A Wis. Call for GOP Poll Watchers Draws National Notice.

By Mary Pat Flaherty
The Wisconsin Republican Party has issued a call for volunteer poll watchers for Election Day, and the criteria is a little specific, seeking especially folks made of sterner stuff.

Jonathan Waclawski, the party's election day operations, wrote in a Sept. 8 e-mail that he needed contact information for people "who would potentially be willing to volunteer ... at inner city (more intimidating) polling places. Particularly, I am interested in names of Milwaukee area veterans, policemen, security personnel, firefighters etc. ... If you have any connections with such organizations, please pass that information on."

The e-mail fell into the hands of an Obama supporter, who passed it to the Obama campaign, who released it today after a news conference with its campaign director and general counsel, who discussed voter registration, voter education and voter protection.

The Obama team pointed to Waclawski's e-mail as ground-level tactics that could create concerns among voters.

"This is much ado about nothing. I don't see anything wrong with this," said Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman with the Wisconsin GOP. "Intimidating was referring to the polling places, not to poll watchers who would be intimidating," she said. "The way I read this we are looking for people to go to intimidating places.

voter intimidation

Our Republican party in WI is a disgrace, if they haven't been indicted for something they are fear mongering bigots!

So, I mean, they come by it honestly, or as honestly as they ever do anything.

He presided over my great aunt's divorce. Goaddammit, this fucking county sucks!
(Shawano Co., Wi.) However, there are a few Democratic pockets, and I am glad to say I live in one of them.

cheese, army vehicles, serial killers and corrupt politicians! Must be the long cold winter nights;)

I hear there may be black people there. It's obviously a job for military or law enforcement personnel. :eyes:

no dog whistles THERE. .
:sarcasm:

Dems will find a counter balance to this move.

President Obama's Justice Department will put a stop to this shit once and for all!

thanks!

on Nov. 3rd and 4th and cannot wait! I expect far less hostility than the "intimidating" neighborhoods here in Waukesha County.

BTW - Received a robo call from either the national or state offices of the GOP tonight touting their take on the economic crisis. I hung up, called the number back (866 5582875), and was able to leave a message. My message ended with, "Take me off your list. No one in this house will vote republican. No way, No how." (thanks Hillary). Goodness, it felt so good!
Obama/Biden '08

She only needs one more K., and then it is official, she is KKK!

Fight fire with fire AND have an army of lawyers on speed dial to protect each citizen's right to vote.

anymore...

They use to send guys in black suits with clip boards to stand in line and try to intimadate Older African Americans from voting...

mean-looking black guys to go hang out at the polling places in the whitebread suburbs.

those assholes sure try hard to undermine it. What a bunch of thugs.

for this kind of voter suppression in Milwaukee. The other day in Madison, flipping through a.m. radio in the car I heard some GOP talk show hack I'd never heard of before (where do these guys come from?) talking about ACORN, voter fraud, corrupt Milwaukee etc. He had some barely intelligible caller talking anecdotally about something he heard from someone who has something to do with processing registrations... I really couldn't follow what he was saying but the host apparently agreed that all that "Democrat" fraud was scary and Jeez what could be done about it?

The strategy seems clear. Wisconsin is in large part rural with Madison and Milwaukee being the larger, heavily Democratic cities. Intimidation tactics would be difficult in Madison but they're going to try it in the "intimidating" neighborhoods of Milwaukee. They're even putting out help wanted emails for doing the dirty work.

Seriously, who the hell do these people think they are?

"we are looking for people to go to intimidating places..."

Hello, Kristin. I think you dropped something.

And I'll go wherever in this state I am needed.

You know for being all tough and cocky they sure are fearful little bastards who are afraid of a fair fight.

Rp

I'm from that big rural area in the middle of the state. That crap happens out here, too. On college campuses especially where they try to intimidate students away from the polls or actually tell them they're at the wrong polling place.

This shit has to stop. The party and the Obama campaign better be on this now.