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Hammond mayor: School field trip 'unethical' politicking
NWI Times ^ | 4/24/08 | BILL DOLAN

Posted on 04/26/2008 3:07:58 PM PDT by Dawnsblood

Gary officials said they were busing in hundreds of high schools students to vote in advance of the May 6 primary as a learning experience.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton denounced it Wednesday as a shameless political power play.

"To me it seems like an orchestrated effort on behalf of the Obama campaign to take kids who should be in school learning to read and write, instead giving them a day off and telling them to vote for Obama.

"When you corral kids together and ship them to polling places, it's completely unethical. I think Sen. Obama should distance himself from this type of behavior," McDermott said.

Kevin Griffis, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's Hoosier campaign, responded, "Those comments don't reflect the facts and shouldn't we be applauding our schools for encouraging our children to get involved in their civic duties?"

Isabel Bonilla stood at the back of line of Gary's West Side High students Wednesday morning waiting to vote. The 18-year-old shyly explained, "I'm excited. It's my first time to vote." She declined to say who she would favor with her ballot.

She was among about 200 students from West Side and William A, Wirt high schools driven in several Gary school buses more than 16 miles to the Lake County Elections and Registration Board office here. Early in-person voting began last week.

(Excerpt) Read more at nwi.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Indiana
KEYWORDS: clinton; gary; highschool; obama

1 posted on 04/26/2008 3:07:58 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
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To: Dawnsblood

Gee, a democrat upset by typical democrat election tactics? Is this guy new to the party or something?

I suppose he will find it a ‘learning experience’ in November when he is busing kids to the polls himself to vote against McCain.

If it weren’t for forced busing to the polls each November, the democrats would have not GOTV in the big cities.


2 posted on 04/26/2008 3:29:03 PM PDT by bpjam (Drill For Oil or Lose Your Job!! Vote Nov 3, 2008)
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"To me it seems like an orchestrated effort on behalf of the Obama campaign to take kids who should be in school learning to read and write, instead giving them a day off and telling them to vote for Obama."

If they're old enough to vote and don't yet know how to read and write something is wrong that giving them a day off will neither hurt nor help.

3 posted on 04/26/2008 3:54:11 PM PDT by KarinG1 (Opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not necessarily represent those of sane people.)
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To: Dawnsblood
"To me it seems like an orchestrated effort on behalf of the Obama campaign to take kids who should be in school learning to read and write, instead giving them a day off and telling them to vote for Obama.

A dem is upset because kids aren't being taught to read and write? It's about time.

4 posted on 04/26/2008 4:22:08 PM PDT by ukie55
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To: milford421

Ping.


5 posted on 04/26/2008 6:31:44 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1990507/posts?page=451 SURVIVAL, RECIPES, GARDENS, & INFO)
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