Virginia GOP rigs the recount

The result of the Virgina AG race is still outstanding pending a recount. Apparently not at concerned about winning votes honestly, the Republicans intend to rig the recount to get their man into office.

The Daily Press of Newport News, Va. reported Friday that Republican candidate Mark Obenshain had an unofficial lead of just under 1,300 votes over Democratic challenger Mark Herring. That tally did not include full provisional ballot totals, and as of Saturday, a fresh rule change was complicating matters.

The beauty of this scam is they only changed the rule for one county, that being Fairfax, which I'm told is a Democratic stronghold. Unsurprisingly the rule change was made by an elections board dominated by Republicans. The after the fact "modification affects hundreds of voters." Willing to bet most of them are Democrats. Adding to the weirdness, for some unexplained reason, the number of returned absentee ballots was suspiciously low in Fairfax as well.

The Fairfax County Electoral Board met Saturday morning and released an official statement later in the day on the provisional ballot totals in question. Final results show that tabulation issues led to an error affecting approximately 3,200 votes, the board said.

With Friday's state rule change in place, the board added that final results are expected on Tuesday Nov. 12, with a midnight deadline in place. NBC Washington also notes that any voter who cast a provisional ballot now has to contact or visit their local Board of Election office by then to have their say count.

How convenient. That won't affect the count at all, will it? In light of similar voter suppression in every GOP dominated state in our country since they made their decision, I'd like to thank the GOP majority on SCOTUS for gutting the Voting Rights Act on the grounds that Republicans stopped cheating the voters ages ago. It's working out so well. For crackpot conservatives. How do these people look at themselves in the mirror? [graphic via]

Are We Not Men?

By Capt. Fogg

Not to go on all-fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men?

-H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau-

I'd hate to make anyone think I'm an optimist. I'm not even sure I care too much about the human race aside from a few individuals, but that's what pessimism is about -- a cosmic frame of reference that sees no permanence; that sees everything that is on the way up as inevitably on the way down.

Perhaps not caring gives a clearer vision.  If it doesn't matter in the end that voting rights are in peril, or at least under continuing assault, then the failure of the Texas legislature to pass a bill further restricting abortion rights despite a ten hour filibuster by Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, is less likely to be overshadowed. She might have gone on but was ruled to have drifted off topic amidst a chorus of boos and catcalls, and the bill was declared dead at 3 AM.

For those of us who still hope for sweeping reformation and the triumph of truth and justice for all,  it's a little and perhaps temporary victory over the animal meanness of human nature and as Dr Moreau learned, you can dress up the animal and teach it to walk on two legs, you can make it recite pledges and formulae, you can make up stories about divine origins, but the beast is still a beast and evolution is so slow.