False Witness
My father was a state rep in Texas, and has been involved in politics for many years. Growing up in the house of a politician exposed me to the rough and tumble of “retail politics,” but I have stayed so far away from that type of thing for so long, I often forget what a blood sport politics actually is.
My dad “retired” (i.e. stopped doing some things to do start doing others), across the Texas border in Louisiana. This year he is working Barack Obama campaign, and his new state of residence, plus his old Texas ties, permitted him to campaign for Obama in both democratic primaries. He was working the Texas polls all Tuesday and he just got me a “field report” on his day.
Now a old white guy going out to campaign for a black man in rural Texas might seem like pretty a dangerous endeavor, and from his report, it got a little ugly. Retail politics, Texas style:
The Texas result was swayed by Limbaugh getting his listeners to vote for Clinton and go to the caucuses. Those “Limbaugh Lemmings” would never admit to supporting Clinton in any other forum, including November. At the precinct I worked the election judge delayed the start of the caucus for over an hour. Five carloads of “Clinton supporters” arrived just before 8:pm, they then opened the doors and Clinton had 21 out of 37 of the total sign-ins. In the precinct your mom worked they held the caucus sign-in open an hour late (illegally) until the REPUBLICAN PRECINCT JUDGE arrived and signed in as a Clinton delegate. Ugly, ugly stuff. It was my request that they double check the distance markers that got me my threat to get arrested. The original marks forced me across the highway from the voters going in to the fire station polling place. I knew it was wrong and there was a good space on the other side for me to work. When the city employees finally came out to re-measure and correct the markers, the local JP stood there and told the Republican Election Judge that if I gave her any more trouble, he’d come over and put me in jail. He said it walking away so I didn’t take it seriously. I thought they’d at least appreciate the knowledge that their city maintenance folks didn’t know the difference between 100 feet and 115 feet! That could be trouble on some road or sewer projects : )
We’re OK. And as Mom said, Democrats have jumped in the open primary to screw the Repubs in the past, so we can’t cry too loudly.
March 6th, 2008 15:49
The Republican crossover was explained by one woman as OK since her candidate, Huckabee, in the Republican primary, had no chance and she “knows” Obama is a closet Mulsim terrorist. Oh, well, so much for “Wherever two are more are gathered…” and, BTW, the 9th Commandment.
March 6th, 2008 16:32
Thanks for fighting the good fight, Hill!