Wonkette
Oh God now it begins: our quadrennial debate about voter fraud versus vote suppression. The head of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan has decided that a wonderful way to protect against “voter fraud” will be to get lists of foreclosed homes and check those against voter rolls to make sure that people whose houses are foreclosed — and what is that, about 130 percent of all Michigan residents at this point? — don’t get to vote if they aren’t residents of those addresses anymore.
Macomb County is in the Detroit metropolitan area and is among the most distressed counties in the nation in terms of the number of foreclosures it experiences monthly.
And according to our very esteemed and reliable information source called Wikipedia, Macomb County’s black population doubled between 2000 and 2005 as African-Americans moved out of Detroit.
BUT! Of course none of the Macomb County Republican Party’s actions could be construed as racist, because they just care about “making sure voters are who they say they are,” not about preventing poor black people from voting for Obama, although presumably that would be one very significant side benefit.
Lose your house, lose your vote [Michigan Messenger]
Happy 9/11!
You foreclosed loserz.
If you are a hobo, you must register from your hobo camp.
Are we clear?
This sort of shit makes me physically ill. Have none of these people read “Iggie’s House”?!
Oh, Christ. Now I’m gonna have to get drunk and hatefuck my pillow. Works better than crying into it, I swear.
irisheyes: They can read?
I had thought there might be some things to which even the Republican party would not stoop in order to win, but I realize now how foolish I was.
“Macomb County’s black population doubled between 2000 and 2005…”
Yep. From less than 3 percent to a little under 6 percent. A regular Rainbow Coalition.
Once again, a Michigan politician does the whole state proud.
[/sarcasm]
If you can’t figure out your adjustable rate mortgage, you probably aren’t going to figure out that butterfly ballot either. But oh ho, what am I talking about, the electronic voting computer will figure out your vote for you!
umm you totally shouldn’t be able to vote unless you make more than $5 mill./year. those silly middle class people are obviously lazy otherwise they would have worked there way up the economic ladder by now to richness. stupid lazy people that have to get mortgages to afford a house.
Voter suppression is as American as the lynching of teenaged boys who whistle at white ladies. And now you Politically Correct losers are trying to deny America that great tradition, too! Well we’re not going to stand for it, do you hear me? We have Sarah Palin and God on our side. If God wanted black people to vote, He would have made them white.
Chinese Hell #7: Corrupt officials and landlords who oppress and exploit the people are dismembered by a chariot in this chamber of hell.
Seriously, Democrats and Independents have been so resentful, so uppity, so sexist, so gay and so anti-American this year that you really wonder if the whole miserable lot should be banned from voting in this election - just to teach them all a lesson.
I suggest these homeless loser would-be voters take up residence in one of McCain’s Empty domiciles.
The Republicans are trying to rewrite Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The new version is:
Uncle George Jefferson’s Subprime Foreclosed House
Well we’re movin on out,
From the east side.
From a foreclosed bungalow in the burbs.
Movin on out,
From the east side.
We finally got a piece of the shaft.
Ham don’t fry in the kitchen;
Shrimp don’t burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin’,
Just to pay up that bill.
Now we’re out of the suburbs,
Gettin’ our vote kicked back.
As long as we black, it’s the Repub way,
There’s everything wrong with that.
Well we’re movin on out,
From the east side.
From a foreclosed bungalow in the burbs.
Movin on out,
From the east side.
We finally got a piece of the shaft.
Speaking of disenfranchised Detroiters, I’m wondering when Rove will deploy the “What will the blacks do if Obama looses meme”? Most of the middle-aged white guys I know would rather vote for the anti-christ than cast a vote that they think is going to placate a bunch of rebelious homeless welfare queens and drug dealers, i.e., they’d gladly cut off their noses to spite their faces. Que the Fox poll topic “will Obama loss lead to rioting” in 3..2..1…
Godless Liberal *: Come on, you’re being too harsh. You’re forgetting that they played Earth, Wind & Fire over the pa system at the RNC last week.
I’ve had enough. Have you? How about a little road trip to Macomb County. Bring gas and pitchforks. These SOB’s are due a serious lesson.
Sounds like the Macomb County Republican Party is long overdue for a good shiv shanking.
“McCain’s regional headquarters are housed in the office building of foreclosure specialists Trott & Trott. The firm’s founder, David A. Trott, has raised between $100,000 and $250,000 for the Republican nominee.”
So this is how we run a respectful, civil campaign — have your rich lawyer fundraising friends send you a list of foreclosed people so you can prevent them from voting. Do any eligible voters object? Nobody? The motion is passed!
Actually, this is compasionate conservatism in action.
In Alaska, where they practice small town conservatism, families evicted from their homes by foreclosure are allowed to escape into the hills where they can be hunted down by helicopter and light aircraft.
In Chicago, you still get to vote even if you are:
1)Homeless
2)Mentally Ill
3)Visibly high/drunk when you show up at the polls
And hey! It’s worked out well for us!!
Don’t you have to be a white, male landowner to vote? They’re just trying to enforce the law!
Take it easy, this isn’t such a bad idea. Why don’t we just relocate them to hobo shelters in the Republican parts of town. I’m guessing the head of the republican party has a house with a yard big enough for a few dozen settler tents and a nice flower garden in need of more highly productive ‘fertlizer’.
Just carry your cardboard box on your back, right into the booth.
If they can’t pay their mortgage, well, it is unlikely they’ll be able to afford the newly reinstituted poll tax; up yours, Constitution!
Expecting the Rethugs to actually conduct a fair vote is like putting lipstick on a pig. At the end of the day, they’re still pigs.
Keeping blacks from voting is not racist. Blacks complaining about being kept from voting IS racist.
You must be *this many* years in debt to participate in Democracy.
Also, iz in ur voter register, disenfranchizin’ ur peeps.
Well, maybe there should be a rule about something like if the bank still owns 3/5 of your house, you can’t vote? I dunno, I just heard that figure somewhere…
I’m waiting for the GOP-leaning registrars in all the low-income areas recently (or soon to be) hit by hurricanes to do something similar. That and making everyone play “where’s my polling place?” after more than a few of them are put out of operation in those areas.
If your house was foreclosed, you vote on WEDNESDAY, November 5th.
“making sure voters are who they say they are…”
Well, if you’re black, you’re not a voter. If you say you’re a voter, you must be white! The Republican Party will make sure people are not trying to weasel their way out of their blackness.
“I’m poverty’s new Sherrif, and I’m bashing in the slums…”
LittlePhatGuise: Much like a turtle. But turtles can’t fucking vote.
Urbanachiever: 1-And your point is? If you’re homeless you lose your citizenship???
2) So if you are bi-polar you lose your citizenship???
3) Then they should probably let you dry out…
Serolf Divad: Truer words have never been spoken.
Black people have the right to whoop ass during this election season, yes?
Paterlanger: This just scared the shit out of me. So thanks for that.
May I suggest that the homeless provide sex, blow and golf outings to the Macomb voter registration officials? It seems to have worked pretty well for the oil companies.
we should restrict voting to anyone who hasn’t have their home foreclosed
only those who have lost a home or a child in iraq should be allowed to vote.
and high school dropouts.
and the gays.
basically everyone but the 0ld rich white man should get a vote.
rich old white man should just be banished to texas, where they belong.
I’m sure that they have plenty of other homes to vote from.
Doesn’t everyone?
You shouldn’t be allowed to vote unless you can drive a standard transmission car, have at least one good “scar story,” walked eight miles through the snow to get to school and have attended a key party.
That’s the America I want to live in.
Democrats should start collecting addresses of manor houses that are burned to the ground during the revolution, to make sure they don’t vote.
bryan j: “rich old white man should just be banished to texas, where they belong.” Hey, that’s not nice. We got enough rich white crazy old people already. He should go to FL & set up domicile with the cranky old Jewish folk–won’t be able to tell the difference.
Urbanachiever: You forgot 4) dead
downer. ‘ guy slept through civics class?
btw here’s their intertubes address:
info@macombgop.com
and their ph #
(586) 731-6217
have fun wit it
Godless Liberal *: You must have missed the last two annointments… I mean elections… yeah, elections…
@Botswana Meat Commission FC - Would walking 8 miles in the snow on a liquor run qualify? If I set fire to rich houses in transit?
…is there any doubt now, that Republicans HATE the Americans people with the heat of collapsing star?
Look, this is a confusing policy, and I’m sure we all have a lot of questions. Before we start jumping to conclusions about whether or not this is discrimination against blacks or the poor, maybe we should call the Macomb County GOP headquarters at (586) 731-6217, or fax them at (586) 731-8861. I’m sure chairman James Carabelli (jimc@macombgop.com) would be happy to address your concerns.
cheeto_christ: oh dang
The silver lining here is that the Obama campaign now has some very clear goals.
Do I have to pay property taxes on my car as my main dwelling place when I’m foreclosed?
Texan Bulldoggette: I love your name.
… and BTW, if you own 8 homes, you get to vote 8 times.
WhatTheHeck: Ah the good ‘ol days.
I think those foreclosed voters should seize the opportunity to take for their own a symbol of hate and fear and burn a cross on Mr. Carabelli’s lawn.
Urbanachiever: Don’t forget “dead” voters! They’re a great Windy City tradition!
Macomb County, birthplace of the Reagan Democrats, is alive and well I see.
Keith Ellison, the U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s Fifth District, is considered to be a safe district. Yet he’s fundraising like there’s no tomorrow to because he wants to increase voter turnout. The north side of Minneapolis is on a par with Detroit in terms of foreclosures. I can picture a lot of Fifth District residents being turned away because of a foreclosed address. I’m making a donation to keithellison.org. Anyone else?
“Vote as if your liberties depended on it. Because they do.”
The Republicans are blocking a bill to protect Americans from predatory lenders because they want to cage black voters?
They are so patriotic! This is the new and improved American way!
Debtor’s prisons and allowing only the landed gentry to vote. These are ideas I can get behind. Will no candidate speak to my values?
http://thesebastards.blogspot.com/
This is outrageous. And if it happens in Michigan, it will certainly happen in other states.
We must fight back. Progressive Future has a great action page posted where you can write to Michigan’s Secretary of State, Terri Lynne Land, and tell her that this kind of interference with the basic right to vote is unacceptable, and that you expect her to say so—publicly. Just click here.