The Vote Suppressionists

Yesterday, Latinos for Reform — a Republican 527 group — announced that it purchased an $80,000 buy on Univision to air ads urging Nevada Latino voters not to vote.

This is perhaps the most up front the GOP has ever been about their minority voter suppression efforts.

Misnomer

The Republican National Lawyers Association is holding "voter integrity" seminars around the country.

Since the only case of individual voter fraud we can think of is Ann Coulter, it's pretty clear the Republicans effort should be called "voter suppression seminars." It's just the latest chapter in the long Republican book.

Spends The Same

A Think Progress investigation has found that the US Chamber of Commerce funds its political attack campaign out of its general account, which solicits foreign funding, sometimes from corporations controlled by foreign governments. The countries include China, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Russia.

Now the chamber will say they use those monies for something other than bankrolling the Republican party. They will say they use different monies to do that. But it all spends the same. And that means foreign interests are influencing US elections through the Chamber of Commerce. It also explains why the Republican party is such a big fan of outsourcing.

Love Thy Neighbor?

As ThinkProgress reported yesterday, South Fulton Fire Department firefighters from Obion, Tennessee, last week stood by and watched as a family’s home burned down because their services were available by subscription only, and the family had not paid the $75 fee. Now, local news station ABC 7 is reporting that the Republican dominated Obion County Budget Committee met last night and has decided to expand the subscription-only fire service to additional towns. According to documents prepared by the county in 2008, a paltry 0.13 cent increase in property taxes on each household would be all it would take to fund fire services for the towns within the county.

13 cents a year to help a neighbor keep their house from burning to the ground? Too much for Republicans it seems. A wealth transfer we imagine they would call it. Maybe socialism.... In any case these people need a visit from Scrooge's ghosts.

Qualified To Teach Sunday School

Sen Jim Demint (R-SC): Gays and unmarried women should not teach in public schools.

We can't think of any rational reason why that should be case. We can however think of some great reasons Republicans should not be allowed to teach kids at all: they're anti-science, have no respect for the Socratic method, and for the most part would like to see our science text books replaced with the bible. To be fair however, they may indeed be qualified to teach Sunday school.

Fighting For Rapists Rights

A partial list of Republican candidates running for US Congress in this year's mid-term elections shows that at least 78 of them have professed to oppose abortion in all cases, including where rape or incest are involved.

No word on whether they favor granting the rapists custody rights as well.