GOP email calls for Police, firefighters, etc. to volunteer at "inner city (intimidating)" polls

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/14/a_wis_call_for_gop_poll_watche.html

A Wis. Call for GOP Poll Watchers Draws National Notice
By Mary Pat Flaherty

The Wisconsin Republican Party has issued a call for volunteer poll watchers for Election Day, and the criteria is a little specific, seeking especially folks made of sterner stuff.

Jonathan Waclawski, the party's election day operations, wrote in a Sept. 8 e-mail that he needed contact information for people "who would potentially be willing to volunteer ... at inner city (more intimidating) polling places. Particularly, I am interested in names of Milwaukee area veterans, policemen, security personnel, firefighters etc. ... If you have any connections with such organizations, please pass that information on."

The e-mail fell into the hands of an Obama supporter, who passed it to the Obama campaign, who released it today after a news conference with its campaign director and general counsel, who discussed voter registration, voter education and voter protection.

The Obama team pointed to Waclawski's e-mail as ground-level tactics that could create concerns among voters.

"This is much ado about nothing. I don't see anything wrong with this," said Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman with the Wisconsin GOP. "Intimidating was referring to the polling places, not to poll watchers who would be intimidating," she said. "The way I read this we are looking for people to go to intimidating places.

[progressivebydesign]

1. either way, the use of "intimidating" for inner city polling places is wrong.

And wtf are those volunteers supposed to be doing??? There are poll workers already who are non-partisan. You are not allowed to politic there.. so wtf are they doing at "inner city" polling places??? WHY does the GOP need "police and security" at inner city voting spots? Frankly the inner city spots will have mostly democrats, so WHY does the GOP need to recruit people from outside that neighborhood??

SOmething is VERY VERY wrong there. Hope that people stay on this...

[spag68]

2. GOP

The more desperate they get, the stupider they get. By election day the GOP will make Wily Coyote look like Albert Einstein.

[LynneSin]

3. Well thanks for helping us GOP - since the Police & Firefighters are supporting Obama

I'm sure many of them, like those in Philadelphia, will be out there working to get Obama elected!

[firedupdem]

4. There is no level too low for them to sink.....words of advice:

PLEASE DON'T GO FUCKING WITH BLACK PEOPLE ON NOVEMBER 4TH. That stuff will not go over well at all!