Crooks for Obama!
August 22nd, 2008 at 03:53pm Mark Noonan
There is such a thing as not wanting certain types of suppor, ya know?
A simple sign in the window of the local Barack Obama campaign headquarters has reignited a conversation about convicted felons’ right to vote in this country.
The poster board welcomed all passersby to register to vote and included the statement: “Felons can vote.” The sign, which was visible at the office opening a week ago, has since been removed.
A lifesize cardboard printout of the presumptive Democratic nominee for president has replaced the sign. A spokesman from the Philadelphia campaign office said this decision was made at the local level.
“They just realized maybe it was sending the wrong message and took it down themselves,” Sean Smith said.
Yeah, no kidding. Come on, Obamaniacs, do you really want to troll for votes amongst the jailbirds and ’scapegallows of the United States? I realise that a person can find redemption - in fact, such a thing is central to my worldview - but to actively seek the votes of criminals? For crying out loud, shouldn’t they be working on bettering themselves and shouldn’t the Obama people be working on getting people who aren’t criminals to vote for them? Or is it that Obama’s people realise he’s on a downward slurge and they are just leaving no stone unturned? How long before we see the Kerry ‘04 tactic of bribing homeless people with smokes?
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Corruption, Democrats
23 Comments
1. yekepyt | August 22nd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Mark writes, “Come on, [Obama supporters], do you really want to troll for votes amongst the jailbirds and ’scapegallows of the United States?”
Aw, how would felons like Bob Ney and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby feel about you calling them “’scapegallows” and “jailbirds?” So much hatred directed at your Republican leadership, Mark… tsk, tsk!
As far as going for every vote, yes, every vote counts. It’s our patriotic duty to do whatever we can (within the law and common decency) to ensure that our country does not suffer four more years (or more) under Republican leadership. I don’t know about you, but I have kids to think about.
2. William Teach | August 22nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Are you sure it didn’t say “Brain Slugs For Obama”?
3. David | August 22nd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
If convicted felons have the right to vote, then they most certainly should also have the right to own firearms, correct?
4. Xavier Cugat | August 22nd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
You know, Mr. Noonan, there’s a less cynical perspective you can take.
If you get ex-felons constructively engaged in the social contract (and voting is part of that), maybe they’d become less likely to break that social contract.
5. Timothy Horrigan | August 22nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
As usual, Mark forgot to say where his quote was taken from. In this case, the quote was talking about Pennsylvania… and yes, in Pennsylvania, felons CAN vote. Even though I am sure many felons in the Keystone State believe they can’t vote.
About 6 second of Googling reveals that this is a story from the Pottstown Mercury, a suburban Philly local paper.
http://www.pottsmerc.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20086662&BRD=1674&PAG=461&dept_id=18041&rfi=6
6. William Teach | August 22nd, 2008 at 5:33 pm
PS: yekept. “Every vote counts.”
Except for the overseas military vote during the 2000 and 2004 campaign, which Dems tried to block much of.
Oh, and let’s not forget the current Dem candidate, who got most of his opponents disqualified during his first campaign, so that he was virtually unopposed, meaning the people did not get to vote.
7. New Conservative | August 22nd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I was registering people to vote in SC and we have a law here that doesn’t allow felons to vote, which I think is a good thing. I did however meet more felons trying to register people to vote than at any other time in my life. Felons should not be able to vote in this country it should be a national law.
http://thenewconservatives.blogspot.com/
8. jayhay | August 22nd, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Wow, slow news day. Unless you’re following the “McCain spends more on household help than you make in a year” story. Or maybe it’s the “You’re rich if the amount you spend on domestics in a year would put an normal American in the top tax bracket” angle. Plenty of action there! Really, $270,000?!
Oh hell with it, go with the felons thingy.
(And McCain is still a former POW.)
9. jayhay | August 22nd, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Also, it sounds like Noonan’s “redemption is central to my worldview” deal has an asterisk on it, like his commandment “Thou Shalt not Kill*”.
(*See exceptions based on Mark Noonan’s edict on who is evil that is absolute and universal.)
10. William Teach | August 22nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
They already broke the social compact first, which is why they are felons.
11. Kahn | August 22nd, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Not all Democrats are felons, but most felons are Democrat.
12. Retired Spook | August 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Unless you’re following the “McCain spends more on household help than you make in a year” story. Or maybe it’s the “You’re rich if the amount you spend on domestics in a year would put an normal American in the top tax bracket” angle. Plenty of action there! Really, $270,000?
See, after your candidate four years ago, (one of whose 6 houses was worth almost as much as all of McCain’s combined), I just don’t think going down that road is going to be productive for you. But if you want to continue to play the class warfare card, by all means — go for it. Actually, I’d expect nothing less from the party of the Jackass. While you’re at it, why don’t you shout from the roof tops that felons are welcome in the Donk Party. I can even see a bumper sticker:
THE DEMOCRAT PARTY
FELONS WELCOME
13. Kahn | August 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 pm
THE DEMOCRAT PARTY
FELONS WELCOME
MILITARY PLEASE POUND SAND
THE DEMOCRAT PARTY
WE WANT YOUR MONEY
THE DEMOCRAT PARTY
WE CAN’T DRILL OUR WAY OUT OF THIS
WE ALSO CAN”T DO NUCLEAR, WIND, COAL, NATURAL GAS, HYDRO, SOLAR …..
THE DEMOCRAT PARTY
YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEFEND YOURSELF
Hey, I like this. We should print these ourselves.
14. Retired Spook | August 22nd, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Kahn,
So many possibilities — so little time.
15. Retired Spook | August 22nd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Anyone know what the law is in Illinois? I wonder if Tony Rezko will be allowed to vote.
16. Casper | August 22nd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Retired Spook,
So because Kerry is an out of touch elitist, who married for money, it’s okay for McCain to be an out of touch elitist who married for money?
17. Retired Spook | August 22nd, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Casper,
As usual, you’re grasping for a point there somewhere, but I’m not sure what. How much money either of them has, how many houses they or their wives own; none of that has any bearing on how I feel about either of them as candidates.
18. Casper | August 23rd, 2008 at 12:02 am
Retired Spook,
You are right in that shouldn’t be what this election is about. Unfortuntely, that seems the the direction it’s headed. Gotcha and insults seem to be more important than policies.
19. Kahn | August 23rd, 2008 at 12:16 am
Casper - the McCain celebrity ads aim to pierce the total bubble the left leaning press has built around Obama. The ads do NOT speak of elitism - as you Democrats keep insisting they do. They speak of celebrity. And demonstrate how empty celebrity can be and how useless the people its bestowed upon can be. Celebrity is the result of press coverage. Especially when that coverage borders upon propaganda.
It is impossible for us to counter your arguments against the things you said, but say we said.
Now, if you want to argue the point that Obama has not been seriously vetted because the fawning left leaning press has refused to do so, then that would be an argument. Do you, um, care to argue that point?
20. Casper | August 23rd, 2008 at 12:34 am
“Now, if you want to argue the point that Obama has not been seriously vetted because the fawning left leaning press has refused to do so, then that would be an argument. Do you, um, care to argue that point?”
Actually, I do. IMO, at least until recently, the press has been a lot harder on Obama than McCain. The
Wright controversy, the 57 states and the guns and religion, coment all received a lot more press coverage than McCain’s many gaffes and associations. The tide does seem to be turning now and it will be interesting to what happens in the next month or two.
As for the celebrity thing, I can’t think of another politician who has spent as much time on the late night shows than McCain. Can you?
21. Kahn | August 23rd, 2008 at 1:08 am
seven Time covers this year. three times as much coverage in the Washington Post as McCain. The entire nightly news staff of all the networks save Fox following him all over Europe.
No. I don’t agree. The gaffs are gaffs. The guns and religion thing was a little more than a gaff. Said with a grin to a godless California celebrity crowd, it may have revealed a little bit of Obamas true underlying beliefs. You may notice he steers away from open forums where he may be put on the spot for this very reason. He’s a brand.
Can you tell me what Obama plans to do about taxes? In detail? Including capital gains, death tax, income tax, gas tax, tariffs, and Social Security? Because the way I read the sum of his statements he’s planning on the largest increases ever and he already knows where he wants to spend the money.
How about guns? Free speech? Energy? Russia? Korea? Anything? I mean in real adjective free terms? Can anyone?
His staff have a habit of putting out counter-statements when Obama steps in it. The NAFTA thing is a good example. But did Obama himself ever say he wouldn’t screw with NAFTA? Or did just his staff say it? You know about NAFTA of course, that agreement with the two nations that together supply us with most of our oil? Are YOU really sure what his position is?
22. Danish Artist | August 23rd, 2008 at 7:11 am
“So because Kerry is an out of touch elitist, who married for money, it’s okay for McCain to be an out of touch elitist who married for money?”
AHHHHHH!!!!!
The new lib talking point.
Does McCain exploit his wealth the same as “I did serve in Vietnam” Kerry??? Metrosexual Kerry or well grounded McCain? Who ACTUALLY does something for those less fortunate??? All Kerry does is talk about helping those less fortunate and then uses OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY TO DO SO. The McCains’ use their own - already posted an article on this - look it up.
SWING AND A MISS.
23. Kahn | August 24th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I’m at my in-laws this weekend. Both are commited liberals who really dislike Bush. And much to my surprise (yes - really to my surprise), they are voting for McCain and hope he picks Romney as a running mate. They see Obama as an empty suit. And THEY brought up the McGovern comparision.
They know about the missed votes, the “present” votes, the nebulous positions. They know he’s socialist. And they really disliked the European trip and the way it was treated in the press. And even they say the press is obviously biased in his favor.
Liberals listen, you blew it by choosing Berry. In a year when you could have just walked right in, you chose McGovern - again.