In 2000, Katherine Harris doubled as Florida secretary of state and her state's Bush for President chair and proceeded to help throw Florida in favor of Bush by disenfranchising millions of her citizens who wanted to vote otherwise.
In 2004, Ken Blackwell did the same in Ohio as his state's top election official and Bush campaign chairman.
Now, we have somewhat similar shannanigans here in Texas with the state's Republican attorney general, Greg Abbott, abusing his power and trying to engineer the disenfranchising of Democrats so Republicans can continue winning.
More below.
All this surfaced in an email I received yesterday from my state's Democratic fighting, which is fighting Abbott's illegal voter disinfranchisement efforts. Here's the text of the letter:
"Dear fellow Democrat,
"Once again, Texas Republicans have decided their personal political gain is more important than the constituents who elected them to office. Republicans blatantly broke the law when they pushed through their illegal redistricting plan that disenfranchised thousands of Hispanic and African American voters. They ran roughshod over a long-standing state law when they illegally used corporate money to fund state house elections. And most recently, they tried to override the results of a legally held primary by attempting to remove Tom DeLay from the ballot when he decided to quit, instead of facing certain defeat at the ballot box.
"Now, Attorney General Greg Abbott is trying is exploiting a technical flaw in the election code to selectively prosecute minorities, seniors and Democrats who are trying to help their elderly and homebound neighbors exercise their right to vote.
"The Texas Democratic Party will not stand idly by while Republicans attempt to steal elections.
"Yesterday, the Texas Democratic Party joined six Texas Democrats and filed a federal lawsuit challenging provisions in the Texas Election Code enacted in 2003. The complaint asks the court to block Abbott's use of this technicality as a means to harass and suppress minorities, seniors and disabled individuals.
"Let there be no doubt that the Texas Democratic Party adamantly opposes real voter fraud, but it is shameful for Greg Abbott to exploit the law to target minority and senior voters. What he is doing is nothing more that a public relations campaign trumping up a so-called voter fraud `epidemic' in a blatant attempt to create a backdrop of fear and intimidation in certain Texas communities.
"Here are a few facts:
"· Abbott's voter fraud task force has prosecuted 13 individuals, 12 of which are African American or Hispanic. Most are elderly and female, and all have Democratic voting history.
"· In eight of these cases, Abbott is prosecuting Texas voters for the simple act of assisting an elderly voter by making sure their completed and sealed ballot is placed in a mail box or delivered to an elections office. In none of these eight cases was the assistor accused of mis-marking a ballot or doing anything fraudulent.
"· Abbott has been using taxpayer dollars, approximately $1.2 million in the form of federal Byrne grants, to fund his voter fraud task force. Byrne grants are intended to assist law enforcement in fighting violent crime, and voter fraud is not mentioned in the federal government's description of the grant's purpose.
"The Texas Democratic Party wants to earn every Texan's vote and will defend the right of every Texan to vote. And the TDP will continue to act as a watchdog to ensure that Texas Republicans are not abusing the power of their public office.
"This November, you can make a difference by casting your ballot for the "Straight Democratic Ticket" and electing David Van Os Texas Attorney General. David will always do what's in the best interests of all Texans and will ensure that all Texans can exercise their right to vote.
"I will keep you updated on this case and everything the TDP is doing.
"Your friend and fellow Democrat,
"Boyd L. Richie"
If Texas is as Republican as many may think it is, why does Abbott feel the need to abuse his power and deprive his fellow citizens the right to vote? Are Republicans here getting so desperate that they are willing to DENY citizens who don't vote their way the right to cast ballots regardless of their residential qualifications?
Republicans may be more interested in maintaining their power and their morally evil policies, but what about the average Texans like myself who want no part of their dispicable power grabs?
To borrow the phrase from the Peter Finch character in "Network," "I'm mad as h---, and I'm not going to take it anymore." The evil Republican party must be swept out of power totally and completely in November.