"Dirty Tricks" Initiative in California has ties to Swift Boat Supporter
By Nicole Belle Monday Sep 03, 2007 1:33pmJust in case you weren't sure whether this Dirty Tricks initiative was a naked power grab on the part of the GOP in true blue California...
San Jose Mercury News: (reg. req'd)
Lawyers behind a California ballot proposal that could benefit the 2008 Republican presidential nominee have ties to a Texas homebuilder who financed attacks on Democrat John Kerry's Vietnam War record in the 2004 presidential campaign.
Charles H. Bell and Thomas Hiltachk's law firm banked nearly $65,000 in fees from a California-based political committee funded almost solely by Bob J. Perry that targeted Democrats in 2006. Perry, a major Republican donor, contributed nearly $4.5 million to the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that made unsubstantiated but damaging attacks on Kerry three years ago.
The Perry-financed committee in California, the Economic Freedom Fund, continued to spend money this year, mostly on legal expenses tied to an ongoing legal dispute in Indiana over phone calls made to voters in 2006. It lists the Sacramento law office's address as its home and its Web site directs contributions to the firm, Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk. In addition, Bell serves as the committee's treasurer.
Hiltachk has been pushing a proposal to revamp the way California awards its electoral votes, a change Democrats claim would rig the 2008 race. He and Bell are the sole officers of a new political committee, Californians for Equal Representation, that is raising money to place the plan on the ballot in June.
The Courage Campaign has been working hard to get this plan defeated. You can sign their petition here or donate here for their $20 for 20 electoral votes fundraiser. The Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs explains here.
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I'm SHOCKED!
Nobody said it would be easy.
Dog eat dog.
Actually I think it makes sense to split up the electoral vote by district but not for one F***king state for crying out loud.
What kind of sense does that make and how can it be for any reason other than opportunistic manipulation?
They win either way. Defeat the Dirty Tricks initiative, and there will be a call to move to a purely popular vote ... of course, when the votes are being tabulated by Diebold (excuse me, 'Premier Election Systems'), the results will be the same.
L.A. Confidential @ 3:
But why are the most vicious dogs always on THEIR side?
These people need to be sent back to high school, where the games they play will only hurt them and their pals. Sheesh I am overloaded on all this cheating.
I bet these assholes cheat playing 'Candyland' with toddlers.
Curtilingus @ 4:
It's all about POWER. Whatever it takes. Forget sense. It has nothing to do with that. It's a pure raw grab for power.
How bout if California just secedes from the US and we take ALL our electoral votes with us?
You guys cat have any!
Cant
I have been tempted, in the past, to ignore initiatives like this because I thought they had no chance of passage. But I've learned better than that now.
We in California really need to make sure this fails. People like Perry will throw millions of dollars at it to make it sound reasonable. And that isn't hard to do. They'll just say it's about fairness. The truth is more difficult to put on a bumper sticker.
So stay alert and involved.
• Detox from Fox: Starve The Beast
There's nothing the dirty crooks won't try to get away with in their conga line of corruption
Here is one of the ads Bob J. Perry produced and developed and used against John Tester. An attempt to play off the move Brokeback Mountain because of Republican visceral hate of homosexuals. Will Democrats have a strategy to combat this type of campaigning? I don't think so. What we will hear from the Democrats is "Isn't it awful how those Republicans campaign". "I'm really mad about that ad". "I am going to write a strongly worded letter to someone to have them do something about this" "Stopping defamatory advertising is off the table!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai643OIjjUI
I remember Pelosi saying it would be fair if it was done to all states including texas and florida but not fair if it was just done to California.
She said it so well too.
I recall when 10,000 people in their 20's gathered around the White House when Nixon started bombing Cambodia after he promised the public a withdrawal plan from Viet Nam and chanted over and over with raised fists . . . .
FU*K YOU NIXON
Thats the only language they understand.
Thanks Nicole. Figured as much.
Curtilingus @ 9:
Ecotopia, anyone?
At this point, I'm rooting for several secessions. VT is taking it quite seriously. There's an international conference next month [in TN I think].
The best part about the Republican party is that most of them a old farts who will be dead in 10 yrs., which in my opinion isn't soon enough.
If these people succeed in their efforts to marginalize the Progressive movement and it policies, then this country wouldn't last 20 years before the Conservative movement destroyed itself., which has nearly happened anyway. So, a loss for Progressives, could still be a win in the future, for America.
/ Edwards in 08'
Well surprise, surprise!
A Richard Head @ 18:
I said the same thing about the WWII farts. It actually did seem for awhile that things would improve. But wouldn't you know that fascistic belief system has risen up again with the boomers and younger. The WWII old farts at least knew enough to fight fascism.
Curtilingus @ 9:
I was thinking more about the fact that California has the 8th largest economy in the world.
4.5 million is quite alot of money to be sending to a pack of liers. i wonder what happened or will happen to any money the swift boat liers do not spend in smear ads. i wounder how much this snake in the grass has donated to truely charitable oraganizations that have a positive effect on peoples lives. oh wait, thats right, he's a repube and that translates into f-ck the needy, let them find work. these people would rather buy steal and cheat their way to power instead of do the
rightcorrect thing.Bob Perry brings a whole new meaning to poltics being full of deep doo-doo.
Then when the opposition responds he acts like they're the ones at fault for bringing down the tone of political debate.
Thanks Nicole!!! Great post.
A bunch of us have created our own personal ActBlue fundraising pages. Mine has a targeted goal of $616.19 to cover the cost of the Kinkos copying bill for the 2,148 copies of the initiative I delivered to Arnold.
He should start with his own fucking state.
The initiative process was created so that the people could get legislation enacted that had been ignored by the state legislature. It was part of the "Reform Era" changes made to take power away from the robber barons and give it back to the people.
Like HIV, the GOP corrupts a defense mechanism and turns it into something destructive.
The neo-cons should be left out of all elections.
Guy looks like a racist,acts like one to.
Time for Houston Texas concerned citizens [and anyone else] to let Bob J at "Perry Homes" where he makes all his big money that his actions are unAmerican. He probably won't agree.
Now that everybody in CA. knows what the Kool-Aid drinking, Rethug. scumbags are up to again, it won't work.
(Perry Homes) is for people with hollow domes.
this would only be possibly considered only IF ALL 50 STATES IMPLEMENTED THE SAME STYLE OF ELECTORAL PROCESS, otherwise it is purely a GOP Karl Rovian Trick to steal votes in the next presidential election.
Anybody else recall ohio and florida? Karl's doing....that is why he slinked off this week to conspire for the rethuglicans in the nov 2008 campaign.
Karl, can you hear us now?
Man oh man.
Hate to say it, but the progressives really gotta get some dirty tricks operations up and running.
Only way to beat Repub Scum.
Bob Perry: on the List.
I just knew all this electoral vote initiative crap was just more GOP bullshit designed to undermine our election process... and punk out California next year making us the 08 version of Ohio 04 and Florida 00... IT AIN'T GOING TO FUCKING HAPPEN THIS TIME motherfuckers!!!! Absolutely the electoral colleage and that whole theory should be looked at... But not in this way, not under these circumstances and clearly not by these frigging assholes behind this current scam!!!! They do not have the nations interests at heart. They have only their own selfish and twisted ambitions in mind. I will not sign any intiative tied to this shit and IF if makes the ballot, I will vote it down!! I don't think I'm alone in seeing this for what it is.....JD
Let's do away with the Electoral College and elect by the total popular vote.
no shock..................another fixed election...............
Shadowgm @ 5:
The votes are no longer fixed, Shadow.
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vsr.htm
Honest George @ 35:
You do realize that you don't even have a stated Constitutional right to vote for President, don't you?
The Electoral College system is not going to be removed any time soon. Why don't you work on establishing the basic right to vote for President in the Constitution?
http://www.house.gov/jackson/VotingAmendment.htm
This link is also very good:
http://www.house.gov/jackson/VotingRightsFAQ.htm
We REALLY need to get our ducks in order on this issue. It really could be one of the biggest accomplishments in Internet activism yet, if we could get a Constitutional amendment specifically empowering the people to vote for our highest offices.
Question for Bob Perry & Perry Homes...
If you despise Democracy so much that you're willing to spend millions to subvert it, why not just take your fuhking money and move to Russia or China.
Bob Perry is an enemy of Democracy and Freedom. Bob Perry should be investigated for possible charges of treason. The state of Texas should begin investigating Bob Perry and Perry Homes immediately.
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