The Nonexistent Crisis

by digby

I’ve written before about the “voter fraud” page on the RNC’s web site. They are “collecting stories” about voter fraud around the country. A reader informs me that their propaganda arm, Fox News, is on to the same thing and is promoting a special on the subject. (Raw Story has been following the Fox crusade as well.) It turns out they have a page devoted to it on their web site as well.

Here’s the most recent example:

Alabama was the cradle of the civil rights movement, where much of the battle for voting rights was waged more than 40 years ago, but now there are growing allegations of voter fraud across the state.

The claims have surfaced in eight counties in Alabama, and they include allegations that absentee ballots were sold and traded for cash, crack-cocaine and even piles of driveway gravel.

“They get them, and say, ‘I will give you 40 or 50 dollars,’ so a lot of people are unemployed and will jump for that,” voter Wanda Sanders said.

Some officials, though, are launching investigations in a move to make sure all votes are not only counted but counted fairly and honestly.

Alabama Attorney General Troy King, a Republican, seized absentee ballots from three primarily black counties after allegations of vote-selling surfaced in the June 3 Democratic primary.

“We are not going to allow these people to continue to steal elections with impunity. It cannot be tolerated,” King said.

You can’t fault them for lack of chutzpah.

I think the most darkly hilarious thing about all this is that the RNC web page is called “You Can’t Make This Up.” Of course, that’s exactly what the crisis of Voter fraud is: made up. It’s just not a problem. But bogus claims of voter fraud actually do suppress the vote — a win-win for the bad guys.

Whatever happens, all those horrible African Americans down in Alabama disenfranchising decent folks has got to stop. I fully expect to see a march across the Edmund Pettus bridge featuring Tom Tancredo and Trent Lott singing “We Shall Overcome” and holding signs saying “I Have A Dream” before November. It’s time somebody stood up for the rich, disenfranchised conservatives in this country.

Meanwhile, the McCain campaign anonymously put out the word that they aren’t going to aggressively pursue these kinds of charges in this election. McCain just isn’t that kind of guy. But they do admit that, sadly, even a mavericky, straight talking, man ‘o integrity can’t control what outside groups do.

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