unabashedly progressive, it's an alternative newspaper, not a major metro daily. You would have to expect such a slant.
There is nothing progressive about being wishy-washy about democracy.
All I'm saying is that it's kind of silly to go after Nuvo on this one. I think if you confronted their news editor and accused her of being biased, the answer you would get is "well, duh."
"In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors" - Supreme Court J. Black
If NUVO's "bias" is towards D governors over their resonsibility to the governed (the voters), I would say that deserves more of a response than- well duh.
NUVO can be unabashedly biased as to the different groups of competing governors, but in choosing to protect a government official over the people- no way.
Erin, you're not getting it. NUVO is not the same is the Indy Star, they can be as biased towards the Dems as they want. IT'S AN ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER.
Do you express the same outrage that Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity don't criticize Republicans and blame liberal Democrats for everything from poverty to prickly heat? I don't, because they don't have to. It's their show, if you don't like the bias then don't listen to it.
Likewise with Nuvo. The INtake is on the stand right next to it. If you don't want Nuvo's leftward bias, don't pick it up.
Jeff- this may surprise you, though it shouldn't if you read what I wrote- As the Former State Director for John Kerry for President (2004), field director for Julia Carson, Dep. Dir. for the Dem. State Senate Campaigns (2000) and former employee of the Marion County Democrat Party (I could go on much longer Jeff)- I don't put my party above democracy. EVER. I am a big D and little d. But, always a little d first.
You are conflating two different biases.
One- between Dems and Repubs. NUVO' s bias to Ds in that sense is fine and a part of the democratic process. A free press can endorse and promote any candidate or agenda they want.
Two- the other bias- between a government official and the people. Here, our Founding Fathers certainly envisioned a "bias". It is the PEOPLE, not the elected official (no matter what party).
The platform of the Democratic Party can be transposed onto other types of governance- be it a dictatorship, communism, Parliamentarian democracy or coalition power-sharing.
The same is true of the Republican Party platform.
As an American, I believe in democracy through our republic form of government. WITHIN THAT SYSTEM, I am a Democrat.
Gary, surely your feigned outrage was more tongue in cheek than anything. You really can't be surprised that left-wing rag wouldn't rat out Beth White, are you?
I mean, let's be honest here. NUVO has as much credibility as Taking Down Words or Wilson have.
Erin, I give you credit. Despite working for one of the worst offenders of vote fraud in modern Marion County electoral history, I appreciate your comments. Too bad you are in the minority in your own party.
Sorry Scribe,
The same is criticism is equally valid for the Republican Party. I suggest you take the time to study the Florida voter purge based on first initial, last name matches with a felon list. If you truly are a little d, you would be equally outraged by that as what happened in Indy. Somehow, party loyalty trumps true principle on this issue. The politization of democracy by unprincipled Republicans AND Democrats is the greatest threat to democracy today. I'll speak out against that on both sides. What say you, Scribe? By the by, feel free to share your thoughts on the last clerk's voter purge that began at midnight with inaccurate lists that was halted only after word got out...
Isn't Jeff's argument just basically you shouldn't criticize NUVO for being biased because NVUO is biased? This doesn't begin to make any sense.
Oh, Erin please spare me. Rs are just as guilty of voter fraud as your party, they're just a bit more subtle. I've seen too many Carson operatives changing ballots with pencils (pre-machine days), too many Carson cars taking seniors from precinct to precinct, too many of those same cars making pick-up stops at Wheeler Mission, too many Carson voters with addresses where that home has been vacant for over ten years, and more. When you've been around the scene as long as I have, you'll see that and more regularly. The myth of a Carson machine is just that, a myth. Bragging about working for her doesn't gain credibility in my eyes, as I wonder how much of that you turned a blind eye to?
And don't get me started about Florida in particular, as it was your party who led the effort to suppress the military vote down there, and then to only count ballots that would be favorable to your boy Ozone Man.
Come clean, then try to lecture me about election ethics.
I love your wonderful speech about "The politization of democracy by unprincipled Republicans AND Democrats is the greatest threat to democracy today.", then you proceed to do that very thing by spreading false and unsubstantiated rumors in an attempt at a partisan smear.
I happen to know Doris Ann Sadler, and know her to be an incredibly intelligent, capable and qualified person, who did a great job in the most thankless position in politics. Your party has done nothing but attack her and slander her reputation based on nothing but partisanship. Beth White isn't qualified to drive Doris Ann to work every day, let alone fill her shoes. Her overseeing the worst electoral debacle in Marion County history proves that, and expecting the most partisan and laughed at rag in town to cover that, let alone have a Democrat even admit that, is totally absurd.
The Scribe makes some astounding accusations of felonious behavior, including the remarkable observing of fraudulent marking of paper ballots in pre-machine days by "Carson operatives". Most peculiar!
Could the Scribe inform us of the exact date the old-fashioned clunky (now retired) voting machines went into service in Marion County? Considering Ms. Carson didn't even graduate from high school until the mid-1950s and those lever machines were bought before then -- it shows The Scribe to be an out and out partisan liar and fabricator. A peddler of racist urban myths. A LIAR, pure and simple!
Silly Scribe,
You state that Rs use voter fraud just as Ds do and you then don't state a single real example. According to you, the Florida voter purges (which I notice you don't deny) were justified because of D efforts to block military votes? Huh..just unprincipled across the board are ya?
I'm quite aware that you "know" Doris Ann and Tim. Facts are facts, Scribe, you can check yourself. Doris Ann began a purge of voters based off of a "postcard" program that was halted as soon as it became known- in no small part due to the fact that according to the law (which no matter how much you like Doris Ann doesn't change), no such purges could be made because of how close it was to the election. There is nothing unsubstantiated about what I just stated.
Try this Scribe, have the guts to actually call out a Republican. Can you actually speak up when it is your party? Though, since you claim to be a libertarian, that isn't really fair- can you speak up when it is not a Democrat?
And to be perfectly clear, Scribe, I am not accusing Doris Ann of any sinister motives- anymore than I think Beth White had sinister motives- The issue is whether the Clerk first and foremost understands that they must actively protect and promote all citizens' right to vote. Whether by lack of adequate concern or incompetence that doesn't happen, then the Clerk has not done a good job and everyone (regardless of party) should demand the problem be addressed and fixed.
I love how The Scribe more or less accuses Erin of being a partisan shill one post after he says he "gives her credit" and despite the fact that she's the only person on this thread with the intellectual honesty to criticize her own party. In other words, Erin is laudable only when she criticizes Democratic misbehavior but is a partisan hack the moment she criticizes Republican misbehavior. What don't you get about principles and consistency Scribe?
On a side note, what is illegal (or even faintly unethical) about (a) giving the elderly rides to the polls or (b) helping homeless people to vote?
In fact, your reference to the elderly was a bit too oblique for me altogether: are you suggesting that Carson cars transported senior citizens from precinct to precinct so that the same senior citizen could vote multiple times? Whether or not something like this occurred, I'm curious to know how you could have personally observed it as you claim. Are you capable of being in multiple locations at once? Can you teleportate between precincts? Or do you spend voting days tailing "Carson cars"? Just wondering how it is that you "saw" this, as you claim, and why you didn't immediately lodge a complaint with the precinct officials.
Urban myths abound. The more often they get told, they take on a life of their own.
Scribe, if you witnessed such chicannery, you are duty-bound to report it. For the vast majority of Ms. Carson's Congressional terms and local offices she's held, there have been Republican prosecutors. You should've had at it.
The fact that you can't conjure up specifics, like dates, kinds of cars, license numbers, etc....tells me you're peddling old, fabricated and exagerated myths. And if you witnessed fraud and didn't report it, you're guilty as hell of turning your head. Shut up already.
Don't get me started on Voter ID Gary...I can name you multiple disenfranchised voters. I'd rather turn the tables: name me one case of unprosecuted voter fraud, that necessitated this ridiculous law. You can't because it didn't exist. The law was overkill, and partisan fodder for Rokita's PR machine.
And FYI, Scribe, I was an observer in Florida 2000, Broward County edition. To this day, there are tens of thousands of (mostly Democratic) votes that were never counted. Why? Because the county supervisor of elections, a Democrat, messed up ballot design, and Bush's Baker-led forces crucified her for it. As a result,the vote totals were obviously skewered. Reading true voter intent into the results, Gore won the county by even more votes than were certified. Which means he really won the state. No thanks to Katherine Harris.
But because an otherwise well-meaning elections official screwed up, we had a different president.
Fact.
FYI: I just called Ms. Carson in DC and asked about her ever using paper ballots - she laughed and said the only time they ever had to use paper ballots was when the old lever machines broke down ... She's also quite proud of having voted in every election since 1958.
Wilson - the Star reported that said that "The Capitol Hill police would not let my vehicle enter the grounds due to a security 'event' regarding the escort of a foreign dignitary," Carson's statement says.
No word on which dignitary it was."
Can you call her and ask WHO the dignatry was and what date it happened ?
Tahnks in advance
AI, Could you believe Nuvo gave one of its "Cultural Visionist" awards to Jon Keep? I thought I would throw up when I saw that. Laura McPhee obviously doesn't know shit about who's doing what in the GLBT community.
Thanks for the info Wilson.
But, just for the record, I'm not sure I'd trust history to the memory of a woman who was "looking for that little girl" less than a year ago. An imaginary little girl.
And my hope regarding her driving, is that she gets behind the wheel NEVER. For all kinds of previously-stated and currently-stated reasons.
And we should take seriously the comments of somebody who forgets to sign their own name like the above anonymous nobody?
Yeah, Laura and Nuvo should have given the cultural vision award to 8:48 PM EST, since it's really chickenshit anonymous blog commenters who have done all the work for the GLBT community.
Anon 8:48 (aka "Gutless Wonder"): Jon Keep, working for a Fortune 500 company, put himself on the front lines, BY NAME, long ago and has fought the battle quietly and effectively on many fronts. He IS a cultural visionary and a warrior. Who are you and what have you done????
The missed vote by Ms. Carson was Roll Call vote #300 on May 3rd because of the security clampdown surrounding the visit to the Hill by Presidente Uribe of Colombia...
It should be pointed out that the award referred to by the anonymous poster was actually given to IE and not to Jon Keep individually. Keep accepted the award on behalf of the organization as its president, if that makes any difference to the anonymous commenter.
Anonymous is the way it has to be sometimes, Wilson. Not all of us have retirement income from cushey government jobs. We have to protect identities because folks sometimes get upset.
Riddle me this: forget the aonoymity: what was untrue about the post above?
Nothing.
Obfuscate with that tired old mantra all you want. The truth hurts.
Since it is not totally clear what anonymous post 2:58 is referring to, I am going to guess it was 6:08 questioning whether it was in fact true that we didn't have pre-machine paper ballot voting during the era of the "Carson operatives". 6:08 didn't want to trust this bit of history to the Congresswoman's memory- quite fine, no need to do that, just check the facts. And what 2:58, do we find? Hey, Wilson and the Congresswoman are quite correct and 6:08 can rest assured that his/her suspicions were unfounded.
The mechanized lever voting machine was patented in 1889 (prior to that paper ballots were indeed used everywhere). The first lever machine was used in New York. By the 1930's lever machines were in almost every major city. While I don't know the precise year of mechanized lever machines in Indianapolis, it is clearly well before the Congresswoman's time.
The truth dear 2:58 is quite easy to find and the only one it seems to hurt is you- who prefers to remain wedded to blatently false propaganda rather than find out facts.
I called an old friend of mine, Attorney Faye Williams, a long-time League of Womens Voters activist. She told me she thought Indpls adopted the lever machines in the 1930s -- this city was using lever machines in 1958 when she arrived here herself. That's the same year Julia Carson turned 21 and started voting.
Once again, some cowardly and scurrilous anonymous Republican partisan was caught spreading patently false and racist information about "Carson operatives" committing election felonies on paper ballots. There are always the fables and slanders but never the affidavits or prosecutions...
Oh where to start, so much fun to be had.
Wilson, when the day comes that you ever stop and wonder why it is you are the laughing stock of the Indiana blogosphere, you may want to refer to this thread.
First off, are we really to believe that Carson actually 1) answers her own phone 2) knows what a phone is 3) knows who you are?
Secondly, are you POSITIVE that Marion County has never used a scan-tron type of ballot that required the use of pencil markings...ever? In any precinct...ever? Are you really sure about that? Surely you aren't that stupid, I actually think you're just trying to bluff us all.
Thirdly, you claim to have once been a player in this city (despite the fact that not a single person I've spoken to has any clue who you are, besides your asinine blog ramblings, which are as well known as Carson's idiotic public ramblings). If you really ever were a player in this town, surely the thought of voter fraud by any party can't shock you, as you try to claim. And surely you really don't think any media in this town actually care about that, especially (and in particular)if it concerns Julia.
And yes, I have personally witnessed people voting in multiple locations on the same day, a pretty common tactic. Not sure that's any worse than a certain Republican congressional candidate using his mother's address to vote from, but in the big picture who really cares?
Also Erin, while I have no doubts R's are just as guilty of fraud as D's, I've never personally witnessed it, beyond the previously mentioned candidate. I have witnessed poll workers helping people change their votes in the polling place, intimidating voters to change their votes, under the watchfull eyes of poll judges and even members of the media. What I have also seen is that the vaunted Carson machine is mostly built upon fraud, intimidation, manipulation, intimidation and racism. Few people who think for themselves truly support her, in fact in private it's shocking how many D leaders are staunchly opposed to her. They simply don't want to risk going public (and you wonder why I blog under a pseudonym, knowledge can be dangerous to both sides).
"The Scribe" reveals its ignorance again with some real whoppers! The funniest one is whether Carson knows who I am or answers her own phone. She "signed my paychecks" for years both at Center Township and the U.S. Congress. I was her Township Clerk when she was Trustee (office right next to hers) -- I also worked part-time for her in Congress.
Yes, she answers her own personal cellphone that I used to reach her.
It's such a pity that you aided and abetted voter fraud for so many years by your conspiracy of silence. A good citizen would have filed affidavits with the Prosecutor's Office but you chose to remain shamefully silent. Or else you are simply fabricating based on urban folk myths. That's more likely!
The GOP used to claim to be the party of personal responsibility. "The Scribe" shows it is now the party of irresponsible anonymous slanders and partisan lies. No verifiability of facts and no personal reputation to rely on. Just mudslinging while hidding behind a false face. Kinda sad what the Republicans here have degenerated into...
Allow me to repeat:
Secondly, are you POSITIVE that Marion County has never used a scan-tron type of ballot that required the use of pencil markings...ever? In any precinct...ever? Are you really sure about that? Surely you aren't that stupid, I actually think you're just trying to bluff us all.
Also, I'm no more a Republican than you are, but when did you ever care about facts?
You know, I've set up press conferences releasing actual hard evidence of these things, shown pics of seniors getting out of a car with Carson signs on the sides at multiple precincts to reporters, complained on the spot to poll judges about poll workers changing ballots. What I've also seen first hand is that NOBODY cares. It's an accepted practice to cheat in elections, and Julia learned how to do it 40 years ago and built her power base from it.
Now, instead of the weak attacks, try answering my challenge. You've called me names, accused me of committing crimes myself, but haven't bothered answering the one simple thing I posted:
Secondly, are you POSITIVE that Marion County has never used a scan-tron type of ballot that required the use of pencil markings...ever? In any precinct...ever? Are you really sure about that? Surely you aren't that stupid, I actually think you're just trying to bluff us all.
Sequence of Indpls voting methods:
1. Paper ballots
2. Lever voting machines
3. Scan-tron machines
4. Touch-screen voting
Your original statement was "I've seen too many Carson operatives changing ballots with pencils (pre-machine days),.." You were called out for lying since machines were introduced in the 1930s (Ms. Carson was born in 1937). Now you bring up ScanTrons - a very feeble defense!
And why should we believe a damn thing you say? No verifiability of your facts. You have no reputation to defend since you use a fabricated identity. You were caught making up stories about marking ballots with pencils (pre-machine days). I've been an elected Democratic Precinct Committeeperson from the same precinct since 1984. And I am arguing here with a ghost with no veracity, no honesty and no identity ? Sheesh!
By the way, of course you have photos of senior citizens being delivered to the polls by vehicles with "CARSON" signs. You DO NOT have photos of the SAME senior citizens actually voting at multiple precincts. Assisting voters with free rides to the polls is an ancient and honorable and legal way of encouraging voter turnout. Do you oppose helping people to vote legally?
And why should we believe you ever were even near a voting place anywhere in Marion County ever? You are merely a figment of somebody's imagination with a pretentious pseudonym!
Hmmm... Scan-Tron machines aren't machines now? Interesting...
Those lousy facts just keep getting in the way of your cheap personal attacks on me. Darn those facts.
And frankly, I don't care if you believe me or not (though, you know for sure that it's true, you've likely participated in many of these activities). I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. If the local media doesn't care, even when I go to their offices with lists of D voters who reside in abandoned houses, why would I care if anyone else does? I mean, we're talking about a district that elects the least respected member of Congress to another term every two years (the least respected from a Congress that includes Sheila Jackson-Lee and Maxine Waters, that's saying something), so excuse me if I lack confidence in the intelligence of voters in Marion County.
Anyone who's been around the scene for even one cycle knows that cheating, in Marion County in particular, is a fact of life on election day.
Not too mention I gave you some dirt on a Republican in a prior post, yet you proved to be as sharp as your mentor in completely missing it.
One thing is for sure, you are always good for a laugh. Just don't bother wondering why no one takes you seriously (frankly if Carson is your strongest ally...well, I rest my case).
Oh yeah, it's nice to know that your hero can't be bothered with showing up for many votes (including one today, I heard), yet she has all the time in the world to take a call from her lapdog about the history of voting machines (as if she really knows such a thing). Of all the members of congress I have in my contact book, I can't imagine wasting their time with such an unbelievably stupid thing. Of course the Members I know actually show up for work, so perhaps that's why I can't relate.
Yet, I think we both know you never made such a call. Are you man enough to admit that you made that amusing little story up?
By the way, of course you have photos of senior citizens being delivered to the polls by vehicles with "CARSON" signs. You DO NOT have photos of the SAME senior citizens actually voting at multiple precincts. Assisting voters with free rides to the polls is an ancient and honorable and legal way of encouraging voter turnout. Do you oppose helping people to vote legally?
So I guess you missed the part where I said:
at multiple precincts
I see what Julia sees in you. When you're around, she gets to feel like the smartest person in the room.
By the way, I've personally checked out the residencies of all Ms. Carson's GOP opponents since 1996. All owned the property they voted from in Marion County.
I make no claim to having multiple Members of Congress in my contact book. The numbers are all available online. Big deal. Having worked for Ms. Carson for years, she and I chitchat frequently about all sorts of stuff. I feel honored.
By the way, if you call Julia Carson's local or DC office, she occasionally answers the phone in an impersonal 'receptionists voice' if she doesnt hear her staff answering incoming calls promptly enough. She's a nut about not letting phones ring ceaselessly...
By the way, I've personally checked out the residencies of all Ms. Carson's GOP opponents since 1996. All owned the property they voted from in Marion County.
Holy Amazing Computer Skills, Batman! You were able to do such a search in 10 minutes? Friggin' amazing, I say.
Wow, even when I try to feed you one, you aren't capable of taking the ball and running with it.
So here's a clue for you: Did any of her opponents use a parent's residence and vote in that precinct on election day as opposed to one 100 miles away where they actually resided? (I can't believe you are dumb enough to argue with me on something that proves your point. Only a Carson crony, for sure).
BTW, I've never seen personal cell phone numbers of Members published online, but I'll take your word for it. The one's I know actually carry out their duties, so they're usually too busy to answer their phones to help me debate some "a ghost with no veracity, no honesty and no identity ?. I'm sure she was touched that you wasted her time for such an important task, but upon reflection, what else does she do?
All her GOP opponents owned the property they voted from. Andy Horning's was kinda shaky since he'd moved his family to around Spencer and even had some auto license plates from down there. He did continue to own the house in Broad Ripple he had been voting from for years. Interestingly, he sold that house about 35 days before the election but he still used it Election Day as his residence. The poor guy was obviously such a loser, why make a fool of him after all the hollering he had been doing about voter fraud? No need to shame him personally as being a fraudster himself. Pity has its place in politics, you know!
I suppose you can assume it was Horning I was referring to if you'd like, it doesn't really matter to me. I was just pointing out the fact that you lie even more than your mentor does, though in fairness to her she likely isn't even aware that she is lying when she does it, just as she doesn't appear capable of managing her schedule, or even what wig to wear from day to day.
So far you've lied about calling her to ask about the history of voting machines, you've lied about doing a property search on former opponents, tried to muddy the waters with the whole "machine" thing (when you knew I was telling the truth).
Wilson, you are by far the most entertaining spectacle in the Indy blogosphere, though it's rather like debating a ten year old, telling them things just to get a funny response. There's no intellectual challenge involved, it's just for entertainment purposes.
The pretentious anonymous nobody who self-styles himself as "The Scribe" should ask anybody in the Eric Dickerson coterie about my demonstrated abilities in opposition research ...
Oh, but I thought Julia's campaign had nothing to do with that totally inaccurate smear that even Eric's estranged wife denounced.
Doh, hate it when the truth accidentally slips out.
Wilson and The Scribe.
Just wait 'til your father gets home and I tell him how you behaved!
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