Allegations of Voter Suppression From the Obama Campaign


They better be able to back this up, because as a friend observed, this is real scorched earth stuff.

Statement from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe

We currently have reports of over 200 separate incidents of trouble at caucus sites, including doors being closed up to thirty minutes early, registration forms running out so people were turned away, and ID being requested and checked in a non-uniform fashion. This is in addition to the Clinton campaign’s efforts to confuse voters and call into question the at-large caucus sites which clearly had an affect on turnout at these locations. These kinds of Clinton campaign tactics were part of an entire week’s worth of false, divisive, attacks designed to mislead caucus-goers and discredit the caucus itself.

Also, I wouldn't believe Obama's spin that despite losing the popular vote Obama received one more delegate than Clinton. From Digby:

P.S.S.S. OK, I just spoke with Jill Derby, the head of the Nevada State Democratic Party. Regarding the Obama claim that he'll actually get more delegates out of this, essentially that's spin. Derby said that the caucuses are an "expression of the support of Nevadans today." Around 11,000 delegates were elected today. That will be winnowed down at county conventions and eventually at the state convention in May to the 25 that will go to Denver for the DNC. In 2004, Kerry didn't win every delegate on Election Day, but most of the delegates that eventually went to the DNC were his. Once there's a presumptive nominee, the delegate numbers are subject to change. It's non-binding.

And anyone who's betting against the Clinton machine in the conventions hasn't been watching. The Obama accusations (leaving aside whether they are true) are the first salvo in their campaign for as many delegates as possible out of the conventions.


Ian Welsh January 19, 2008 - 9:44pm
( categories: Miscellany )

Tina January 19, 2008 - 10:09pm

[Obama's supporters] began the tedious process of challenging hundreds of signatures on the nominating petitions of state Sen. Alice Palmer, the longtime progressive activist from the city's South Side. And they kept challenging petitions until every one of Obama's four Democratic primary rivals was forced off the ballot.

Palmer served the district in the Illinois Senate for much of the 1990s. Decades earlier, she was working as a community organizer in the area when Obama was growing up in Hawaii and Indonesia. She risked her safe seat to run for Congress and touted Obama as a suitable successor, according to news accounts and interviews.

But when Palmer got clobbered in that November 1995 special congressional race, her supporters asked Obama to fold his campaign so she could easily retain her state Senate seat.

Obama not only refused to step aside, he filed challenges that nullified Palmer's hastily gathered nominating petitions, forcing her to withdraw.

"I liked Alice Palmer a lot. I thought she was a good public servant," Obama said. "It was very awkward. That part of it I wish had played out entirely differently."

S Brennan January 20, 2008 - 12:55am

are getting a lot of press for playing hardball. But I get the feeling it's on both sides.

And unions tend to play hardball anyway. Anyone who's organized and stuck to it has to be tough as nails and have a high intimidation threshold.

Ian Welsh January 20, 2008 - 2:03am

i.e., the Chicago area, he's grown up in an area with a history of rough-and-tumble politics, and one that's had a relatively un-(or under-)principled Democratic machine. I get the feeling he'll end up able to give as well as he gets, and that the leadup to the Convention may get pretty nasty.

this may shape up to be one popcorn-muncher of a primary season...

-5.75,-4.05
Certainly there are things in life that money can't buy, but it's very funny--
Did you ever try buying them without money?
-- Ogden Nash

justadood January 20, 2008 - 4:04am

machine pols and they both have machines behind them. Obama's machine has done some amazing organizing and Clinton's machine runs like clockwork.

We'll see who gets ground to dust. Unlike most folks I'm not all that upset by all this, though perhaps that's because my horse isn't involved.

Ian Welsh January 20, 2008 - 5:00am

our horses are indirectly involved. If that big Elephant beside us rumbles too much, it might cause a small, medium, or large earthquake in Canada. I'm already on edge now and it might get worse.

adrena January 20, 2008 - 5:40am

I favor Edwards and he's not really in the running barring something very unusual happening. I agree about US/Canada and it's one of the main reasons I write for the US so much. I used to write a lot more for Canada, but while there's a lot messed up in the Great White North I feel the US is the biggest potential problem Canada has.

Ian Welsh January 20, 2008 - 5:44am

Made an awesome post on Daily Kos about Obama and his technique that I agree wholeheartedly about, which informs my parlimentarian attitude about supporting Edwards...

shah8 January 20, 2008 - 1:40pm

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