Ginning up the base
Thursday, Oct 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the IL GOP…
The Illinois Republican Party sent a second “voter fraud alert” robocall to Illinois Republicans this afternoon, following a new round of questionable issues at polling locations, including an admitted “vote buying” attempt by a Chicago Alderwoman.
“This election is far too important for the Democrats to get away with their attempts to rig the election for Pat Quinn,” said Tim Schneider, Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. “We deserve a change from the Democrats’ corruption and ‘same-old, same-old’ failures in our state.”
* Robocall script…
Hello, this is Chairman Tim Schneider calling Republicans with another important voter alert. Across the state we’re seeing electronic voting machines that automatically switch a vote from Republican to Democrat. We’re also seeing news reports of Democrats offering money and prizes for votes. Tampering with voting machines and vote-buying is illegal - it’s a felony, and we’re going to make sure anyone who does it gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But we need your help. If you see something, say something. If you suspect your voting machine was mis-calibrated or you see offers of money for votes, call our voter fraud hotline at 312-201-9000. Don’t let the Democrats steal this election - get out and vote, and help us stop voter fraud. This call was paid for by the Illinois Republican Party. 312-201-9000.
- William j Kelly - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:05 pm:
Schneider please disclose the money or prizes rauner has paid you.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:07 pm:
Due diligence.
If they have the resources, more power to them.
This is there way of going about it
- Pot calling kettle - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:10 pm:
Are the Republicans desperate? Do their polls show problems with the base?
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:12 pm:
Voting’s open now — I’d ask people to get out and vote at the the top of the script. I don’t know how many people are hanging around for that windy voter-fraud Halloween story to get to the real call-to-action.
But I never listened to more than five seconds of a robocall ever. I think they’re just rude.
- Norseman - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:17 pm:
It excites the out of state Tea Party inlaws more than me. I’m just worried about the election judges from both parties erasing the voluminous Oswego Willy write-in votes.
- Angry Chicagoan - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:20 pm:
This is grotesque, disingenuous behavior by the Republicans calculated to undermine the democratic process whenever it results in them not winning. I’d chalk it up to typical late campaign desperation in particular races if I did not hear it coming from so many different angles in so many different parts of the country. Instead, it feels like a nationwide poison pill. Are we to the point where we need a new conservative party in the US, one that buys into democracy and free markets rather than power, control and rent seeking?
- Amalia - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:23 pm:
” ….admitted ‘vote buying’ attempt by a Chicago Alderwoman…”
yeah, it’s such a scandal that the Alderman (that’s the statutory term GOP) admitted it because it was a raffle. super super scary when someone fesses up to something that sounds like my great aunt Bessie would do at the church supper.
- William j Kelly - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:26 pm:
Schneider, please have your resignation letter prepared for 11/5, thanks.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:27 pm:
- Norseman -,
I have petitioned that every polling place remove all erasures. That should stop it.
- Anon - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:45 pm:
A smart basketball coach would vet the refs when he has been homered in the past at a certain gym. And vet the timekeeper. That’s all the R’s are doing, smart move. And if anyone is thinking about not voting, this will get them to the polls.
- MrJM - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 6:52 pm:
Post to craigslist.com/chicago: “Two (2) general admission (in-field) tickets to the Foo Fighters at Wrigley Field - $200 for the pair. Call 312-201-9000. Ask for Tim.”
– MrJM
- walker - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 7:01 pm:
Didn’t the Rauner campaign have a free call-in number (to their campaign office) to report fraud in government?
Whatever happened to all those calls?
- Casual Observer - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 7:04 pm:
Backfire. It basically says “they’ve already decide how you’ll vote so don’t bother”. I don’t see how this helps Bruce turn out R votes. Also, if he has thugs, ahem, lawyers in all precincts “visiting” polling places the word will spread and more voters won’t show up. Backfire.
- Under Further Review - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 7:07 pm:
Laugh it off. “There is no such thing as vote fraud” seems to be a liberal meme. The right to vote is so fundamental that it is incorrect to question any potential voter as to his or her eligibility.
How anyone from Illinois can be dismissive of vote fraud given our history is astonishing.
Alderman Hairston’s silly raffle has been referred to the Cook County State’s Attorney and properly so.
Across the country, there is an investigation of noncitizens being registered to vote in Maryland — the interesting wrinkle was these same folks were excused from jury duty as they were not Americans.
I hope that we have a clean election because if the polls are close to being correct it may be close.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 7:37 pm:
UFR, that Virginia Voters Alliance is on the case.
They think they’ve found people who said they weren’t citizens to get out of jury duty yet were registered to vote. So they’re lying somewhere.
Whoever lied to get out of jury duty? It’s a sacred obligation welcomed and cherished by all Americans.
The previous “massive” voter fraud conspiracy from the Virginia Voters Alliance is that they think they might have found 164 people who voted in 2012 in both Virginia and Maryland. But they’re not really sure.
There are some academic studies on the subject, you know.
- Belle - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 7:38 pm:
Totally different topic: just saw Chad Grimm on “Chicago Tonight” and learned more about: him, what he believes, and what he knows in 5 mins that I know about Rauner. amazing.
- Amalia - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 7:45 pm:
we just have to accept that the Republican Party will NEVER get over the Nixon loss to Kennedy…..it’s all only about the vote fraud….and the Nixon resignation….that’s all only about the terrible liberals (including young Hillary) who hounded Nixon out of office. Never, never will get over it until they have a Democratic President resign, and never never get over their perception of vote fraud. I’ll be they think the makeup person at the CBS studio for the debate was in on the conspiracy, after all, the debate took place in….Chicago!
- MoneyMoney - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 7:55 pm:
This guy in the article is the vice chair of the Madison County Republican Party. The Republican Party later removed him from poll watching duty. http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/news/50531154/Man-allegedly-interferes-with-voters
- anonano - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 7:57 pm:
WTG back 54 years Amalia. I bet all the 20, 30, 40 somethings sit around at parties and discuss that 1960 race. I would quote Willy but that would be rude.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 8:03 pm:
What a waste of money. And time.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 8:26 pm:
The legend that Daley stole the White House for Kennedy literally doesn’t add up. Nixon would have lost in the electoral college even if he won Illinois.
Daley’s legend as a presidential kingmaker is completely false..
1964– LBJ landslide
1968– Chicago convention riot, Humphrey loses Illinois and election
1972 — Daley kicked out of Democratic convention, McGovern loses Illinois and election in landslide
1976 — Carter wins election, but loses in Illinois.
Some great vote thief.
- foster brooks - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 8:56 pm:
I’m counting on those four legged voters in cook cnty
- Oneman - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 9:16 pm:
Nope, it is a little gift and robocalls are cheap. Also will start a conversation, “you know what those Chicago Democrats are trying to do”…
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 9:32 pm:
I was talking to a couple of captains from the Northside and they can’t wait to flood this call-in number on Tuesday.
“Um hello? Yeah, I was just over by St. Pascal’s, they vote in da gym over dere, and I’m pretty sure the Republican election judge is really a Democrat. She’s a nice old lady but her old man works for streets and San, you know, so tings might not be on da up and up in dat precinct.”
I hope they have plenty of investigators in the city because I have a feeling they’re going to get a lot of calls on Tuesday. Thanks for sharing that phone number.
- Amalia - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 10:03 pm:
Wordslinger, correct, but not what the paranoid think!
- Under Further Review - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 11:19 pm:
@Wordslinger:
The myth of Daley turning out the vote for Kennedy has been exaggerated. Kennedy may have been an incidental beneficiary, but Daley’s target was State’s Attorney Benjamin Adamowski who was also running in November of 1960 and gearing up to investigate the mayor and run for the same position in 1963. Dan Ward narrowly edged Adamowski in the election.
- Under Further Review - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 11:21 pm:
@Amalia:
And the Democrats have never gotten over Alger Hiss being convicted of perjury.
- Amalia - Thursday, Oct 30, 14 @ 11:40 pm:
@Upon Further Review, I believe that Democrats only recall Mr. Hiss during this time of the year, pumpkin patch and all.
- Del Clinkton - Friday, Oct 31, 14 @ 8:02 am:
Probably time to amend the Illinois Constitution to require Republicans to submit a DNA sample in order to vote. Paid out of pocket by the voter. Not its not a poll tax. I’m not saying that voter fraud in the White Community nor am I discriminating against Whites or playing the “race card”. I just want to end voter fraud once and for all.
- Wordslinger - Friday, Oct 31, 14 @ 8:05 am:
Alger Hiss?
- Carl Nyberg - Friday, Oct 31, 14 @ 8:29 am:
Does the GOP give noteworthy instructions to Republican judges at polling places?
Or is “voter fraud” just playing to fears and insecurities of the GOP base?
If the GOP has information about vote fraud, let’s work to fix it. But if the problem is the fears and insecurities of racist White people, that’s not something that can be addressed by public policy.
- Economic Justice - Friday, Oct 31, 14 @ 8:33 am:
Hey, angry paranoid parochial GOP’s. Was it “voter fraud” when Obama won the Chicagoland suburban areas, twice was it? Your concern shouldn’t be in the cities. Your real worry is in your own suburb, in your own house even. Your wife is a good 50/50 chance to cancel out your vote. And then there’s your daughter, your sister, even your Mom! And your son, well he never really did like baseball and football all that much did he? Hmmm, wonder how he will vote. Heck, your candidate probably won’t even win a plurality in your own family!
- A guy... - Friday, Oct 31, 14 @ 8:47 am:
Hey, have a good chuckle. He has the resources to get people involved in helping identify any “smoke”. If there’s no fire, fine. It’s pre-emptive and it’s effective.
Hey, the Speaker put a host of silly and stupid referenda on this ballot to motivate his base. That was preemptive as well. Rauner isn’t abusing the legislative process with a robo-call. Instead of passing all this dopey referenda with valuable legislative time, why didn’t they just use their bionic majority to pass a raise in the minimum wage? Smart people just might get that.
Good for Rauner. Sunlight makes everything better.
- Del Clinkton - Friday, Oct 31, 14 @ 9:33 am:
Well Bruce “ginnied up the base” with his “term limits” thing. Gee, if he REALLY wanted term limits…end gerry mandering and public financing of all elections. But Bruce is just targeting Winnetteistan. And whites.