America's Urban Voters Need a Hotline to the Truth on Voter Suppression Lies

GOPUSA ^ | 10-8-04 | Kevin Fobbs

[FlyLow]

This election year, the vote in urban America will not be bartered away by the fear mongers like Jesse Jackson and former democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton, who feel it is far better to concoct a lie and surround it with hyperbole and memorable rhymes that remind the urban or minority voters that the boogie man from the conservative Republican right is going to sneak into their community, into their voter precinct and suppress their vote.

Of course it is absurd, and it certainly does not matter that the facts, which are clear and convincing that this is not only preposterous, it simply is not factually possible. But this is convenient for the liberals to ratchet up the hype, because engineered hysteria is their usual formula for success. Sure the liberals have themes like Rock the Vote, because they rather rob new voter's ability to think for themselves, to be able to fairly measure the truth against the fiction, which they orchestrate quite well.

What drives this desperation is the fear that maybe, just maybe, there is a new type of voter taking his and her place on the American stage. Just maybe, the old civil rights warriors of the 1960s who spent their time and their formative years fighting for well earned precious voting rights against local Democrat Southern officials have to face those days are largely over. Yet somehow these former activists have decided that the very Republicans who were instrumental in making certain that the historic voting rights act was passed, are suddenly 20, 30 and 40 years later, the perpetrators of massive voter suppression efforts.

Does this look like voter suppression?

The President's administration was Record-Setting in Voting Rights Enforcement in the 2002-election year. Matter of fact, the Civil Rights Division deployed a total of 829 federal employees to monitor elections, including 608 observers and 221 Department personnel. That is 45% more than were deployed in 1992. Voting rights enforcement, and rigorous disability discrimination enforcement. Sort of makes their voter suppression argument ring hollow.

But still they persist and they are dead wrong. This liberal concoction is wrong in its sublime attempt to massacre reality for urban and minority voters. It is grossly unjust in the manner they are using 527 ads to fabricate their disreputable claims of wholesale factual fraud. Jesse Jackson has been one of the chief architects in perpetrating these wholesale inaccuracies. How can he or even Al Sharpton continue to attack a record by the President whose FY 2005 budget includes $1.1 billion for federal civil rights programs - approximately $34 million above the FY 2004 enacted level?

You see that funding is not just dollars thrown at a problem. The President has shown a firm commitment to touch the lives of real people who have been impacted by the harsh realities of continued prejudicial practices. Sharpton does not want to admit the truth and Jesse would like the truth to be fogged over by his fictitious version of reality.

Yet this funding is crucial to supporting the efforts of 13 civil rights offices or programs in 11 federal agencies, including the Civil Rights Commission. Rev. Jackson's fiction does not square with reality.

You see, when the President spoke in July at the National Urban League Convention in Detroit, Michigan and asked for the vote of Americans of African descent, it sent a literal shockwave of shivers up the spines of Democrats and liberals. The President was not only making history he was showing why his action deserved a second look by urban and minority voters.

How unheard of, commented many of the liberal detractors. The President was breaking the unspoken rules of liberal and conservative voter engagement. Republicans, who had not had an admirable history of recruiting the minority vote, despite many of the economic, job creation and civil rights gains which had been accomplished under the Nixon, Reagan and Bush administrations, the minority vote still had all but been ceded to liberals.

The only card liberals had left in their deck which they use very well in the least two months of an election cycle has been the "race card." So when the President told urban America that he wanted their vote, the liberals 527s issue committees went into overdrive concocting openly noxious radio and television ads which totally and offensively portrayed Republicans as lurking in dark corners of America waiting to pounce upon unsuspecting minority voters, anxious to tear their voting rights, and their voting card right out of their hand.

Yet, this is exactly the type of ill found hysteria that finally leaders like Ed Gillespie Chairman of the RNC, Mike Steele Lt. Governor of Maryland, J.C. Watts, former congressman and Chairman of GOPAC and Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State have gone on the offensive to repudiate,

In fact, the President does not have to apologize for his record on Civil Rights as Jesse Jackson has claimed. If Jesse had bothered to check even further into the President's record of achievement, Jesse's silence would be deafening. Why?

The Bush Administration Civil Rights Division has prosecuted 122 human traffickers, double the number of prosecutions as under the previous administration.

Rev. Jackson has had a history for pointing out the need to deal with investigations into the infringement of rights of those who have been institutionalized. Well, the Bush Administration Civil Rights Division has opened 43 Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) investigations since 2001, a 90 percent increase over the 20 investigations initiated during the last three years of the previous Administration. Where are Jackson's comments now?

Employment discrimination has been one of the hallmark and historical pivot points for judging whether a President's administration cares about civil rights and the rights minorities and women have in accessing fair employment opportunities. This President's administration has fought for vigorous employment discrimination enforcement protection. This is especially important in the Americans of Arab descent population in the Detroit area post 9/11. It is home to the nation's largest population of Arab immigration and citizens outside of the Middle East. Because of the possible Sept. 11th backlash the administration has been very sensitive to these concerns.

You see fear and hysteria are the only aces in the card deck that liberals like Jesse know how to use. Just think how disconcerting it would be if they bothered to look a little deeper at the facts of this President's accomplishments in Civil Rights.

One of the last legs the liberals have felt they could stand on in the weeks heading into Nov. 2nd has been to alarm students, parents and supporters of education to falsely show how this President was abandoning his commitment to supporting education at the primary and secondary level.

This last ditch effort is supposed to be their wedge issue because they understood how important educational achievement and especially the legacy that black colleges and universities in the Americans of African descent community. National leaders like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who attended MoreHouse College have graduated leaders of great prominence and accomplishment.

The President not only respected their legacy but also valued the enormous contributions these colleges and universities have made and continue to make. The President increased Federal Support of HBCU By 30 percent. In President Bush's 2005 budget he fulfilled his pledge to increase funding for HBCUs and minority-serving institutions by 30 percent since he took office by proposing $240.5 million for HBCUs and $58.5 million for Historically Black Graduate Institutions. Where in the world is Jesse?

The liberals like Sharpton and Jackson continued to ignore the contribution, but Historically Black Colleges and Universities commended President Bush for His Support. In the March 1st, edition of Black Issues in Higher Education it was noted, "The board of advisers of the nation's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) presented President Bush with a resolution commending him for his visionary leadership, and his commitment and contributions to strengthening the nation's 105 HBCUs. The board also noted that the president's commitment enhances HBCUs' ability to continue to produce high-quality graduates to serve the nation and ensures equal opportunity in higher education." The HBCU board commended President Bush for his commitment and leadership.

What voters in urban America should really be asking themselves is "where is the real racism hiding?" Why are so many efforts being launched to hide the truth from you? Where is the conspiracy to suppress your vote? Is it really in the false claims by liberals who want to scare out the urban voter to the polls?

Some liberals claim there has been an organized historical attempt to prevent blacks from voting and therefore is a common staple of America's political history. Well, part of that statement is correct, but it was not practiced by Republicans.

In fact the greater majority if not nearly all of the voter suppression activity historically occurred under the careful handling of Democrat officials in the South.

You don't need access to a time capsule to remember the horrifying acts of brutality, which were brought to America's home on a regular basis via television. The news accounts showing southern city police attack dogs being used against Americans of African descent who were trying to either register to vote or march for the right to vote were indeed alarming. I'm sorry to point out the obvious, but those deputies who were handling those dogs, those fireman who were handling those hoses, those police officers who were acting on orders from a southern city manager of mayor were, guess what...not Republican.

What urban American voters need is a hotline to the truth!

Every four years there is a cycle of fear that seems to ease out of the political joints in urban America. It is as old as fear, rumor, innuendo, and hate is in campaign electioneering. It usually dissipates on the first Wednesday following the Tuesday election day. This voter suppression make believe has to end. There are always two victims in this charade, one being the urban voter, usually targeted at Americans of African descent, and the other the unsuspecting Republican officials, be it the presidential candidate or a more localized official like a state senate or state representative candidate.

This cycle of voter suppression misrepresentation must stop so that the facts and truth can be fairly presented and fairly judged by urban and minority voters. Pope Pius XII had it correct when he said that "Truth, like man has but a single face and truth is our weapon just as prayer is our defense and strength." Urban voters deserve to hear the truth, so let's pray for a miracle that liberals finally get it.

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Kevin Fobbs is President of National Urban Policy Action Council (NuPac), a non-partisan civic and citizen-action organization that focuses on taking the politics out of policy to secure urban America's future one neighborhood, one city, and one person at a time. Kevin Fobbs is also Second Vice Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and National African Americans for President Bush Steering Committee member as well as host of the daily Kevin Fobbs Show on News Talk WDTK - 1400 AM as well as co-founder of the Jackson, MI-based American Conservative Values Television Network.

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 Click the picture & goto "last" for the latest on Vote Fraud:

There's info about Project Vote, ACORN, and other "non-partisan" special-interest groups as well.

We all need to be clear about the danger this issue poses-- this is the October Surprise from the Left, and they are not even being subtle about it- why should they, with the compliant media, news & entertainment divisions, on their side.

Besides the obvious goal of throwing the election to Kerry, if that fails, the results will be so contested, so dubious, that President Bush will be vulnerable to all sorts of attacks, marginalizing, and stigma- including impeachment.