"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Tuesday, November 06, 2018

It's Election Day

Do you know where your vote went?

Here are just a few of the ways the Republicans are gearing up for the big day:

First, the Orange Menace is setting up to challenge the legitimacy of the election:

A threatening tweet from President Donald Trump late Monday morning, less than 24 hours before the polls open nationwide, is leading some to accuse him of engaging in voter suppression. Others are saying the tweet is the President's attempt to lay the groundwork to call the results of Democratic midterm wins illegitimate.

"Law Enforcement has been strongly notified to watch closely for any ILLEGAL VOTING which may take place in Tuesday’s Election (or Early Voting)," Trump tweeted. "Anyone caught will be subject to the Maximum Criminal Penalties allowed by law. Thank you!"

As we all know by now, "illegal voting" is statistically non-existent in the U.S. And most of the very few cases that exist have been perpetrated by Republicans. Nevertheless, Trump is getting ready to throw the results out if Democrats win.

Others are taking more direct measures:

In Wisconsin, where incumbent Koch Bros. play toy Scott Walker is trailing in the polls:

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has taken the unusual step of activating his state's National Guard, activating their cyber security team prior to the election.

While details are scant, walker's Executive Order asks the National Guard to, "provide essential services to the Wisconsin Elections Commission."

Walker is in a difficult race against Tony Evers. Evers, a democrat, is up on Walker by 5 points.

Reid Magney, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, told the Associated Press that he couldn't recall any previous election with such an order being issued. The National Guard has only had a cyber security tea, since 2016.

In Georgia, Brian Kemp, who as secretary of state is overseeing the election in which he's running for governor, is calling "foul" even before the votes are tallied:

Current Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who is also the Republican candidate for governor of Georgia, announced today that he was launching an investigation into the state Democratic Party, claiming that they had attempted to "hack" the voter registration system.

"While we cannot comment on the specifics of an ongoing investigation, I can confirm that the Democratic Party of Georgia is under investigation for possible cyber crimes," said Candice Broce, the press secretary for the Secretary of State in a statement. "We can also confirm that no personal data was breached and our system remains secure."

I reported on this in more detail here. Kemp has also been busily purging registered voters from the rolls.

And Trump's Department of Justice, headed by known racist Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, is getting into the act:

When Americans head to the polls on Tuesday for the midterm elections, voters in 35 counties — from Las Vegas to Dallas to Tampa — will head to precincts that are being closely monitored by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division for “compliance with the federal voting rights laws,” the DOJ announced Monday.

“Voting rights are constitutional rights, and they’re part of what it means to be an American,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

Sessions also warned that “fraud in the voting process will not be tolerated.”

A number of these counties are being noted as "tilts Democratic" by the pollsters.

That's just what's popped up in the news the last couple of days. What's next, do you suppose?

Maybe Trump will redirect those 15,000 troops from the border to "questionable" precincts. You know -- with lots of Democrats.



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