Excerpt: "In a nutshell, the budding vulture capitalist Republican son of the vulture capitalist Republican running for president is part-owner of voting machines in a state that is a must-win for any Republican seeking the presidency."
Mitt, Ann and Tagg Romney confer with aides on a campaign flight. (photo: TopekaNews)
America: Land of Shady Elections
23 October 12
Reader Spported News | Perspective
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merica: Land of Shady Elections
If a country proclaimed itself as the standard-bearer for Democracy around the world, while a son of one of that country's presidential candidates owned voting machines in a state known for swinging elections, would you take that country's claims seriously? Would you believe that nation's claims of love for Democracy if a team of UN observers were sent to that nation's polling locations on Election Day to monitor a hyper-partisan voter intimidation group?
We've all heard of the Golden Rule. No, not the "do unto others" law that Jesus spoke of in the New Testament - I'm referring to the more well-known "He who has the gold, makes the rules" one. In this case, the one with the gold is Tagg Romney, son of presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Tagg also recently made headlines after saying he wanted to "take a swing" at the President of the United States for calling his dad a liar.
Tagg is managing partner of Solamere Capital, which is a subsidiary of financial firms owned by Allen Stanford, a guy doing 110 years behind bars for an $8 billion Ponzi scheme. Solamere is tied to many private equity-owned firms, one of which is HIG Capital's Hart Intercivic, a voting machine company whose products will be used in Ohio on November 6th. This is worse than when the owner of Diebold, who makes easily-hackable voting machines, promised to deliver Ohio to George W. Bush in 2004.
In a nutshell, the budding vulture capitalist Republican son of the vulture capitalist Republican running for president is part-owner of voting machines in a state that is a must-win for any Republican seeking the presidency. By any reasonable standard, this conflict of interest is cause for an investigation by the Federal Election Commission and the FBI, and is a national security concern for the Department of Homeland Security, all of which have a mandate to ensure that vote counts will not be tampered with on Election Day.
When you combine this troublesome detail with the many new unfair voter ID laws around the United States that are estimated to disenfranchise millions of Democratic-leaning voters on election day, this election could very well be a farce. Far-right politicians in Ohio, Virginia, Arizona and Florida have done their very best to suppress the Democratic vote by purging voter rolls, giving Latino voters wrong information on when to vote, and even adjusting early voting rules to favor Republican-leaning counties over Democratic-leaning counties.
The threat of a farce election is so great that lawyers for the ACLU, NAACP and other advocates have asked UN observers to come to the beacon of Democracy, the United States, and monitor our elections. This is in response to a Houston-based group called True the Vote that trains thousands of volunteers in a pledge to stop "voter fraud," largely through aggressive intimidation tactics. True The Vote's strategy is basically to give copies of voter rolls to poll-watchers, and encourage them to relentlessly question election officials when someone comes into a polling location whom they don't think should be there. While partisan groups like True The Vote are crying "voter fraud" as their excuse to make it harder for students, seniors, people of color, poor people, and other traditionally left-leaning constituencies to go vote, the only acts of voter fraud that actually occur are being committed by the far right.
We need to be just as aggressive in demanding accountability for the crooks who are trying to rig this election in their favor, before we're stuck with an illegitimate presidency and arguing over a few hundred votes in rigged courts.
Carl Gibson, 25, is co-founder of US Uncut, a nationwide creative direct-action movement that mobilized tens of thousands of activists against corporate tax avoidance and budget cuts in the months leading up to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Carl and other US Uncut activists are featured in the documentary "We're Not Broke," which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. He currently lives in Manchester, New Hampshire. You can contact Carl at carl@rsnorg.org, and listen to his online radio talk show, Swag The Dog, at blogtalkradio.com/swag-the-dog.
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Remember as OWS might say, and Wikipedia does sayt, Banks caused the Great Depression. Prof. Said also for 1829 depression so they executed him. USA banks coukld now petition GOP to move Elixabeth Warren to Gitmo? That may save your Bankers?
You ask good questions, but I asked them of her some months ago and her reply was that she would be just as strong and fearless with the other issues. I think team 99% may have finally found their team leader.
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Elizabeth Warren for President in 2016!!!!
Wow! You heard it here first. Keep in mind that Obama quickly moved from Illinois politics to the White House.
Or, will we be happy to let them express regret and then let them go back to business as usual.
So far, of course, they've gone back to business as usual and not shed a single crocodile tear.
On the other hand, I don't care much if some of these fraudsters go to the slammer or not. I don't even care much if they are somehow forced to pay restitution. What I want is for it never to happen again ... and that means real regulation - with Glass-Steagall being the MINIMUM.
Wonder if she can get them doin' hard time and paying back some of their ill-gotten gains.
Suggest that the pillory be reinstated and line 'em up along Wall Street with rotten tomatoes or horse-shit before they begin their long trek to Abu Grahib.
Go after 'em and be as merciless as they have been and are, Eliza'!
That's all it takes to get through transparently wrong behavior to the core of what needs to be done.
I still send her what I can afford each month. Yes, we signed petitions to get her in the Senate, and we're going to do the same to make her President. No more inside cronyism and revolving doors. Power to the People.
And if she does wind up having a few bankers indicted, the author's warning that some banks may go out of business is also ludicrous and insulting. Why shouldn't a criminal enterprise have to pay the price for its crimes? And there would certainly be plenty of other banks to take their place. I, for one, am not worried.
She's a GEM because she's Elizabeth Warren. NOT because she's another carrier of the XX Chomosome.
We love her- she has more balls than most senators. If Corey Booker runs and gets in - that would also be a great addition.
Elizabeth Warren has come along-- AT LAST -- someone who is fighting FOR THE PEOPLE!!!! BRAVO, and let's ALL SUPPORT HER TO THE ULTIMATE DEGREE!!!
I THANK YOU, Elizabeth Warren, and my hat is off to you, because speaking the TRUTH is not something we hear a lot these days!!! BRAVO and MORE THANKYOU'S!!
Beverly Smith
Go for it, gals!
As a fellow member of the male gender, get real. We have no shortage of elected women to demonstrate the blindness of your position.
Elizabeth Warren is as GREAT as HUMANS come !
Voting for anyone based upon what's between their legs instead of what's between their ears is simply childish.
I agree with what you say, par, that if some banks go out of business because they are unable to operate justly and legally, than they should. In the 1930's, FDR seized a number of banks and placed them under government control until they came round. This is the sort of action that is required. Kevin Roose is either worried about sounding like a radical, perhaps for career reasons, or is a closet apologist for the financial services industry, but he lacks a sense of what is necessary in these extreme circumstances. Warren is exactly right to criticize the reluctance of regulators and DOJ officials at all levels, so extreme that it resembles nepotism.
Now, there are two ...
Not only are the Republicans in bed with the Wall Street criminals, along with some Democrats, even Obama is involved in covering up corporate crime. Attorney General Holder is also a Wall Street lackey, along with much of Obama's cabinet. Also remember that even Bill Clinton signed off on ending the protections that were instituted un Glass- Steagall, so I wouldn't trust Hillary either. We also need public financing of elections along with instilling our Supreme Court with justices that have the interests of our nation as a whole as a primary interest. Since a democracy gets what it deserves, we have become too passive and dumb as an electorate, so as to let these corporate criminals take control of our nation.
Alan Grayson is the Representative from Orlando, but he would be a great Senator. From your post to God's ear!
We need a two-pronged approach.
When a corporation agrees to an out-of-court settlement, that ought to be taken as an admission that some illegal conduct did occur. That should be a consideration for the Justice Department to seek indictments and trial for the individuals (i.e. executives) who were responsible for those crimes.
Since a regulatory agency could act against a corporation and the Justice Department against individuals there should be no double-jeoparey questions.
Show that the Law exists, for everyone.
Put them in prison along with all the poor and middle class people who may or may not belong there.
That's why we need a two-pronged approach because such an agreement with a regulatory agency wouldn't apply to an agency such as the Justice Department. One agency can't make a agreement that subverts the authority of another agency, no more than your neighbor making a deal with the city that affects your rights.
No quarter, Dr. Warren. Go get 'em. We have your back.
This woman has a handle on the situation.
Senator Elizabeth Warren wears glasses in order to see better;
Sarah Palin wore glasses in order to appear better.
Isn't it incredible that just one person can shine such a light on the path that has been lost in the slime and murkiness of government today?
Dr Jill Stein and Senator Warren!
Then we would not need to have a real revolution in order to regain positive momentum on all fronts.
But yes, BRAVO!!! and AMEN! to Sen Warren.
As senator he voted for the bail outs and as president OweBama doled out our money -- to his political friends.