Republican admits getting homeless to run as Green Candidates.

[JasunStrikesBack]

I mean... Republicans using homeless people is nothing new... taking advantage of them to siphon off Democratic votes.. that's pretty smarmy.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/us/politics/07candidates.html?_r=1

Steve May, the Republican operative who signed up some of the candidates along Mill Avenue, a bohemian commercial strip next to Arizona State University, insists that a real political movement has been stirred up that has nothing to do with subterfuge.

“Did I recruit candidates? Yes,” said Mr. May, who is himself a candidate for the State Legislature, on the Republican ticket. “Are they fake candidates? No way.”

To make his point, Mr. May went by Starbucks, the gathering spot of the Mill Rats, as the frequenters of Mill Avenue are known.

“Are you fake, Benjamin?” he yelled out to Mr. Pearcy, who cried out “No,” with an expletive attached.

“Are you fake, Thomas?” Mr. May shouted in the direction of Thomas Meadows, 27, a tarot card reader with less than a dollar to his name who is running for state treasurer. He similarly disagreed.

 

[MoltenRock III]

Steve May, is gay. One of my very good friends also sleeps with him on occasion. He is a Republican, and a former military dude. He's gaming the system. If Arizonans are that damn dumb (and they are) so be it. But he is cute in person if you haven't met him. However, I can't say I agree with his rather immoral choices.

 

[evanrick]

i wish i could get homeless people to help me do my job. oh wait im not a scumbag.

 

[Kulindahr]

Not many homeless people where I am, so this wouldn't work here.

Oh, I remember -- the PTBs here, Republicans and Democrats both, persecute the homeless so they'll go to the next town and this one won't have to provide services.

 

[Kulindahr]

totally cynical and calculated, but fuck it. I think it's kinda awesome that they'll be a homeless candidate in a televised debate. they've got voices worth hearing too.

Maybe small parties should look at this as an approach: get people who share their beliefs and get them out there running. Forget the backgrounds -- or don't; let a wide variety of backgrounds remind people that this is supposed to be a land of equal opportunity, a land of the people, not of professional politicians.

 

[BostonPirate]

Maybe small parties should look at this as an approach: get people who share their beliefs and get them out there running. Forget the backgrounds -- or don't; let a wide variety of backgrounds remind people that this is supposed to be a land of equal opportunity, a land of the people, not of professional politicians.

he will probably make more sense than the others.

 

[jackoroe]

He's trying to get the guy a job and we have issues with this why?!

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

He's trying to get the guy a job and we have issues with this why?!

No, he's not trying to get anyone a job... those candidates have no chance of winning. they're there to attempt to siphon off votes from the democrats. Why else would a Republican get homeless people and drifters to run for the Green Party?

Don't pretend anything else.

 

[BostonPirate]

He's trying to get the guy a job and we have issues with this why?!

tampering with an election is not cute.

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

tampering with an election is not cute.

conservatives apparently think it is. These are the the same people who were screaming about "voter fraud" from ACRON. Seems they only care about it when it hurts them... when it helps them they think it's a joking matter.

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

it's completely cynical and calculating, but is it really "tampering" with an election if voters would rather vote Green than Democrat?

You know as well as I do that if liberals had funded homeless people to run for The Tea Party or the Christian Heritage Party just to see if they could siphon off a few hundred votes in very close elections, conservatives would be screaming bloody murder.

Please, ACORN had a few part time employees turn in fraudulent voter registrations and conservatives were calling for treason charges.

 

[BostonPirate]

You know as well as I do that if liberals had funded homeless people to run for The Tea Party or the Christian Heritage Party just to see if they could siphon off a few hundred votes in very close elections, conservatives would be screaming bloody murder.

Please, ACORN had a few part time employees turn in fraudulent voter registrations and conservatives were calling for treason charges.

exactly. THey would be calling for second amendment solutions and that kind of nonsense.

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

so you're only objecting because they'd object too?

I objected to the ACORN problems too. This is the kind of shit that turns people off voting altogether. Dirty Tricks, voter tampering, voter fraud... it all hurts democracy.

I guess you'd rather live in a big brother state where you only think you have a voice?

 

[Kulindahr]

tampering with an election is not cute.

I don't think this counts as tampering. I'm not even sure it's manipulating. In a way it's just another approach to influencing voters to vote the way you want.

I just keep trying to think of a way to turn it around to bite this guy. Maybe send someone in to find candidates for the Reform Party, the Constitution Party, and someone running as a part of the "Ron Paul Revolution"?

conservatives apparently think it is. These are the the same people who were screaming about "voter fraud" from ACRON. Seems they only care about it when it hurts them... when it helps them they think it's a joking matter.

And there wasn't any real voter fraud there than there is tampering here -- both are misrepresentations. I'm wondering if there's really much difference between registering people to vote for your candidate and providing options so people won't vote for your opponent... and thinking that the former is a notch better, because you're getting more people able to participate.

idk, I'm from Jersey. I have a skewed ethical perspective.

you say a politician is finding creative uses of electoral mechanics and I think "it must be Tuesday."

Kinda like here, when a new family moves into town -- we wonder which relative of theirs got framed by the D.A., so they came to be near him/her.

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

And there wasn't any real voter fraud there than there is tampering here -- both are misrepresentations. I'm wondering if there's really much difference between registering people to vote for your candidate and providing options so people won't vote for your opponent... and thinking that the former is a notch better, because you're getting more people able to participate.

Well.. the Acorn thing would never affect the election... workers were accused of taking money for registering people that didn't exist. Mickey Mouse wasn't REALLY going to show up and vote.

This is a dirty trick. We all know it. Pretending that this is anything but a dirty trick or acting like it's no big deal is a pretty dangerous thing.

But I guess America is more concerned with who wins American Idol.

 

[Kulindahr]

Well.. the Acorn thing would never affect the election... workers were accused of taking money for registering people that didn't exist. Mickey Mouse wasn't REALLY going to show up and vote.

This is a dirty trick. We all know it. Pretending that this is anything but a dirty trick or acting like it's no big deal is a pretty dangerous thing.

But I guess America is more concerned with who wins American Idol.

Let's see:

he's exercising his rights, not breaking any laws, and is actually increasing participation in politics. Other than the fact that you don't like it, what's the "dirty trick"?

My recommendation is to emulate him -- get people out there finding candidates for every little party in existence.

 

[JasunStrikesBack]

Let's see:

he's exercising his rights, not breaking any laws, and is actually increasing participation in politics. Other than the fact that you don't like it, what's the "dirty trick"?

Increasing participation in politics? Really? Entering homeless people to siphon off votes from your competitor and you ...

Of course you don't.

 

[MoltenRock III]

You know as well as I do that if liberals had funded homeless people to run for The Tea Party or the Christian Heritage Party just to see if they could siphon off a few hundred votes in very close elections, conservatives would be screaming bloody murder.

Please, ACORN had a few part time employees turn in fraudulent voter registrations and conservatives were calling for treason charges.

You all do know that ACORN was cleared of all charges, and ALL of the fraudulent charges people made were proven to be just that. LIES!

But because Americans have the attention span of a flea, they never paid attention once they were cleared, and by then it was too late. The Congress cut off all their funding, even though it was proven they had done no wrong. Why can't Congress do this to Haliburton who has fucked the American people over and over and over again? Tragic!

 

[altlover85]

Wouldn't the Green party voters be smart enough to look these guys up and figure out what the deal was?

 

[jackoroe]

tampering with an election is not cute.

It's not only not cute, but illegal. So how does getting somebody on the ballot tamper with an election exactly? Isn't giving the people more choices a good thing? Or should both parties have a lock on the entire electorate? That model hasn't been working all that well, wouldn't you agree?