Erick Erickson's Blog, page 212

BREAKING: Significant Election Complaint Filed in Nevada

Attached is a Nevada Election Task Force complaint filed late today in Nevada by Babette Rutherford, a Nevada voter.

The complaint alleges scores of union tactics designed to undermine the integrity of the voting process and intimidate voters.

Specifically, the complaint notes that union officials are busing in union workers, leading them to the polls, deterring or preventing the union member from going to unobserved polling locations set up in Las Vegas, etc.

"The union personnel strategically position themselves at various points around the boundaries of the polling location to ensure that one or more of them are able to monitor their members' activities at all times."

The complaint is highly detailed and filled with eye witness accounts of union officials intimidating casino employees and directly overseeing how the union employees are attempting to vote.

Read the complaint here.

Senate GOP Views Tea Party as "Destructive". Still Seeks to Use Tom Coburn to Co-Opt New Conservative Senators.

"The irony is that the new Senators the GOP is portraying as "problems" will be more reliable votes for the GOP than the Senators the GOP is touting."

This is a most interesting read from MSNBC.com, not actually affiliated with the television network of the same name and actively trying to come up with a new name so as not to be associated with Alan Grayson when his new show starts.

Begin, if you will, with this:

"Senator McConnell will move quickly to include them," said a GOP strategist who is close to the Republican leader. "The worst thing you can do to somebody who's got a lot of energy and a lot of ideas is to wall them off and not let them be expressed."

Key to McConnell's success, added a former GOP leadership aide, will be to harness and channel the Tea Party agenda "in a way that's productive rather than destructive or harmful to Senate Republicans or the country in general."

Now, when you read stuff like this you know clearly that this person is reflecting the thinking of the leadership because in stories like this the reporter always asks for people to talk to. Also, you now know that the Senate GOP views the tea party movement as "destructive or harmful" not just to the Senate GOP, which is a good thing, but also to the country.

Then there is Don Stewart, a spokesman for Mitch McConnell.

Don Stewart says, "Senator McConnell often says that if having more conservative members in the Senate is a 'problem,' it's a 'problem' he wants to have."

It's not a bad quote, but who exactly is saying having more conservative members is a problem other than the Senate GOP leadership?

More troubling is the continued storyline that Tom Coburn is going to be the conservative movement's Judas, sent by Mitch McConnell to betray them and co-opt them into the purposes of the Senate GOP against Jim DeMint and the conservatives.

Now I happen to know that this is the leadership pushing this story and Tom Coburn has nothing to do with it. And that's stupid because it puts Tom Coburn in a terrible spot.

If Coburn does now become the go between, the incoming conservatives will know for certain that when they see Tom Coburn's face, they are hearing Mitch McConnell's voice.

That puts Coburn in an untenable position and I cannot believe he'd be stupid enough to concede and go along with this.

Note to Tom Coburn — stay humble and remember you may think you should do this and undermine McConnell in the process, but in reality you will not succeed. You'll just taint yourself.

By the way, the irony is that the new Senators the GOP is portraying as "problems" will be more reliable votes for the GOP than the Senators the GOP is touting.

White House Conspires With Media Matters

ABC News notes the White House had a meeting of special needs representatives. What ABC News fails to point out is that two of them work at Media Matters For America, the George Soros funded character assassins who see evil racists in the white filling of every twinkie they consume.

In fact that's why they eat so many twinkies at Media Matters — they are devouring the squishy white racists with every bite. But I digress.

Oliver Willis, who is kryptonite to thinking, makes his living as an internet troll for Media Matters. I hear they even station him appropriately under a bridge where he routinely says odd things like, "Is that a billy goat I hear? I am going to gobble you up for my dinner."

Duncan Black is a fellow at Media Matters, or whatever they call people who are fellows but want to use a gender neutral word so as not to offend the sensibilities of the unibrow crowd.

Media Matters routinely engages in partisan hit jobs on conservatives and anyone in the media who does not show proper respect for the "Obama is the smartest man who ever was and is the only image you need when you go to the bathroom for certain business" narrative they peddle like smut.

So here we have Barack Obama meeting with a few malcontented internet trolls, several of whom have already had their support bought and paid for, and when you look at the crowd and know anything about the left-wing blogosphere you look at the attendees and are forced to ask, "Damn. Is that the best he could do?"

Probably not, but after next week's annihilation of the Democrats in Congress, they probably are the easiest ones to co-opt into the Obama 2012: Devour Any Intra-Party Opposition plan that Axelrod and Plouffé are cooking up in the kitchen. ["Hmmm . . . . did someone say kitchen?" — MMFA]

From "All Catholics Are Pedophiles" to "Catholics Hate Poor People"

Is it any wonder polls are showing a huge shift in the Catholic vote from Democrats to Republicans?

Last week in Missouri, Russ Carnahan made his closing pitch against his opponent, Ed Martin. It went something like this — "All Catholics Are Pedophiles, Ed Martin is a Catholic, Therefore Ed Martin is a Pedophile".

In Minnesota the Democrats are opting for something else. "All Catholics Hate the Poor."

A mail piece from the Democratic Party in Minnesota shows a Catholic Priest from his Roman collar down with a button on his shirt that reads "Ignore the Poor."

The National Catholic Register calls it "the most anti-Catholic political ad you'll ever see.

Never mind that the Catholic Church is one of, if not the most, charitable organizations on the planet.

And what is the attack over? Actually, it is aimed a defeated a non-Catholic preacher running for Congress. Why? Because he, like the Catholic bishops, opposed Obamacare.

Morning Briefing for October 28, 2010

RedState Morning Briefing

For October 28, 2010

Go to www.RedStateMB.com to get
the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

1. Exclusive Video: Lauren Valle Before The Head Stomp Vid

2. From "All Catholics Are Pedophiles" to "Catholics Hate Poor People"

3. Michael Bennet's Lack of Faith

4. If 2+2=4, when does S+E+I+U=RICO?

5. Colorado Should Not Be Too Close To Call

———————————————————————-

1. Exclusive Video: Lauren Valle Before The Head Stomp Vid

RedState has obtained exclusive video of the precipitating events prior to the "head stomping incident" at a recent Rand Paul event.

This video was sent to RedState by an anonymous witness at the event. It shows what Valle was doing when the Paul supporters grabbed her. No one chased her around the car. As you can see in the video, Valle reached in the candidate's window with her "RepubliCorp" sign and shoved it in his face. Several supporters in Paul shirts have her surrounded at that point, and a man in a suit is the first person to actually intervene physically. It's hard to tell from the video, but it could be that the man in the suit was with Paul's security staff.

Toward the end of the video, you see several Paul supporters asking a police officer to come intervene. It was Paul supporters who told Profitt to back off. It was Paul supporters who brought the police. Contrary to the growing narrative on the left, this video clearly shows that Valle was not the victim of a conspiracy to "take her out."

To conclude, however, that her version of events gibes with the video is quite a stretch indeed. She claims to have been an innocent bystander. She clearly was not. She was blatantly not the victim of a conspiracy. Indeed, as the later portion shows, she is still incorrect. She was not taken down in front of the vehicle. She actually RETURNED to the vehicle window, right next to Rand Paul as he is exiting, practically running right at him.

As the video demonstrates, she rushed the vehicle and shoved her sign in Rand Paul's face. That is obviously vastly different from her repeated account.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. From "All Catholics Are Pedophiles" to "Catholics Hate Poor People"

Is it any wonder polls are showing a huge shift in the Catholic vote from Democrats to Republicans?

Last week in Missouri, Russ Carnahan made his closing pitch against his opponent, Ed Martin. It went something like this — "All Catholics Are Pedophiles, Ed Martin is a Catholic, Therefore Ed Martin is a Pedophile".

In Minnesota the Democrats are opting for something else. "All Catholics Hate the Poor."

A mail piece from the Democratic Party in Minnesota shows a Catholic Priest from his Roman collar down with a button on his shirt that reads "Ignore the Poor."

The National Catholic Register calls it "the most anti-Catholic political ad you'll ever see.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. Michael Bennet's Lack of Faith

The Democrats really are running an inconsistent campaign across the country.

In Missouri they are running an attack on a Republican saying he covered up pedophilia in the Catholic Church.

In Minnesota the Democrats are attacking Catholics full on for not living up to Christ's teaching to help the poor.

In Kentucky they are attacking Rand Paul for blaspheming Christ or some such nonsense.

In Colorado . . . well, in Colorado they are running Michael Bennet.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. If 2+2=4, when does S+E+I+U=RICO?

Isn't it amazing that, whenever there is some sort of controversy involving voter registration fraud, or other election shenanigans, somewhere lurking in the shadows is the Purple Hand of the SEIU? Of course, it could be merely a coincidence…if one believes in coincidences. Or, it could be something bigger, and much more nefarious.

Over the past several weeks, we've been cataloging some of the "coincidences" leading up to next week's mid-term elections. Here's the recap.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

5. Colorado Should Not Be Too Close To Call

Colorado should not be too close to call right now. But it is. Unions and Colorado's well organized left-wing interest groups are pour tons of money and resources into Colorado to protect Michael Bennet and reward him for his Obamacare vote.

Please click here for the rest of the post.

Michael Bennet's Lack of Faith

The Democrats really are running an inconsistent campaign across the country.

In Missouri they are running an attack on a Republican saying he covered up pedophilia in the Catholic Church.

In Minnesota the Democrats are attacking Catholics full on for not living up to Christ's teaching to help the poor.

In Kentucky they are attacking Rand Paul for blaspheming Christ or some such nonsense.

In Colorado . . . well, in Colorado they are running Michael Bennet — the Senator who Barack Obama is said to feel "most warmly" toward. In Colorado, home of Focus on the Family and a huge evangelical movement, the Democrats have decided to go the opposite way.

Michael Bennet, you see, rejects religion. Yes, he says he believes in God, but he makes clear he does not go to worship, does not believe in organized religion, and does not affiliate with a religion.

And they say the Republicans are running candidates outside the mainstream.

So This is Why Lisa Murkowski Failed The Bar Exam 4 Times

In an interview with Rachel Maddow Lisa Murkowski explains that thinking something is unconstitutional because it is not in the constitution is not "mainstream."

Maybe so Lisa. But it doesn't make it wrong.

Take America Back

I realize this is a short post, but you can consider it an open thread if you like.

Senator Jim DeMint has set up a one page website entitled Take America Back.

It is a one stop shop for giving money to real conservatives running for the Senate.

Go there, pick who you want to give money to, and send it out. But remember — if you don't get a donation out the door by Friday to any candidate running for federal office, your money will arrive too late to be of use.

Do not delay.

Take America Back.

Colorado Should Not Be Too Close To Call

Colorado should not be too close to call right now. But it is. Unions and Colorado's well organized left-wing interest groups are pour tons of money and resources into Colorado to protect Michael Bennet and reward him for his Obamacare vote.

Here's Ken Buck's website. It is important that we all do what we can for Ken Buck.

A Daily Show "Conservative"

A student at my Alma Mater is going to Washington as part of the Daily Show's gathering. Yes, the Daily Show is busing people in to fill the crowd.

The student going will play the role of "conservative" for the Daily Show audience. I put it that way because . . . well . . . she herself is admitting she really isn't all that conservative.

Staffers at "The Daily Show" were trying to put together a diverse crowd for the bus trip, and they picked Dorminy, 22, because she listed herself as a conservative.

"We found out they needed a Republican, so I thought maybe I'd play up how conservative I am," Dorminy said with a chuckle. "I'm fiscally conservative, but on social issues I'm more liberal. (On the bus), they wanted me to argue (like a conservative), but I'm pro-choice, pro-stem cell research, pro-gay marriage."

Still, as is the show's wont, Dorminy's stances didn't stop her from being labeled "Bible Belt Beauty Queen" for the duration of the trip. She actually competed in the Miss Georgia pageant a few years ago as Miss Golden Isles.

There you have it. The Daily Show has cast as a conservative a girl who supports killing children and gay "marriage", which, you know, definitionally makes her not a conservative.