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Memo Pad

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The GOP Didn’t Steal The 2012 Election, But They Sure Tried

December 31st, 2012 5:55 pm @LOLGOP

In 2000, once the Supreme Court stopped the vote count, George W. Bush won the state of Florida by 537 votes.

Five hundred and thirty-seven votes.

In 2012, pundits saw an election that was just as close, if not closer, than 2000. Even The New York Times‘ Nate Silver, who ended up calling 50 out of 50 states, was unsure if the state would go to President Obama or Mitt Romney when the voting started on November 6. Even after the polls closed, after the election had been called for President Obama by everyone who wasn’t Karl Rove, the state was too close to call.

Across the states, reports of lines that kept voters waiting as long as nine hours were all the evidence you needed to suggest the GOP was trying to stop those who work hourly jobs and have families to take care of from voting.

The only question was if the GOP’s plan to give the state to Mitt Romney would work.

Of course, the president ended up winning the state by 73,189 votes. But a new study shows shows that President Obama should have won the state by a much larger margin. Theodore Allen, an associate professor of industrial engineering at OSU, took a look at voting in central Florida and found that as many as 49,000 voters did not vote because of the long lines. Those who did not vote favored Obama by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, 30,000 to 19,000.

That Florida was not prepared to handle its voters was an open secret even before Election Day. Governor Rick Scott canceled several days of early voting and refused to extend early voting hours, as Governor Charlie Crist did in 2008, when it became clear that the lines were unbearably long due to a ballot that was extraordinarily long.

The fact that Allen found that Latinos and blacks were disportionately affected by the long lines is no surprise.

Florida, like nearly all Southern states, passed a series of measures after the 2010 election aimed at keeping typically Democratic constituencies from voting. The Nation‘s Ari Berman labeled this effort “The GOP’s War on Voting,” but it largely backfired thanks to the efforts of Berman and others to make voters aware that their rights were being purposely subverted.

Allen first started studying the impact of long lines on voting in 2004 when he found that enough voters had left lines in Ohio to  have swung the state from John Kerry to George W. Bush. He found that for every hour they were in line, about 3 percent of voters gave up and left .

Thus when Democrats look at the results of Allen’s studies, they see the need to make adjustments — such as more early voting days and posters in polling places that help voters preview the ballot — to make it easier to vote.

Whereas Republicans like Rick Scott seem to use them as a textbook on how to steal an election.

 Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr.com



  • Progressive Patriot

    There is nowhere near enough outrage regarding the Voter Suppression efforts. This is Third World and Totalitarian stuff that is supposed to happen somewhere else, not here. Not in our democracy. Let’s be sure not to fall asleep at the wheel on this. We must work to reverse the trend, and protect our franchise. How can anyone claim American Exceptionalism, when crap like this is not roundly rejected.

    • James King

      But but but ACORN!!!! (as my neoconservative friends love to point out.)

      • 33Watcher33

        all a ruse! Republicans practice PROJECTION — accusing your opponent of what you are most guilty of…Think about it! Voter fraud, lying, cheating, stealing votes, running negative campaigns…every accusation from Republicans in the last election has been the very things they are MOST GUILTY of doing. And all those Fox viewers believe it all.

      • Progressive Patriot

        Hi James K.
        I don’t even have the energy or patience to deal with the ridiculous responses from the right these days. If I’m not mistaken, the whole Acorn issue was really a non-issue. In this recent election, there were many more verifiable instances of election fraud from the Right. To me it’s that Ends Justify The Means crowd.
        When democracy looses, we all loose (except maybe the Oligarchs and Big Monied Interests).

      • J_R_Brown

        If you view them as “neo-cons”, I highly doubt you treat them as “friends”.
        Also, I get a chuckle out of idiot libs who use the term “neo-con” to refer to right-wing conservatives….the term “neo-conservative” originated from Democrats who wanted to insult former Democrats who left the “liberal” party to become centrists or conservatives. It did not apply to right-wing conservatives AT ALL….well, until the ignorant masses gobbled up the “nastiness” of adding “neo” to “conservative” because it makes it sound like “neo-Nazi”, which is exactly why it was used…to link the images of conservatives to nazis.

        Stupid is as stupid does.

      • Swifty Morgan

        ACORN!!!!

        Even a Blind Squirrel finds one once in a while!

    • idamag

      Progressive, I feel bad that there isn’t more outrage, also. It is our country and we still have to fight for its freedoms.

      • Progressive Patriot

        Glad you’re here to speak truth to lie, idmag!

      • msbelize

        well, the way to fix this is to elect a Democrat for Governor, who will overturn the laws that this idiot put in to steal the election. Look how long it took for them to complete the results. We did not need them; Obama won without Florida. The Republican people only watch faux news who lied to them the whole time. They went into this election with all false numbers, knowing for sure Romney was going to win. People like us saw Nate Silver’s numbers….100% accurate.

    • KINKERSNITCHET1

      American Exceptionalism? What about democracy with equal vote for everyone?

      • Progressive Patriot

        I’m with you, Kinker…
        That IS American Exceptionalism!

    • onedonewong

      I agree with you. This is the 1st time in our history where troops in harms way weren’t allowed to vote thanks to barak and his dem gov henchmen

      • johninPCFL

        More bullshit from the idiot shill.

        • onedonewong

          guess they don’t have newspapers or internet where you live

          • johninPCFL

            And still more bullshit from the idiot shill.

        • idamag

          john, he is a racist.

          • Sand_Cat

            Is that all? I think I could come up with a much longer string of on-the-mark insults for this clown.

          • idamag

            Sand, I can, too.

      • Progressive Patriot

        I’m with you on this one, onedone…

        Voter suppression is bad, regardless of who is committing the crime. Tell me the facts about our troops not getting to vote. I’d like to check them.

        P.P.

        • Sand_Cat

          Notice the prompt response when someone asks for facts!

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Charlie-Watkins/100001075495857 Charlie Watkins

        Who put them troops, in harms way and for what?

        • idamag

          Cheney, for Haliburton.

    • Heather Gray

      Banana Republicanization of America. It’s that craven and simple.

      • Progressive Patriot

        You’re right, Heather. What are we going to do?

    • dxsmopuim

      “voter suppression” now THAT is funny ! Requiring an individual to prove whom he or she actually is. To require an individual to be a legal citizen of the nation they are voting in. Yes, that is horrendous “voter suppression”
      Please find someone with a drill. (being a liberal I am sure you don’t own one) Take that drill and insert it, while in operation, into the side of your skill. Let some air get to that brain of yours because it isn’t working properly at the moment.

      • Progressive Patriot

        I don’t have time for your nonsense. If you have something intelligent to add to the conversation, great, I’m interested.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Daniel-Jones/827014412 Daniel Jones

    Let me be blunt here. The article has two words misplaced.

    I will correct this: “That Florida was even prepared to not handle its voters was an open secret before Election Day.”

  • nobsartist

    Democrats in both the Senate and Congress should censure the entire republiCON party for failure to support the Constitution as the oath of office requires.

    • TZToronto

      When they pay more attention to their pledge to Grover Norquist than they do to their oath of office, then they deserve to be censured. Actually, they deserve to be impeached . . . but who’s going to do it? The best chance is to vote the traitors out in 2014.

      • idamag

        TZT, their godfather.

  • charleo1

    In Florida, a State not known for it’s vote counting abilities, watched as our totally Republican
    run government adopted one new voting restriction after the next. Clearly targeting minorities,
    the youth, and the poor. All to stop what they claimed was widespread voter fraud. Without even
    a single prosecuted charge of anyone voting with false ID, trying to vote twice, or a case of a
    non-citizen knowingly voting illegally. However, the people were, to say the least, an inspired
    lesson in dedication to civic duty! A Mother pushing a stroller, and carrying the older one on her
    hip, was interviewed by the local news, as they paned the length of the line stretching for more
    than a city block. The Mother told the local news guy she had been in the line 8 hours! When
    ask, why she was wiling to wait so long to vote in the sweltering S. Florida heat. She said
    she wanted to support the President, and teach her children the importance of exercising one’s
    Right to vote! I gotta tell you, I got a lump in my throat. And I thought, freedom lives! It was
    a great moment for me personally.

    • idamag

      charle, one thing their attempts at voter supression did do was engergize the voters and some of them did stand in long lines to exercise their right to vote. I think we need national voting laws to protect our precious right.

      • http://www.facebook.com/dominick.vila.1 Dominick Vila

        idamag, that is exactly what happened. Ethnic minorities, and women, were so outraged by the attempts to suppress the vote in the state that gave us the hanging or pregnant chads, that they voted in unprecedented numbers.
        I thought it was fascinating to see how people voted in Florida. Northern Florida, the sparsely populated rural Panhandle, and parts of Central Florida voted for Romney. The most populated parts of Central Florida, and most of South Florida, voted for Obama. If you look at the map of Florida, by district, most of the state looks red. The Orlando area, and the densely populated Miami-Dade, Ft. Lauderdale, areas were solid blue.
        Critical components of the election outcome in Florida include the huge African-American and Hispanic turnout, the fact that the Cuban-American vote, which usually leans heavily in favor of Republicans, was split this time, and the Jewish-American vote in South Florida. I suspect the latter susprised the GOP, which was convinced Jewish Americans hated Obama. They failed to realize that not all Jewish people are Orthodox Jews, that most are highly educated, and that most support the social programs we benefit from and the need for public sector investment.

        • idamag

          Dominick, as in my state, the poor representation that is elected, comes from the backwoods. However, there is so much of that in this state.

      • charleo1

        Yes. Absolutely. As it turned out, a lot of people were watching as the new voting
        rules were adopted everywhere the GOP were in charge. It was obvious, if people
        weren’t paying attention to the kinds of ID they were going to need, Democrats
        were going to be hurt. Then, they cut early voting by several days. But, I think
        Republicans really underestimated the reaction people would have to the attempted
        suppression. They showed up like gang busters, and simply refused to leave
        until allowed to vote. Republicans also took some huge hits. So, they weren’t
        wrong about one thing. If people did managed to vote, they were in trouble!

    • idamag

      charle, and it should be illegal to purge. If the legality of one’s vote should be a concern, then right now, without purging, they could be checking voter registrations.

  • http://www.facebook.com/dominick.vila.1 Dominick Vila

    The GOP did not succeed in stealing the 2012 election, like they did in 2000, but they sure tried. Fortunately, their actions since the election all but guarantee the demise of the Republican party as a viable alternative. By marginalizing minorities and pursuing extreme right wing views or concepts, they appeal only to those living on the fringes of our society. Mainstream Americans are centrists, we are neither far right or far left. What most of us expect is respect, a responsive and effective government, and we want to see results in exchange for the taxes we pay. Saying no, without ever offering an alternative, is not an option.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Sehler/100000396279499 John Sehler

    The Picture of Rick Scott Governor of Florida is most appropriate. The Governor in all his brilliance shortened the early voting, left people standing in line 9 hours to vote in the Presidential election and then impaneled a committee to fine out what why there was so many long lines and problems voting. We in Florida are in a heap of trouble. Send Aid.

    • idamag

      Yes, John, you are.

    • Sand_Cat

      “Second-Amendment Solutions”?

  • http://www.facebook.com/rafi.escudero Rafi Escudero

    All these comments are good and fine…but we have an opportunity to change things in 2014. We cannot forget! Let’s go to work beginning TODAY!!!!

    • 101strac

      I agree completely. In the months leading up to the election, I regularly posted this message. ” Do not let all of the lying, cheating, deceptive practices, of the republican party fade away into the past between now and election day. (2014) We must keep it all fresh in our minds, right up to the moment we cast our ballot for the Democratic Party” thereby removing from positions of power all of these extremist republicans. We showed them what the power of the vote can do. Let’s show them again in 2014.

    • idamag

      Rafi, for one thing, let’s contact our congresspersons and let them know we think we need national protections for voters.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/CXWI3WV6RJLMTGFVG62GXF55EI Sam

    It’s not enough to call ‘Repubs’ thieves. How about ‘low-lifes’ ? How about traitors ?

  • sunmusing

    Part of the problem is the fact that the “VSP’s” and the rest of the media down plays the role of State Governments in voting…The States Constitutions are the birthplace of our voting rights…this is why the “tea party/corporate” interests are in the process of knocking down State Houses and Governorships…This strategy has been in place for years…and we are now on the cusp of losing our right to vote…we have lost our privacy, our right to organize and redress government, assemble peacefully, etc…the police state is near and is crawling its way to power…

  • http://www.facebook.com/richard.baerlocher Richard Baerlocher

    Political overthrow of our Democratic system should be a criminal act. When laws that subvert our election system the lawmakers should be help individually responsible. The people that support the Republican Party are and always will be above the law unless we the people get out and get the laws changed and insure that laws that suppress the votes cannot and willl not be passed by legislatures! The only way to insure the vote will not be suppressed is to make an amendment to the constitution spelling out the requirements for voter registration, and for conducting the voting!

    • idamag

      Anyone trying to supress the vote or tamper with it, in any way, should be disenfranchises and sent to prison. Our right to vote is that sacred.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Sehler/100000396279499 John Sehler

        This disenfranchise would include the Supreme Court for passing the Citizens United Debacle.

  • http://www.facebook.com/tmocarski Tim Mocarski

    Please stop blaming the Supreme Court for the 2000 election result, and please don’t make the mistake of saying that their decision was 5-4. The Court ruled 7-2 that the 14th Amendment was violated. The 5-4 decision was only on how it should be handled. Also, all subsequent challenges, recounts, and chad hanging that followed clearly showed that Bush did indeed win Florida.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Sehler/100000396279499 John Sehler

      Kathleen Harris was the Attorney General at the time and was fully in the pocket of the republican party, Kathleen was the one who pulled the plug on the recount which ended any honesty in the election.

      • johninPCFL

        You missed the part where she was also GWB’s campaign director for Florida.

        • TransitDave

          You missed the Miami Herald recount which had W the clear winner. Next?

          • rothgar

            Please source this

            because I’ve heard that had the vote gone as the Florida Supreme Court had ruled (not as Gore requested) Gore would have won.

          • TransitDave

            I didn´t find it on the web you see. I read it in the Miami Herald a few weeks after the election. But I´m sure you can google it.

          • rothgar

            Having done your research I found the Miami Herald Article!

            If confirms half of what I recall. That had the votes been recounted as the Gore Campaign requested Bush would have won.

            HOWEVER!!!

            The Florida Supreme Court had ordered a complete recount which a consortium of News Papers repeated a few months later and found that had the Florida Supreme Court order not been over ruled by the Supreme Court Al Gore would have won Florida and the Presidency. This news came out about the same time as the 9/11 attack and so wasn’t given much hype.

      • idamag

        John, on C-span, i watched the group, from Florida who presented their issues with that election. They were sent there by people whose vote was tampered with. Franchised voters were turned away with the purge. ChoicePoint, the group chosen by Harris to do that purge, said that there was a 15% error and that was acceptable. If I were one of the 15%, it would not be acceptable. The polls were supposed to be open until 9 p.m. and some people found them closed at 8 p.m. that mess was about as unAmerican as we can get. Every person’s right-to-vote is sacred. We should all protect it.

    • Sand_Cat

      Hair-splitting doesn’t change the facts: the 5-4 is the one that counted. I believe the evidence also shows that Bush’s “win” was by no means “clear.”

      But you’re partly right: this country is full of idiots who whine and cry about their government as they go out and vote for it again. The fact that Jeb Bush was re-elected after his active participation in the fraud says it all.

      • TransitDave

        Jeb was and remains popular in Florida, and could easily have been elected Senator last election, but chose not to run….Next?

  • agnar150

    please get rid of Rick Scott

    • johninPCFL

      There is no recall process in FL. We have to wait for the next election and see how he tries to steal it again.

  • jstsyn

    We must vote republican traitors out of office in the mid term.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/K4UCTK2QUKSSXSINOZN4SEPEIE Tyler

    “Across the states, reports of lines that kept voters waiting as long as nine hours were all the evidence you needed to suggest the GOP was trying to stop those who work hourly jobs and have families to take care of from voting.” Republicans don’t work or have families?

  • KINKERSNITCHET1

    Why not? It worked for Hitler!

    • idamag

      hitler did use voter supression.

  • http://twitter.com/madhi19 John G

    One question that I keep coming back to is that Floridian are getting screwed over and over by these dirtbag so why keep electing them again.

    • johninPCFL

      Easy, they’re old and the GOP fearmonger machine is effective.

  • bpai99

    This news is no surprise but it is unfortunate to see the numbers broken out. What this clearly show is that the GOP voter suppression efforts were successful, just not enough so to make the difference. This will encourage them and result in an even greater focus on this area. Give them four more years to prepare and they might be able to suppress millions more votes nationwide.

  • http://twitter.com/mustardfoot Joseph Phillips

    Fuck Rick Scott. His head’s up Satan’s asshole, which is hot, and it burned his fucking eyebrows off.

  • http://twitter.com/BastionsBalance Bastion of Balance

    This is a joke, right? The mere FACT that voter fraud was committed across the country to get 0bama elected just flies right over your heads. Some of you people who voted for 0bama don’t know the difference between a democracy and gang rape…. or that we live in a Constitutional Republic. God help you because your government surely won’t.

    • johninPCFL

      There were 85 cases over the last decade. How, exactly, did that sway any election?

      Stop drinking for the Glenn Beck slopboard of trufe.

  • onedonewong

    The Supreme court didn’t stop the vote count they stopped the interpretation of the votes submitted they ended the great Karnak charade.
    The democrats did in fact steal the election with over 6 million illegals voting absentee and 2 million dead also voting absentee, couple that with the suppression of the military vote overseas so that no e of the troops in Afghanistan could vote

    • johninPCFL

      You missed the other 7 billion folks who voted. If you’re going to lie, go big.

      • onedonewong

        they tried but the Post Office wouldn’t deliver them

        • johninPCFL

          Good one.

  • Pam Miner

    I read that the GOP thought it had a fail-proof software program that would have given the GoPa clear win. But Then, another group, knowing that they were -planing to do that, worked around the clock to find a way around it and succeeded. With few minutes to spare it is said that their plan worked fine all day and not 1, but over 500 times it got hits on it. ending when the pols closed.

  • ChristoD

    The GOP (Greed Over People) party has no shame. Their mantra is to win at all costs which includes suppressing the vote, lies, deception, misinformaton and whatever else it takes to rescue their corrupt, anti-middle class, anti everything that is not good for the upper class. Their shame has no bounds.

  • MollyBee64

    The modern-day GOP lies and cheats. Americans are on to them and they had better change. No one has yet mentioned the clever gerrymandering of voting districts by GOP administrations nor the flurry of voter ID laws clearly meant to suppress the vote in red states.

    • jstsyn

      They will only come up with better ways to cheat. They need to be dissolved.

  • bckrd1

    I can’t wait to vote Voldermort out in 2014. The man is SCUM.

    • lana ward

      Wow! If Rick Scott is scum, I’d hate to know what you think of princess omuslim!!

  • lana ward

    Omuslim stole the election. Many groups scemeing–and it worked!! The election process was murdered that night, and so was America!!

  • Kansan

    Scott is a criminal who bought his office with just $75 million of the money he stole from the U.S. with bogus Medicare and Medicare claims as CEO of Healthcare Corporation of America. He walked with $360 million in going away money including stocks.

    The corporation settled claims for bogus billing, including to states, for $2 billion.

    Since he got himself elected, he is reaping the benefits as lobbyists carry checks make a pathway to his door. His relationship with for-profit prison scamster GEO Group would probably have anyone else winding up in the pen himself.

  • http://www.facebook.com/bushwacker2010 Bush Wacker

    What voter surpession what about all the democrat college students voting often.

    • JSquercia

      If I remember it correctly the one case ofa voter tring to cast Muliple ballots was in Arizona where a Republican was cauight and he said he was JUST testing the system .

  • http://www.facebook.com/bushwacker2010 Bush Wacker

    The republicans never stole the election Gore could not even win his home state.

  • http://www.facebook.com/bushwacker2010 Bush Wacker

    What about all Obama an his lying deceptive practices to stay in office.

  • TransitDave

    Oaf course the GOP tried to steal the election, but Obama succeeeded……..

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/BOTZ4Z25EGDAK22QCXAQGKI45Y Donna

    The GOP has stolen a presidential election with the help of a right wing Supreme Court. They also stole from the middle class for decades with upward distribution of wealth and Corporate Welfare. So it’s no surprise that they tried to steal the last election by voter suppression.

    The former Grand Old Party has simply sunk to new depths. How much lower can they go without self destructing. When did they decide that America is no longer a democracy. They’ve become the Party of Hate. Hatred will never overpower the human spirit which looms large among the Progressives of the nation.

    I can’t begin to tell you how many people I know who say, “I’ve been a lifelong Republican, but I can no longer support the misdeeds of the party”. The GOP leadership, Fox News Tabloid, and the right wing extremist pundits are ruining what’s left of the party.

    • disqus_qQLhst7cBF

      You do know don’t you that the NY Times and the Washington Post counted every ballot by hand in Florida. EVERY SINGLE BALLOT. And Bush won. Next time instead of looking ignorant maybe you should do a little research instead of just spouting nonsense that you heard some other idiot say.

  • dalancroft

    Agree with Progressive Patriot.

  • disqus_qQLhst7cBF

    This is the biggest lie ever. Voting totals in 2012 were higher than in 2008 by nearly 30K voters. This write is nothing but a stupid hack.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ken-Bowser/100000012413446 Ken Bowser

    No kidding? I live in Ohio and there’s statewide investigations going on because of rampant voter fraud. All over the state. Don’t I remember Seattle recounting several times and then (oh my god) we found ballots that weren’t counted for days? Never mind that Al Franken won by 300 votes, yet 1200 felons voted illegally. I guess you find it acceptable for democrats to commit voter fraud but not the other side.

  • Tiredofthem

    …said the woman who voted for obama 6 times….

  • J_R_Brown

    The laugh here is that self-important liberals think that their party doesn’t do exactly the same kinds of thing.

    • bobby

      Cite examples please.

  • http://www.facebook.com/peter.york.758 Peter York

    Gee, sure is nice to find a non-biased web site.

  • labman57

    While everyone was being distracted with the GOP’s blatent efforts to restrict voters’ rights and manipulate election day infrastructure in order to bolster the Republican candidate’s chances in the election for POTUS, a more subtle approach via gerrymandering was successfully implemented which allowed them to retain control of the House of Representatives.

  • Swifty Morgan

    Crooks!