Electioneering 101
[Guest post by DRJ]
Colorado is a battleground state and both Presidential candidates have urged their supporters to do everything they can to turn out the vote in these states. One Obama supporter – an employee in the office that “oversees the Denver Elections Division that arranges and certifies election ballots and maintains voter registration files” – is doing her best:
“A Denver Clerk and Recorder employee is being reprimanded for using her work e-mail to send messages to city workers asking for campaign donations for Barack Obama and notifying them about rallies.
Denver Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O’Malley said Ernestina “Tina” Gallegos was disciplined but would not elaborate on the action taken Friday.
Sen. John McCain campaign spokesman Tom Kise said what happened is concerning because it could imply the clerk’s office has “a preference to register Democrats.”
This could be an innocent mistake (Gallegos claimed she wasn’t aware she had done anything wrong) but typically government employees at every level are warned against electioneering on their employer’s time or with their employer’s resources. If that’s what happened here, the Denver Clerk should publicly clarify her policies so that her employees and constituents know the rules and the consequences of breaking them.
And I’d say the same thing if this had been a McCain supporter.
— DRJ
Of course there will be the requisite outrage over a government employee using their official email for election purposes.
Front page of the NY Times?
Apogee (366e8b) — 10/11/2008 @ 2:53 pmYet another example of the corruption of Democrats.
SPQR (26be8b) — 10/11/2008 @ 2:58 pmThis is only an issue when Republicans are involved. It is expected of the Dems. Remember in FL and OH, mere party affiliate in the Sec. of State’s office was enough to taint the entire election process. I guarantee that this will go unnoticed, and these honorable, brave, and diligent Dems will be able to conduct their jobs despite their partisan leanings. Blackwell? Racist.
JD (f7900a) — 10/11/2008 @ 3:04 pmI’m sure there are pretty clear rules regarding this at the state level- heaven knows the Fed is abundantly clear about it. In practice what tends to happen is people will have “their circle” and pass on political related emails to each other.
voiceofreason2 (0300c0) — 10/11/2008 @ 3:33 pmWhen Clinton was President official emails went out on at least a couple of occasions from the very top ranks reminding us not to be passing around derogatory stuff. There were some (including me) who projected retirements beyond January 20, 2001 so that we wouldn’t have Clinton’s name on our retirement certificate.
In New York the teachers’ union is up in arms over their “right” to wear Obama badges while teaching. You can assume that government employees are Democrats and probably stretching laws to aid their party.
Mike K (2cf494) — 10/11/2008 @ 3:33 pmLiberals are still rehashing election 2000.
That cesspool DU asserts that Theresa LaPore, who designed the butterfly ballot, is not really a democrat and the military had no problem voting.
Thank God for LaPore’s ballot design and Patrick Buchanan for being on that ballot. And of course we cannot forget the hapless voters who couldn’t figure out that ballot.
My point is that LaPore was vilified for Gore losing. Do you see ANY dems critical of the voting shenigans emanating from ACORN? Or Obama receiving campaign donations from foreigners?
I do think that lower appellate courts in Florida, despite being democrats, were fair in interpreting the election laws. The Fla. SC were the ones inventing new and ex-pots facto laws to attempt helping Gore. Still, the conventional wisdom is that Bush was handed the Presidency by the SC.
Have not and will not watch the agiprop movies Recall and W. I’m sure the dems are certain that Katherine Harris also unfairly blocked Gore’s desires to cherry pick where he wanted recounts.
Sure cannot understand the fawning nature of people surrounding the cult of personality that is Obama. So 95% of AAs will pull the lever for the big Null? Off the top of my head, in order for McCain to tie overall with those odds against him, he would have to beat Obama convincingly with the rest of the voters. Say that blacks were 10 million votes and 9.5 million voted for Obama. That leaves McCain 9 million behind. He would then need to get 9 million more votes than Obama among let’s say the other 90 millions non-black voters. I know the numbers are wrong and more than 100 million will vote, but one can see that the obvious racism comes from blacks. But perhaps I am overstating the case?
Lucy Quidnunc McEvil (0c6cfc) — 10/11/2008 @ 3:35 pm“but one can see that the obvious racism comes from blacks. But perhaps I am overstating the case?”
I think you are overstating it badly. For the last 40+ years AA have voted 80-85% for white Dems. If one works off the theory that about 5% of Americans are racist I would buy that the extra 5 percent or so are due to this reason.
voiceofreason2 (0300c0) — 10/11/2008 @ 3:40 pmI find it hard to believe that the gov’t employee in question didn’t know what she was doing was against the law – but if she really was that ignorant, I see grounds for dimissal, based on gross incompetence.
Dmac (cc81d9) — 10/11/2008 @ 4:14 pmComment by Dmac — 10/11/2008 @ 4:14 pm
Wrong!
Another Drew (2a4150) — 10/11/2008 @ 4:26 pmShe’ll be promoted.
Incompetence in government service is always rewarded.
It’s a diversity thing.
The reason that Dems continually engage in illegal election activity is because there are so rarely ever any consequences. The disposition of their liberal enablers is always, “Well, they are just trying to get more people to exercise their right to vote, and that is a good thing.” I’m willing to bet nothing bad happens to this woman, and that a dozen other government employees in Denver and hundreds of others nationwide are doing the same thing.
Interesting sidenote: I was at a high school football game last night which took place at an on-campus stadium. A man whom I think I recognized as one of the school’s teachers was wearing a T-shirt that advocated for the passage of a bond issue that benefits this particular school district and is on the November ballot. What is the legality of him, as a school employee, wearing this shirt at a school sanctioned event? Clearly he would not be able to wear the shirt while teaching his class, but should he be prohibited from wearing it at the game?
JVW (f93297) — 10/11/2008 @ 10:04 pmI should mention that I did not see him acting in any kind of administrative capacity — it appeared he was there as a fan.
JVW (f93297) — 10/11/2008 @ 10:05 pmThis is one meme the GOP has successfully prosecuted this cycle.
The only one.
Patricia (ee5c9d) — 10/12/2008 @ 8:56 amOf course, if this had been a Republican doing this, she would have been instantly fired and the NYT would have trumpeted it on page one. Lead item on all the MSM news casts for several days.
Bill M (2be8f8) — 10/12/2008 @ 9:04 amHere is an amusing rogue’s gallery of Democrat election misbehavior by Michelle Malkin. I expect that this will become endemic as the day approaches. It has already begun.
Mike K (2cf494) — 10/12/2008 @ 10:38 am