* Joe Bustos at the BND…
A local union leader made a comment about “voting often,” presumably in jest, that has Republicans saying he was encouraging voter fraud.
Charles “Totsie” Bailey, who is the business manager for the Steamfitters Local 439, was speaking at a labor union meet and greet on Saturday in Caseyville, prior to various Democratic candidates spoke to the crowd.
Bailey said to the crowd that J.B. Pritzker, who was in attendance, is a great candidate for governor.
“He won’t win if we do not get out and vote. You need to early vote, like I say, we can play East St. Louis rules…, vote early, vote often, whatever you can get away with,” Bailey said to a crowd that began laughing. “I shouldn’t say that, but I really don’t care.”
Oh, for crying out loud.
Bailey’s comments set off an election fraud firestorm, so click here and read the rest for all the shouting, finger-pointing and etc. Drudge hasn’t picked it up yet, but I assume he will.
* But there’s also a racial angle. “East St. Louis rules”? Not a smart move…
Laninya Cason, who is running for Circuit Judge in St. Clair County, says likening voter fraud to the voters of East St. Louis is maddening.
“They didn’t say Belleville, Swansea or O’Fallon because they can’t buy their votes.”
“It infuriates me,” says Cason, “it’s a blatant disregard for our voting populous and they’re taking us for granted.”
“Most of the people that have been convicted of voter fraud in St. Clair County have come from East St. Louis or other minority communities surrounding it,” Cason said.
Cason is an African-American Republican running against Democrat Chris Kolker for the vacancy created by the death of Circuit Judge Robert LeChien.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 9:41 am:
So stupid. “Vote early, vote often” is a phrase so old it’s collecting Social Security benefits.
- blue dog dem - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 9:42 am:
Totsie is one of a kind. God love him.
- City Zen - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 9:45 am:
The Baileys have quite an enterprise down there.
https://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/CAP_Closing_Letters_2014/sept/PPF_LU439_09-30-14.pdf
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 9:47 am:
Yeah, that will wind up the usual suspects.
In the last primary, 4,879 votes were cast in ESL, a 28% turnout.
You’d think if vote fraud were rampant, they’d vote them all.
- Montrose - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 9:50 am:
“In the last primary, 4,879 votes were cast in ESL, a 28% turnout.”
If that is the result of voter fraud, they are really bad at voter fraud.
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 9:52 am:
There’s no bigger fraud and lie than the Republican voter ID law, whose purpose is to suppress turnout among minorities and not to combat in-person voter fraud, which practically doesn’t exist.
- Texas Red - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 9:52 am:
You say it, you own it. He speaks for the Steamfitter Local so this one will leave a mark.
- JoanP - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:04 am:
Oh, please. As a life-long Chicagoan, I am constantly joking about “vote early and often”. Can’t believe people are getting bent out of shape over that.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:05 am:
Love it.
It’s great to know that there are still some folks with a sense of humor out there.
Being from Cook, we used to call election days, “resurrection day” because thats how the Democrats operated back then.
- Texas Red - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:06 am:
” in-person voter fraud, which practically doesn’t exist”
Wishing it does not make it so…
“In all, the analysis showed 119 dead people have voted a total of 229 times in Chicago in the last decade”
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/10/27/2-investigators-chicago-voters-cast-ballots-from-beyond-the-grave/
- Jocko - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:19 am:
==“This is yet another example of the corrupt and unethical behavior celebrated within the Illinois Democratic Party and Brendan Kelly’s campaign,” said Travis Sterling==
Was Travis clutching his pearls while saying this?
- OneMan - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:21 am:
But why would you say that in this environment? Hey, let’s feed the outrage machine…
- Boone's is Back - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:28 am:
“I shouldn’t say that, but I really don’t care.”
Yea that pretty much sums it up. DUMB.
- Pundent - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:31 am:
I hope this doesn’t get back to the President. It might be all the evidence he needs to resurrect his voter fraud commission.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:38 am:
If I had a dime for every time I used that phrase, I’d … I’d … well I’d have a lot of dimes.
- Grandson of Man - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:47 am:
** Wishing it does not make it so….
“In all, the analysis showed 119 dead people have voted a total of 229 times in Chicago in the last decade” **
Thanks for helping prove my point. Two hundred twenty nine votes out of millions of votes cast in a decade is practically nonexistent voter fraud.
- LXB - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 10:56 am:
==voting populous==
Come on, KMOV.
- NoGifts - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 11:03 am:
well of course everyone should vote often - just not in the same election.
- NeverPoliticallyCorrect - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 11:07 am:
Of course it’s a aphorism but in our “perpeptual state of outrage” everything we say is open to hysteria and offense taking. I hope everyone is enjoying this world we live in.
- @misterjayem - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 11:14 am:
“In all, the analysis showed 119 dead people have voted a total of 229 times in Chicago in the last decade”
On average, Chicagoans cast a total of about a million ballots each election year. If 119 dead people routinely voted in each and every election, they would still account for only 1/100 of one percent of the vote totals.
When it comes to dead voters, Chicago’s elections are purer than Ivory soap.
– MrJM
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 11:25 am:
When it comes to surpressing minority voters, nothing tops the Democrats between 1864 to 1964. So when they talk about voter surpression, it’s like hearing about French cuisine from Jaques Pepin himself.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 11:40 am:
If you vote once every election, that’s voting often. Most people don’t vote at all.
I don’t understand what East St. Louis route means, not living there.
- College Anon - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 11:44 am:
As a Chicagoan and a Democrat, I regularly make vote early vote often jokes, my dad, a Republican, thinks I’m part of a nefarious scheme to have reanimated corpses vote or something.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 12:06 pm:
–When it comes to surpressing minority voters, nothing tops the Democrats between 1864 to 1964.–
Truly a juvenile and ahistorical argument.
The country and parties have gone through some changes over the years, don’t you think?
- DuPage - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 2:00 pm:
An old joke, older then me.
- Metro East Resident - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 3:34 pm:
Classic Totsie. He is originally from East St. Louis so its not about race. “Voting down the hill” or the way “they do it in East St. Louis” is the same old joke that has been said about Chicago forever. Stupid thing to say at a big event….but right or wrong Totsie helps to determine who gets elected in St. Clair County so he’s important to the Democratic party. The biggest loser in this case is Brendan Kelly since he’s the one that looks the worst being his county as prosecutor.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 3:36 pm:
==Truly a juvenile and ahistorical argument.==
It wasn’t an argument.
It was a damn funny joke that you’re too sour to laugh at - just like the guys you think take Totsie’s joke literal. Lighten up old man.
- JDuc - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 3:55 pm:
I cute line that is in fact funny. Glad to see some still have the nerve to say what they want and not worry about who’s being offended.
- Hieronymus - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 7:08 pm:
Even when joking, in this political climate, from that venue, an unforced error.
- BlueDogDem - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 8:30 pm:
It won’t affect a single vote. Not one.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 11:12 pm:
–“In all, the analysis showed 119 dead people have voted a total of 229 times in Chicago in the last decade”–
You’re really bad at whatever you think you’re good at.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Sep 19, 18 @ 11:16 pm:
–It was a damn funny joke that you’re too sour to laugh at - just like the guys you think take Totsie’s joke literal. Lighten up old man.–
Shecky Green, here.
- BlueDogDem - Thursday, Sep 20, 18 @ 5:46 am:
Did Word get his feelings hurt by this joke. Boohoo. Did it hit close to home? Boohoo. Tighten up your britches. It’ll all be ok hunkie dory when JB wins