DJ Bettencourt Supports Voter Fraud

I hope we learn (4.00 / 4)

where the $50,000 donation to Project Stupidas came from. I'm betting it was NH.  

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by: susanthe @ Thu Jan 12, 2012 at 23:11:26 PM UTC

Would be interesting to learn (4.00 / 4)

Hopefully the Attorney General will find out when he investigates. Who knew, who participated, who paid?



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Thu Jan 12, 2012 at 23:14:09 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Deceased Veteran's Name Used By Fibitas (4.00 / 9)

The widow of a a deceased US Navy veteran puts a human face on the intrusion by O'Keefe and his pals. Imagine losing a family member, and then finding out that not even ten days later some creep is using his name in a publicity stunt?

"That's awful," Rachel Groux said. "Why should they use his name? They shouldn't use anybody's name - alive or deceased."

His family held funeral services Monday, his widow said. "Oh my God, I know what he would say, 'Call the cops, call the police,' " Rachel Groux said.

http://www.bostonherald.com/ne...  



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Thu Jan 12, 2012 at 23:24:00 PM UTC

f****n' sickos n/t (4.00 / 2)

note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other

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by: JonnyBBad @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 00:15:44 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Two perspectives on O'Keefe goons (4.00 / 7)

trolling the obits for recently deceased Granite Staters:

1) Grieving widow of Navy vet: "awful," "call the cops".

2) House Majority Leader DJ Bettencourt: "guts."

Social Media Director for Jackie Cilley for Governor. Follow her on Twitter & Facebook!

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by: Dean Barker @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 00:19:53 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

One hypothetical reason a person might oppose prosecution (4.00 / 11)

of a crime, is if that person or his friends were involved in planning the crime.

Hypothetically.

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by: elwood @ Thu Jan 12, 2012 at 23:59:39 PM UTC

Implausibility (4.00 / 10)

Aside from how distasteful--and illegal--this action was, I'm most surprised by the lack of discussion of how implausible it is that anyone would ever vote illegally in this manner.

For all the feigned outraged of O'Brien, Bettencourt & Partners, it would be exhausting for anyone actually looking to illegally vote to pull this off. Someone unregistered to vote or looking to vote twice would have to sift through obituaries for recently deceased, travel to the precinct in question, hope the name of the recently deceased had not already been stricken from the checklist, present the name and verify the address of the recently deceased, and hope that no one present recognized them as an impostor.

Personally, I just don't believe someone would be able to do exert the energy to do that... except as a right-wing publicity stunt.

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by: FrankLloydMike @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 00:53:41 AM UTC

Not to mention (4.00 / 3)

The possibility/ probability of conviction and fine.

The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. --Marcus Aurelius, courtesy of Paul Berch

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by: Lucy Weber @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 01:27:50 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

It would be easier (4.00 / 2)

just to get a fake id made.

You have not converted a man because you have silenced him.  (John Morley, 1838-1923)

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by: Marjorie Porter @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 01:41:16 AM UTC

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We like to think that punishment has a deterrent effect on other (4.00 / 1)

people, but most people don't learn from other's mistakes and the best we can hope for is to deter a repetition by the same perp.
O'Keef, obviously, is not deterred from misbehavior by slaps on the wrist. He insists on being offensive and his gift of gab seems to get him out of the consequences. That should be noted.  He's a repeat offender.

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by: hannah @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 12:34:57 PM UTC

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Death Penalty (4.00 / 6)

A recurring Republican argument in favor of the death penalty is its ability to deter future crimes punishable by death. For this theory to work, the state would have to actually put some people to death, otherwise its an empty deterrent. No punishment - no deterrent.

Ergo, if the Republican concern for instituting a voter ID law is really to stop voter fraud, it stands to reason they would stop at nothing to fully prosecute anyone caught engaged in election fraud. You know, to deter anyone thinking of election tampering.

Otherwise, their true reason for pursuing voter ID laws is not to stop voter fraud.

Call them on this - their cover is blown.

Running for State Rep 2012 in Hillsborough District 2
Aaron Gill, Deering: nhgill.com Twitter: Gill4NHStateRep

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by: nhveedub @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 13:42:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

This is confusing crimes of passion and (0.00 / 0)

coldly plotted crimes of profit.

If the likelihood of getting caught stealing $1000 is 10%, and the penalty is $5000, repeat the crime (using stooges) 10 tens and clear $5000. Someone will figure out how to make a career on that spread.

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by: elwood @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 22:18:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

9 x $5,000 (0.00 / 0)

I'm at $45,000 as a base, plus penalties for filming audio/video without consent. That ain't chump change.

Running for State Rep 2012 in Hillsborough District 2
Aaron Gill, Deering: nhgill.com Twitter: Gill4NHStateRep

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by: nhveedub @ Sat Jan 14, 2012 at 00:31:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yes, I believe we have big enough penalties, (0.00 / 0)

and a process that makes getting caught likely enough, to deter fraud.

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by: elwood @ Sat Jan 14, 2012 at 00:40:19 AM UTC

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and not only that... (4.00 / 3)

Not only would be exhausting, it would ineffective, since not many people die each month.  Most voters start voting at age 18 or so and keep on voting for 60 to 75 years.  Less than 2% of the electorate dies each year.  If you just want to use names from the last few months, you have less than 1.2 of 1% to pick from... and most of that tiny fraction are old people who would be well-known in their community.  And even the young or unfamous ones would have probably had an obit in the local paper along with a ceremony honoring their lives.


sitting state rep: running for re-election in 2012.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 03:43:31 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Countdown (4.00 / 1)

did a segment on this tonight featuring the guy who is covering this for TPM. They played some footage and the impersonator did take the ballot that was handed to him. He handed it back,saying he was going to get his id, but he took the ballot.

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by: Jennifer Daler @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 02:02:59 AM UTC

It's an open and shut case under NH law n/t (4.00 / 3)

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by: elwood @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 02:05:05 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

But DJ Bettencourt.... (4.00 / 1)

...thinks these people are admirable.



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 02:58:33 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

not only does he think they are admirable... (0.00 / 0)

I am sure DJ is congratulating himself for his courage even as I write this.


sitting state rep: running for re-election in 2012.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 03:45:13 AM UTC

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Can't wait for the press release on this one n/t (0.00 / 0)

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by: dooper @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 04:05:16 AM UTC

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Names (0.00 / 0)

They reportedly used the names of New Hampshirites who passed away as recently as last month.

If I found out that the name of a very recently deceased relative of mine had been used in these shenanigans, I would not be comforted by the assertion that it was a well-meaning effort to identify room for improvement--even if I were inclined to believe that.

--
Twitter: @DougLindner

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 03:30:25 AM UTC

All of the deceased were Democrats (4.00 / 4)

Of course.

No fraudulent Republicans were involved.

Guess the Union Leader missed that. Maybe they'll include it in an editorial tomorrow.

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by: Chaz Proulx @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 04:08:59 AM UTC

Various questions the media needs to untangle: (4.00 / 1)

O'Keefe bragged that his NH Project Stupiditas was funded with a single $50k amount.

Pindell noted a ways back that Koch op Americans for Prosperity paid for O'Keefe's event with them in September. At the same time O'Keefe appeared before the Nashua GOP.

One of O'Keefe's brilliant young minds in trolling local obits is Spencer Meads.

Who himself may be from NH.

http://www.toledoblade.com/Pol...

Spencer Meads, 21, of Nashua, N.H., can't vote in Ohio, but that didn't stop him from manning phones for Mr. Kasich Saturday in Delaware. The politics and government student at nearby Ohio Wesleyan University is president of the College Republicans.

Social Media Director for Jackie Cilley for Governor. Follow her on Twitter & Facebook!

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by: Dean Barker @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 10:55:17 AM UTC

Thomas Edgar Meads is a medical doctor with offices in (0.00 / 0)

Nashua and Manchester.  Spencer E. Meads is a possible relative.

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by: hannah @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 12:45:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Spencer Meads attended Bishop Guertin (0.00 / 0)

http://nashuatelegraph.mycaptu...

before attending Wesleyan U in Ohio where he was a junior in 2009.

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by: hannah @ Fri Jan 13, 2012 at 12:59:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Disrespecting the Deceased and Their Families (4.00 / 4)

I've just been reading some of the obituaries of the men whose names were stolen by these punks. All seniors. Most if them were veterans, several WW II vets. Working people. All Democrats. They are entitled to respect and dignity in death, not to be used by some pissants in some fraudulent act.

And DJ Bettencourt says these creeps have guts?    



"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Sat Jan 14, 2012 at 01:33:29 AM UTC

Creeps (0.00 / 0)

"...creeps..."

Very creepy.  Something smells here, and if it smells, it's rotten.  

[I'm a former has-been House member and State Senator, but I keep "Rep." on my ID name for easy reference of previous posts.]

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by: Rep. Jim Splaine @ Sat Jan 14, 2012 at 02:43:31 AM UTC

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Character & Fitness (0.00 / 0)

Isn't Rep. Bettencourt planning on submitting his name to the Character & Fitness Committee of the NH Supreme Court? Does he honestly think that condoning the commission of an illegal act is something that they will view kindly?

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by: PeadarS @ Sun Jan 15, 2012 at 01:24:59 AM UTC

I am wondering... (0.00 / 0)

I am wondering if the New Hampshire Legal Rights Foundation had anything to do with this crap.


sitting state rep: running for re-election in 2012.

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by: TimothyHorrigan @ Mon Jan 16, 2012 at 18:59:41 PM UTC

[ Parent ]