United Nations to monitor conservative groups at polling places

[Syntara]

Source: Examiner.com

October 21, 2012 By Joe Newby

"Monitors from the United Nations-affiliated group Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will be monitoring the activities of conservative groups at polling places in the United States this November, The Hill reported Saturday.

Alexander Bolton wrote that the monitors will be "looking for voter suppression activities by conservative groups, a concern raised by civil rights groups during a meeting this week.""



Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/united-nations-to-monitor-conservative-groups-at-polling-places

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This is really good news, although it is saddening that a certain element in our society has to be babysat by the United Nations to ensure the United States' citizens, some of them, play fair.

[onehandle]

1. Good. We could use a police action to save us from traitors within. nt

[Brilly]

2. It is sad!!

This is good news though. I think President Obama will win this election but what is scary for me is
how the Repugs may turn the results like they did with John Kerry and George W Bush.

Maybe this is why they seem so confident, because they knew they had measures in place to steal the election.
Fingers crossed that they will prevent this from happening.

What I wonder though is will they only be in key States and at every polling station.
How could they have enough people to be at every polling station, in the US?

[Syntara]

6. To save out country...

Obama has GOT to win. This idiocy on the right acts like they have no brains and simultaneously ARE dangerous. Loose canons, every one of them.

[AllyCat]

8. Welcome to DU Brilly and Syntara!

[papa3times]

12. I've read that truth the vote group

which is nothing more than an extra-legal republican goon squad that will be targeting polling stations in the demographic they want to suppress the vote in i.e., african-american, latino, young people(college age) anyone they don't want voting. This is reminiscent of the nazi brown shirts who would intimidate and terrorize Hitler's opposition on his journey to power. Im not saying Romney is Hitler but he is bad and they are using the same thuggish tactics the Nazi did

[DonCoquixote]

3. HELLYEAH!

And bring the bloody Blue Helmets in if that is what it takes!

[The Wizard]

4. While they're here

maybe they could kidnap the Bush cartel and haul their asses of to The Hague for war crimes trials.

[toby jo]

33. love it

[AllyCat]

5. Thank goodness. Never thought I would see the day our elections

needed to be monitored. But I am glad they will be there.

[Syntara]

7. Me Too!

[papa3times]

14. I'm glad too

but lets be honest this is not the first time in our history this country could have used vote monitoring. Before and after the voting rights act of 1964 they could have been used. I realize the UN had only been around for 15 years prior to 1964. If the republicans are this afraid of free and fair elections I'm more then a little concerned for what they have in store for us if they win?

[xtraxritical]

37. How will they "monitor" the Diebold machines?

[renate]

25. it's so embarrassing

The United States used to basically be synonymous with the idea (if not the practice) of democracy, and now we have UN observers as if we were newbies.

I am thrilled. It's really time to disabuse anybody and everybody of the idea that our elections are free and fair.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

48. My thoughts exactly.

[Cha]

9. "conservative groups" being Code for

teabaggers driven by Plutocrats like Kochroaches and brainwashed subjects Incited by fox news' Rupert Murdick. Yeah, those f****** need monitoring and disiplined if necessary.

[CoffeeCat]

10. Why in the hell are there "conservative groups" at the polling places??

How audacious are these tea bagger blow hards? Why are they at are polling places and on who's authority are they there?

This is what is really ridiculous.

Can you imagine the uproar, if Moveon decided to man the polling places with their people?

I really hope that one of those tea baggers tries to approach me. I'll just dial 911.

I don't see how they get away with this. How on earth will regular poll workers and party officials who are there deal with these ingrates?

They aren't wanted. No one wants a tea partier approaching them, watching them, telling them anything.

It's just disgusting.

[papa3times]

17. This is totally unacceptable behavior

but we are talking about republicans who practice unacceptable behavior all the time. If they go into polling stations in minority neighborhoods to intimidate voters a few of them may come out a bloody mess. The absolute arrogance it takes for what they are doing is breathtaking. Indeed by whose authority are they acting? The same authority they acted on when the goon squads invaded Florida in 2000 and were threatening and intimidating people with threats of violence. It worked in the coup de tat that installed Bush in 2000 and they are employing the same thuggish tactics but on a much larger and more audacious scale.

[Overseas]

18. They did it in 2004 also. They managed to slow down voting lines in Ohio by issuing lots of

challenges at Democratic polling places. We had people watching them and trying to restrict them from being too outrageous.

But they had a big campaign going. And this year the Republican Governor Storm Troopers of 2010 laid the Voter ID Laws on top of that old fashioned obstruction at the polling places to further restrict the number of Democratic voters.

Republican Secretaries of State did other of old fashioned manipulation-- giving fewer voting machines to Democratic districts was another item I remember.

Republican operatives unrestricted by elected office were distributing flyers in Democratic areas telling voters their polling places had changed and their voting dates had changed.

Here's the Republican sentiment on the issue of voting rights, by leading mentor Paul Weyrich:

[trouble.smith]

40. people should be voting early. this is too important to put off until the last minute.

[Zambero]

23. To complete whatever dirty work from the campaign is yet unfinished

We've seen it all: Voter suppression, intimidation, corruption, fraud, abrogation of state enforcement authority, Citizens United and its predictable spinoff of dark money, contempt for court decisions, and outright lies.

Would it come a surprise that they will continue to pull out all the stops until the last vote is cast? It's all about winning, and of course the end will justify whatever means.

They expect that further election day intimidation will pay off, but we cannot let them succeed. Bullying tactics must be anticipated AND resisted. In the short term, early voting is the best antidote. On election day, local media need to be alerted if and when any of this crap surfaces. And yes, contacting law enforcement authorities in the event of any harassment.

[Cha]

11. The NAACP was on this back in December

Last December, we reported that the NAACP petitioned the United Nations, claiming that efforts to stop voter fraud are really schemes to prevent minorities from voting.

True the Vote, a Houston-based organization designed to "restore integrity to the American system of electing its leaders," has come under fire from the Democratic Party and the Obama campaign.

[Overseas]

16. So glad the NAACP issued that petition. It was necessary and I'm glad the UN listened to them.

[goclark]

47. Thanks to Ben Jealous

and the NAACP!

[Grassy Knoll]

13. Fox & Fucks along with Rusty Nuts......

will pop tomorrow.

[Overseas]

15. Thank you UN!! Those conservative groups obstructed the 2004 vote in similar ways at polling places.

They issued all kinds of challenges just to slow down the lines in Ohio in Democratic districts.

I am very glad they will be monitored in their disgusting attempt to disenfranchise Democratic voters.

[papa3times]

20. What can the UN monitors do

if they find voter hanky panky going on in these polling stations other than to document it and after the election it will be too late.

[HooptieWagon]

22. Unbiased witnesses.

There's nothing they can do physically or legally. But they can tell the world of GOP thuggery.

[craigmatic]

19. That right wing shit has turned American into a third world country. This is just proof.

[EC]

21. I'm surprised

the right isn't complaining about this and asking why they want to watch them. After all they're only stopping cheaters....

[Hulk]

24. My 99 year old mother cast her vote for Obama today!!

It's been nip and tuck with Mom, but she filled out her ballot, signed it and sealed the envelope, and I delivered it to the Post Office box this evening. She was so happy to still be with us all to be able to cast her vote for the President that has made her more proud than any other in her long history.

I'm so happy she lived to cast her vote. It really meant a lot to her. NOW, if the rest of the country can do their part, we can avoid the Great Depression II in this country. God bless America, and keep that used-car-salesman the hell out of the White House!

[beac]

32. So glad she got to cast her vote!

I will be driving a 95-year-old lady to vote in person on 11/6.

In Virginia, they will bring the voting machine out to the car if you are disabled and she REALLY wants to do it "in person" since she's pretty sure this will be her last chance.

She just LOVES smacking down the Romeny push-pollers that constantly call her. "I told 'em I'm voting for OBAMA and hell no there isn't any way I'll change my mind!"

Hurrah for smart elder ladies!!

[progressoid]

49. Excellent!

[lexw]

26. Wow. This is a sad statement for the U.S.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

27. i am incredibly glad to hear this

The only thing sadder than what the christofascists/corporate hegemony has done to US would be if no one was looking--STILL. Took too long but this is seriously good news; and note, it is CONSERVATIVE groups they're shining the lights on. That's a pretty strong affirmation of what we've been trying to tell people for 20 yrs.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

28. I'm glad someone is watching them

[beac]

29. Really good news. Sad that they're needed but great that we'll have them. n/t

[edited for missing word]

[burrowowl]

30. Yes it is!

[Volaris]

31. The GOP is fine with this, as long as those UN folks don't say or do anything that might reveal

any kind of GOP cichanery...and when they DO, (cause there most assuredly WILL be some shady shit happening SOMEWHERE) They will raise all kinds of hell about "SEE???? We TOLD you that damn Socalist Kenyan America-hating SOB in the White House would try and undermine America's Soverignty and try to turn us into Europe. And NOW look, the UN is here, telling us how to vote. Because they all hate America."
Or some such nonsense. Just you watch.

[toby jo]

34. we need little U N gremlins to run through the voting machines

catch the little mitty weasling our votes away

[snot]

35. Hope they've got a lot of monitors.

[kickysnana]

36. Another news report I never thought I would ever see. n/t

[Left Coast2020]

38. I love to see cry babies have a fit when they don't get their way.

And we should start a petition to our Senate critters (after Obama wins) to make all ballots PAPER!!! Fuck the diebold machines.

[dorksied]

39. What we REALLY need is for the UN to investigate the voting machine fiasco.

Seems like a huge conspiracy to ensure Mitt gets more votes, to me... I mean, he's been planning on running for president or actually running for president for a decade, plenty of time to get hooks into the voter machine industry and sway the election.

I'm gonna predict that Mitt Romney will be found guilty of the biggest case of voter fraud in the history of the USA if he is elected and the machines are investigated.

[Ash_F]

41. This is kind of embarrassing.

But good.

[Posteritatis]

42. I'd sorta like to see it be a standard arrangement all over the place, really

Add that extra layer of transparency and verification to any democracy, not just the problematic cases. People in worrisome situations get a little more protection, people who aren't get another feather in their cap that says "This Is How It's Done" on it.

[oldbanjo]

43. It is a disgrace for the US to have to

use the sorry UN to try to keep Voting honest. WE are no better than a third World Country. Charges should be placed against all people that have caused this to happen and they should go to jail.

[Swede Atlanta]

44. Interesting concern about the integrity of this election is just getting going now....

I was part of a group in 2004 that had ourselves positioned outside of polling stations to observe any intimidation behavior or other illegal behavior (e.g. wearing a t-shirt or other electioneering apparel within a specified distance from a polling place). There was a command structure where we would bring in experienced attorneys onsite if we had an "event".

This year when in so many ways the stakes are even higher, the rich have the outright ability to buy an election, I don't see the same level of concern or interest in ensuring the integrity of our election.

[iandhr]

45. Can this backfire? I am just asking.

[gadgets505]

46. My Email to True the Vote

I sent this just now:

Thank God that thousands of lawyers and, now, the United Nations will be watching to make sure that TRUE THE VOTE doesn't SCREW THE VOTE, as we all know you're trying to do. Too bad you prefer a fascist nation to American Democracy, but we will continue to fight you until you are on your backs wriggling your ugly appendages like so many cockroaches that have been fumigated!

[underpants]

50. RW radio tomorrow- they are like the New Black Panther Party!!!

hold it...wait....that is not their re-edited spin on that story

nevermind