The fury in this editorial is palpable. From the Palm Beach Post editorial, June 26, 2005
How bad is it? More below:
Want to vote early but worried about long lines? The Republican-led Legislature and Gov. Bush shortened the hours for early voting in the interests of “uniformity.” Big counties, small counties, it doesn’t matter. Instead of a minimum eight-hour day, early voting gets a maximum eight-hour day. Weekends, when most people have more time to vote, are limited to eight hours — total.
Wonder why Florida is among just four states that won’t automatically give felons back their voting rights after they serve time? The governor doesn’t. Instead, he signed a bill that invests more authority in the secretary of state’s office, which went too far in trying to remove alleged felons from voting rolls. Now, the office once controlled by Katherine Harris will wield even more control over the supposedly independent county supervisors. In Iowa, Gov. Tom Vilsack has agreed to automatic restoration of felons’ voting rights, saying what Gov. Bush won’t admit: “When you’ve paid your debt to society, you need to be reconnected to society.” Iowa’s shift leaves Florida in the company of Alabama, Kentucky and Virginia as the only states without automatic restoration.
While making it harder to vote, Republicans made it harder for their opponents to collect campaign cash, even while they collect more. Candidates for governor now can spend $20 million, up from $6 million, and still be eligible for public money. The idea is to make the cap so high that no one can reach it. In 1994, then-candidate Bush refused to accept public financing and spent over the limit, allowing Lawton Chiles to collect $1 in public money for every $1 Gov. Bush spent over the cap. Mr. Chiles won. Gov. Bush learned a lesson and made sure it wouldn’t happen again. Voters are learning a lesson, too. When their interests conflict with those of Republicans, the Republicans get priority.
Wow. What an article! I stashed it away with my Jeb files. I’m going to be ready when the time comes.
I recently added ScrapBook to my Firefox… it saves web pages. I’m going to go back and save every article in my Jeb files… just in case. I’m beginning to think that this Bush could turn into Our Next Nightmare in a heartbeat.
I’ll have to get that extension. It sounds wonderful. I’m not sure if you already know but Florida Politics is a pretty nice site for info.
Where is the article on this issue, on that web site? Where were the democrats in Florida to fight this issue?
I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to be confusing. I meant for general info on Florida politics not this specific story.
they are stealing our Republic.
There has been an outcry from voters rights advocates since the election that changes need to be made in our system if we want to avoid what happened most glaringly in Ohio and Florida in 04 and in Florida in 00. While there are many organizations striving to do what they can, the reality is that all the while there are forces at work, like Jeb Bush in Florida, who are taking this in the opposite direction. They are, cycle after cycle, taking what they have learned and shoring up, bit by bit, their hold on our voting apparatus. They are moving us further from the ability to do anything about it by continuing, through suppression and outright fraud to build their majorities. Each time we lose a little more power to effect change.
There is zero mainstream discussion of what the reality is. No one seems to care and I’ve heard few government officials say anything that would lead me to believe that there will be any real attempts made to preserve our right to vote. I am afraid that we will be waiting a long time before we see another Democratic President, let alone any majorities in Congress.
just lop off TX & FL?
sources of endless evil and grief.
Well, my Aunt Helen and Uncle Gary are in Florida. And they’re quite wonderful. ‘course, they did vote for Bush. Hmmm …
And we’ll see what we can negotiate upstairs! I’m due for some good Karma to come my way, bring your good Karma……..one never knows!
(my sister lives there but she can move anywhere — she’s an ER doc) but you may NOT “lop” off Texas!! It would take a bit more than lopping in any case….it would be rather amusing if we elected Kinky Gov. and then decalred our independence though, wouldn’t it?? We are still allowed to do that! 😉
is a cool guy, but he’s no liberal, more one of those right-of-center populists, with a touch of Libertarian. He’d be an improvement, definitely.
I don’t know, except for some great music and food, TX is the source of so much greed and wingnuttery …
Remember the Alamo!
The doctors who invented the Titanium Rib and saved my sons life are in San Antonio! He would have died without San Antonio and I would have died living in Alabama and not getting to eat in San Antonio at least twice a year……and have my eyes bathed in tourquoise, reds, yellows, purples on buildings even. Art, culture, medicine, food……nope, we’re gonna have to keep Texas. They can always throw George out or something.
and I am glad that you are addressing this. The right wing is working very hard at suppressing the vote. They have infiltrated and corrupted the SOS office in many states. Issues that Americans have to look out for are Campaign Finance, Registration and the Voting Process itself.
They can’t win on the issues so they take away the right of Americans to vote them out of office and they use dirty money to outspend their opponents.