But, but, but, they are such a good organization, and the fraud is so little!!!!!

Election officials in Ohio’s most populous county have called on the prosecuting attorney to investigate alleged voter registration fraud by the community organizing group ACORN.

The bipartisan Cuyahoga County Board of Elections voted unanimously Monday to ask prosecutor Bill Mason to investigate four incidents of people signing multiple voter registration forms at the request of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform.

One of those voters, 19-year-old Freddie Johnson, told FOX News that he signed 73 voter registration forms over a five-month period.

The Cleveland resident said he was offered cigarettes and cash while trying to help paid ACORN solicitors collect signed registrations, but said he did not understand the proper voter-registration procedures.

The group was “trying to get signatures so they can make their money, and I was trying to help them,” Johnson said.

But, really, is it a big deal? I mean, could a few hunderd votes really make a difference in an election? Come on, be real.

ACORN’s state director, Katy Gall, said the organization would fire anyone seeking to acquire duplicate registrations and is cooperating with the investigation

Yeah, because they got caught.

A different ACORN tool

Appearing on Fox News’s “On The Record With Greta Van Susteren” for an exclusive interview, ACORN’S national spokesman, Scott Levenson, called the timing of the investigations “curious.”

“What ACORN did, along with Project Vote, is as American as apple pie,” Levenson said. “What we’re doing is out there encouraging people to participate in the process. That work should be applauded.”

Except that is not the point of the process of elections. One should learn the candidates positions, look at their past votes, statements, and policy positions, and make an informed choice. If I thought Barack Obama was the better candidate, I would vote for him, because of facts, not because he is Black, or a Democrat. I voted for Clinton in 1996 and Gore in 2000, because I thought they were the slightly better candidates. I despise the whole “get people registered and get out the vote” stuff. We end up with people who are uninformed voting, and it turns elections into a beauty pageant.

Well, it’s a start

John McCain’s campaign alleged today that Barack Obama is tied to a liberal activist group that has come under scrutiny for its voter registration work.

In a conference call with reporters, campaign manager Rick Davis said Obama’s ties to ACORN, known formally as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, should be investigated. He said that the Obama campaign gave an ACORN affiliate $832,000 to get out the vote during the primaries and that Obama has other ties to the organization.

“Questions remain about what Barack Obama’s relationship is and has been with ACORN,” Davis said. He argued that Obama has been inconsistent in describing his relationship with the group.

Many questions remain, such as why all the Lefties who have been whining about stolen elections and election fraud since Gore lost in 2000 are suddenly A-OK with obvious and blatant fraud by a group which is supposedly non-partisan, but tends to register people as Democrats and, surprise surprise! has endorsed Barack Obama. All of a sudden, those on the Left have forgotten their complaintsand 8 years of pathetic whining and say that it has been Republicans who have been the ones complaining for 8 years. We could probably go through all the idiotic, juvenile, and amnesia based rants of these writers, but, too what point? They have been discussed ad nauseum.

They certainly have no problems with government money being used to support fraud by ACORN, a group which states they take no government money.

Isn’t it funny how all the problems with ACORN seem to be occurring in swing states and states that can be flipped, such as North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Mexico, and Missouri, among others? Why do we not hear about abnormal registrations in solid Blue states such as California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts?

And now the Leftists have changed their call of voter fraud. In 2000, it was MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD because Democrat voters were too dumb to use a ballot in Florida in 28 voting precincts, 27 which were run by Democrats. In 2004 it was MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD when Democrats had to wait in long lines to vote in precincts run by Democrats in Ohio. In 2008, if a group is being found to be involved in all sorts of irregularities, it isn’t voter fraud. I’m not sure what they think it is, but, they sure don’t think it is voter fraud. Not sure they even consider it attempted fraud. Not sure if they really even care as long as their guy is ahead in the polls.

If Obama loses, who wants to bet the Lefties change their tune?

Hmm, I wonder if the rest of the Credentialed Media will cover this story of an obvious Logan Act violation, which goes much, much more in to detail then the original New York post editorial by Amir Taheri (visit Wizbang and Hot Air for some of the original breakdown). Washington Times: Obama tried to sway Iraqis on Bush deal (FYI, the Wash Times is having some connectivity issues today)

At the same time the Bush administration was negotiating a still elusive agreement to keep the U.S. military in Iraq, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama tried to convince Iraqi leaders in private conversations that the president shouldn’t be allowed to enact the deal without congressional approval.

Mr. Obama’s conversations with the Iraqi leaders, confirmed to The Washington Times by his campaign aides, began just two weeks after he clinched the Democratic presidential nomination in June and stirred controversy over the appropriateness of a White House candidate’s contacts with foreign governments while the sitting president is conducting a war.

Two important points there. First, the Barry camp has confirmed that Obama was violating the Logan Act, and second, that it started well before Obama was goaded in to making a foray to Iraq.

Mr. Obama spoke June 16 to Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari when he was in Washington, according to both the Iraqi Embassy in Washington and the Obama campaign. Both said the conversation was at Mr. Zebari’s request and took place on the phone because Mr. Obama was traveling.

However, the two sides differ over what Mr. Obama said.

“In the conversation, the senator urged Iraq to delay the [memorandum of understanding] between Iraq and the United States until the new administration was in place,” said Samir Sumaidaie, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States.

So, here we have an issue, according to Ambassador Sumaidaie, of Obama meddling for purely political purposes. It sure says something about Obama’s character, leadership, and judgement, eh?

I wonder who this obvious fraud benefits, Mr. Brad Blog?

Officials in Missouri, a hard-fought jewel in the presidential race, are sifting through possibly hundreds of questionable or duplicate voter-registration forms submitted by an advocacy group that has been accused of election fraud in other states.

Charlene Davis, co-director of the election board in Jackson County, where Kansas City is, said the fraudulent registration forms came from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN. She said they were bogging down work Wednesday, the final day Missourians could register to vote.

“I don’t even know the entire scope of it because registrations are coming in so heavy,” Davis said. “We have identified about 100 duplicates, and probably 280 addresses that don’t exist, people who have driver’s license numbers that won’t verify or Social Security numbers that won’t verify. Some have no address at all.”

The nonpartisan group works to recruit low-income voters, who tend to lean Democratic. Most polls show Republican presidential candidate John McCain with an edge in bellwether Missouri, but Democrat Barack Obama continues to put up a strong fight.

Non-partisan. Snort.

As Gateway Pundit points out

Barack Obama’s legal career consisted of working for scandal-plagued ACORN. Just this year his campaign has donated over $800,000 to ACORN for their get out the vote efforts.

But, hey, That One has nothing to do with ACORN.

After 8 years of listening to the massive whining from Democrats and their supporters about Bush having stolen the 2000 election, calling him the pResident, then claiming the GOP stole the 2004 election, issues that have never stopped being a cause to make Liberals wacko, we get this from Cynthia Tucker at the Baltimore Sun (she is also the editorial page editor for the Atlanta Democrat Journal-Constitution)

The base of the Republican Party - a dwindling but still significant group - clings to a handful of pseudo-facts that don’t hold up to serious scrutiny but that still occupy a central place in GOP ideology. Those include the assertion that Saddam Hussein represented a threat to the United States, that affirmative action in lending led to the mortgage crisis and that voter fraud is a serious problem in modern elections. In campaign seasons such as this, when victory may turn on a handful of votes, none of those claims is more important to Republican activists than overhyped allegations of voter fraud.

During the last decade, GOP-dominated state legislatures around the country have used assertions of mischief at the ballot box to push through harsh voter ID laws, requiring voters to present state-sponsored photo identification cards when they go to the polls. Republican strategists have also pushed prosecutors to go after allegedly fraudulent voters.

Those GOP strategists know better: One study after another has shown that voter fraud is, at worst, extremely rare. And the sort of in-person fraud that would be prevented by stiff voter ID laws is virtually nonexistent. But Karl Rove and his minions also know this: Voter ID laws can be used to disenfranchise a few hundred or a few thousand voters who are more likely to vote Democratic, usually poor or elderly voters who don’t have driver’s licenses. In close races, shaving off 1 or 2 percentage points is all you need to claim victory.

Are you snickering and chuckling right now? Democrats whined beyond belief about fraud, all the while registering the homeless, foreigners, illegal aliens, pets, dead pets, dead people, and felons, not to mention registering to vote in multiple states. This is a central point in many liberals’ world, with tons of threads at the Democratic Underground, Brad Blog, Daily Kos, etc. The Democrat Party, the Kerry camp, and now the Obama camp deployed massive amounts of lawyers all over the country because they were worried about cheating. But, hey, it is a GOP only issue, you know.

Plus, we got a Karl Rove and Saddam Hussein mention!

All the GOP has tried to do is respond to the whining by Democrats, as well as the reality of the real voter fraud perpatraded by Democrats, with common sense. Having to show an ID is apparently completely out of bound for the Democrats, which should let you know what’s in their heads. The Supreme Court has upheld needing ID to vote, BTW, Cynthia.

Ah, but meanwhile, let’s hear from someone who know a bit better then an editorial writer,

Our nation may be on the brink of repeating the 2000 Florida election debacle, but this time in several states, with allegations of voter fraud, intimidation and flawed voting machines added to the generalized chaos that sent Bush v. Gore to the Supreme Court for overtime.

“If you think of election problems as akin to forest fires, the woods are no drier than they were in 2000, but many more people have matches,” says Doug Chapin, editor of the nonpartisan Electionline.org.

The article itself is written by John Fund, who wrote “Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy.” I reckon he knows a bit on the subject.

And, what Cynthia missed was that the Baltimore Sun just ran an editorial called “Voter Beware” on the issue of fraud, which a reader took issue with, since it didn’t bother to mention ACORN.

And I guess she missed this

Thousands Of Dead People On Connecticut’s Voter Rolls

and

More Dead, Underage And Fictitious Voter Registrations in Indiana, From ACORN

Nothing to see, move along. But, heck, in Democrat World, having a split ballot is almost voter fraud. It certainly is an issue to the Democrats, when, as we saw in Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004, Democrat voters are just not smart enough to follow directions in filling the ballots out.

Oh, BTW, Democrats have controlled both branches of Congress since 2007, and had control of the Senate till january 2003. What have they done to help reduce fraud? It’ll never go away, nor will the dirty tricks, that is part of politics.

The Associated Press provides one of their best “gee, ya think so?” headlines of the year: Push to register felons to vote could aid Obama

Undaunted by the heat, James Bailey spent his late-summer afternoons walking Virginia’s bleakest neighborhoods on the hunt for ex-cons — each a potential voter who might cast the decisive ballot in this hotly contested state.

Finding them isn’t the hard part. It’s getting them to admit that a past mistake has kept them from the ballot box.

“People are really, really reluctant to say, ‘I lost my rights to vote,’” Bailey said of his quest, which continued in the run-up to Monday’s registration deadline in Virginia for the November election.

Nationally, there are roughly 4 million released felons whose convictions have cost them the right to vote at least temporarily, if not permanently. To return to the ballot box, felons must negotiate suffrage laws that vary from state to state, in many cases working with election officials who can be both unfamiliar with the law and hostile to former convicts seeking to register.

Such challenges matter little to Bailey and others trying to return former criminals to voter rolls, an effort they consider crucial in light of the results of the past two presidential elections: A shift of a few hundred votes in Florida in 2000 would have changed the outcome of the presidential race, and the results in 2004 came down to a margin of 119,000 votes in Ohio.

The nonprofit groups and individual activists making the push on felons’ behalf agree the effort is broader this year than in previous elections, even if they aren’t necessarily making a coordinated push. They expect that effort to benefit Barack Obama more than John McCain, given that the population of former felons is disproportionately black.

First, they still can’t get over Bush’s two presidential wins. Sad, really.

Second, it always seems to be the case that giving felons the right to vote helps Democrats, and it is not just because so many are Black. A good guess would probably be that criminals know that punishment for what they do is much less under Democrats, usually along the lines of a short sentence, which is then reduced as “time served,” and some therapy.

Third, have you ever noticed that the Democrat Party keeps up the pressure to register the most politically clueless, along with those who are offering nothing to society? Felons, the homeless, college kids who think they will get free drinking money, illegal aliens, etc. If someone was really interested in the issues and in voting, well, they would get their butts out there and register themselves. It really isn’t that hard. If you do not have the will to go register yourself, maybe you should sit on the sidelines and watch.

Oh, and in Ohio register-and-vote land

What must a voter do to prove they’re a qualified, eligible voter when they register and vote at the same time?

Anyone who registers to vote must fill out the same paperwork, whether they do it in person minutes before voting or at any other time. You are not required to show identification, but must provide either your driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Maybe if people would be required to show ID, it would only be a tiny problem. You know, that thing you need to show to pass a check, use your credit card (not that companies taking your CC look at them that much anymore), and are required to have on your person when you drive. Something that is rather easy to get and not that expensive. But, we can all infer why Democrats do not want people to have to show ID to vote.

Exaggeration? Or the reality of the pressure brought to bear by the House leadership, as well as potentially the Senate leadership and the White House? You decide

And Sherman is a Democrat. Bet Nancy Pelosi was a wee bit pissed off.

Can anyone point out a Credentialed Media article which discussed the negative implications of the pastors, both visiting and resident, at Trinity Church discussing how great Obama is, how evil his opponents were, and their other political talk? Jeremiah Wright? Who dat?

Defying a federal law that prohibits U.S. clergy from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit, an evangelical Christian minister told his congregation Sunday that voting for Sen. Barack Obama would be evidence of “severe moral schizophrenia.”

BTW, unless the pastor happens to be preaching Black Liberation doctrine, they must be evangelical. In MSM world, they are all “fundies” unless they ean Left.

The Rev. Ron Johnson Jr. told worshipers that the Democratic presidential nominee’s positions on abortion and gay partnerships exist “in direct opposition to God’s truth as He has revealed it in the Scriptures.” Johnson showed slides contrasting the candidates’ views but stopped short of endorsing Obama’s Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain.

Johnson and 32 other pastors across the country set out Sunday to break the rules, hoping to generate a legal battle that will prompt federal courts to throw out a 54-year-old ban on political endorsements by tax-exempt houses of worship.

The ministers contend they have a constitutional right to advise their worshipers how to vote. As Johnson put it during a break between sermons, “The point that the IRS says you can’t do it, I’m saying you’re wrong.”

The IRS was alerted to this by “opponents,” ie, far Left groups who despise religion, except when Obama is practicing it and Pflegar (I refuse to use his religious label, as anyone who acts like he does doesn’t deserve to be in that job) is using his time to flount IRS regulations.

This time, the church action is concerted. Yet while the ministers say the rules stifle religious expression, their opponents contend that the tax laws are essential to protect the separation of church and state. They say political speech should not be supported by a tax break for the churches or the worshipers who are contributing to a political cause.

Yes, that notion that does not appear in the Constitution. The real one, I mean, not that “Living Constitution” based on European laws one.

Anyhow, let me point out that when I go to church, I do not want to listen to political speeches. I have no problem with Church time being used at other times, but not during the worship time. But, if I was going to one where that was happening, I would switch in a minute, even if the preacher was showing support for my candidate.

I’m sure we’ll be seeing the story about the IRS investigating left side churches like Trinity United tomorrow, right? More then likely, we will see the ACLU demanding, well, something. They always demand something. It’s like they hate freedom or something.

Apparently, The Grey Lady got the same email blast from the Barry Camp like I did

Senator Barack Obama this afternoon urged Treasury and Federal Reserve officials to include four conditions that he and other Democrats are seeking in the proposed $700 billion federal bailout for financial firms – though he stopped short of saying he would vote against the bailout if his terms were not met.

Adding some specificity to proposals he has already made, Mr. Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, called for a payback plan for taxpayers if the bailout succeeds; a bipartisan board to oversee the bailout; limits on any federal money going to compensate Wall Street executives; and aid to homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgages.

Hmm, why does all that sound suspiciously like what Democrats have been talking about since Friday? But, now it is Barry’s plan? As far as it goes

1. Paying back the taxpayers? That will never happen. You know it, I know it, Barry knows it. But, it sounds good. Put it in writing, in clear, easy to understand language, Barry, and I’ll back it
2. Bipartisan board? You mean like the 9/11 Commission?
3. The money should not go to Wall Street execs, I’ll agree, but, a limit can’t be put on exec pay. Talent should be rewarded. Meanwhile, why don’t you tell your advisor Franklin Raines to give his golden parachute back?
4. Why not have Franklin Raines, Jim Johnson, and Tim Howard, all your advisors, Barry, give the money they got from companies they ran into the ground to homeowners, especially considering they were part of the creation of the housing problem.

If those four objectives are not met, Mr. Obama told reporters at a news conference here, he would recommend that federal and Congressional negotiators “go back to the drawing board” to restructure the bailout plan.

Well, thanks Barry. Glad your seniority and excellent attendance record in Congress is being put to good use.

But, what does a financial writer for the Times think?

Imagine, then, what it’s like to be in Congress this week. Most members of Congress have no expertise in the byzantine details of mortgage finance — or even have aides on their staff with such expertise.

“The problem here is none of us has that kind of advice,” Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, who knows more about Wall Street than most of his colleagues, told me.

The blind leading the stupid. And here comes the shot at Barry’s “plan”

Their best shot at success depends on keeping the debate tightly focused on the questions that matter most. There are really only two: What steps are most likely to solve the immediate crisis? And how can the long-term cost to taxpayers be minimized?

Everything else — reducing executive pay on Wall Street, changing the bankruptcy laws, somehow slowing the descent of home prices — is either a detail or a distraction.

In other words, all the hot air flowing from Barry is not necessary at this time.

Anyhow, the article does do a good job of explaining how it should work, and why people should not get caught up in the price tag, but in the cost of the assets. What percentage of value will they be purchased at, so that they can turn around and sell them.

Since the Barry camp is under fire for ignoring outside advice, since Barry is losing to Palin on experience, since panic is setting in for Democrats, since battlegrounds are breaking for McCain, since Barry supporters are reduced to calling Palin a child predator, since the biggest kook fringers want Barry’s message to be purely person, and false, smears against Palin, since Excitable Andy has become even more excitable lately (no point in a link, 99% of his site is frantic. The other 1% is nice photos,) and Congress is now up for grabs.

Since the hysterical “the GOP is going to steal the 2008 election!!!!” yap has really been ramping up lately, since the NY Times has been regularly losing it’s Collective Hive mind over the Palin pick, since a Governor who supports Barry went off message and said that Palin has more experience for the office of president then Barry, since Palin is driving supposed feminist wildly bonkers, since the Credentialed Media is attempting to do everything they can to portray McCain as the one in trouble, and since Kiddie-camp B.O. is reduced to smearing disable veterans and the elderly (while smearing Barry’s own VP choice, who has been in Congress 14 years longer then McCain, in trying to make McCain look like a long time Washington insider) and calling the McCain campaign the sleaziest in history (waaaah-mbulance time), I have a gift for all the Barry supporters, from the Nutroots to the should-have-their-credentials-pulled MSM to Barry himself below the fold