Item 1: A private voter-registration firm in Las Vegas is under attack from its own employees, who allege that the firm has been throwing away Democratic registration forms by the hundreds while keeping all the Republican registrations. The firm is under contract in another case for door-to-door canvassers by the GOP, and has also done work in Arizona for Ralph Nader. There are some dots waiting to be connected here…
Item 2: From the dirty-tricks file, Josh Marshall connects the dots and fingers Jim Tobin, New England regional chairman for the Bush-Cheney campaign and former Northeast political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, as being deeply involved in the felonious “phone jamming incident” that knocked a Democratic get-out-the-vote operation out of commission on Election Day in 2002.
Item 3: Sinclair Broadcasting, owner of 62 stations across the country has committed to airing an anti-Kerry broadcast two weeks before the election, funded by “Swift Boat Veterans and POWs for Truth,” attacking Kerry’s Vietnam record. (Note Tony Pierce’s reaction: “if the dems can be derailed by a dumbass swiftboat talkie despite [twelve points including ‘bush’s failure to find obl,’ ‘bush’s military record cover up,’ and ‘five gop senators coming out against him,’] then the dems don’t deserve to win ever.”) Interesting side note: Sinclair has a subsidiary, Jadoo Power Systems, Inc., that just won a big contract to supply the US Special Operations Command in the war on terror.
Item 4: Veterans of the Iraq conflict are self-funding a TV ad that focuses on the failures of the Bush administration’s preparation, conduct, and post-war support in Iraq and the consequences for veterans. They call BS on claims that the lack of body armor is an “urban legend,” and discuss how the war has cost them dearly while at the same time the administration is cutting VA benefits.
It seems to me that if the Bush/Cheney campaign wasn’t so busy trying to disenfranchise voters and mislead the public instead of taking care of the boys (and girls) they sent to Iraq who are now coming home maimed and angry—or in boxes—they might actually be making some headway in public opinion.