GOP targets 'get-out-the-vote' foundation (Houston FREEP not mentioned)

Houston Chronicle ^ | 26 April 2002 | NA

[weegee]

"Un-popular vote"

GOP targets 'get-out-the-vote' foundation

As former President Clinton visited Houston on Friday to raise money for a get-out-the-vote organization, a Republican lawmaker renewed the GOP claim that the organization is partisan and should lose its nonprofit status.

The private fund-raiser Friday evening was expected to raise at least $100,000 for the San Antonio-based Every Texan Foundation, founded by Henry Cisneros, a former San Antonio mayor and Clinton Cabinet member.

Supporters of the foundation contend it is intended as a nonpartisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote initiative.

But earlier this week, the state Republican Party asked the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the nonprofit status of the foundation on grounds that it focuses on registration of likely Democratic voters.

And on Friday, U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, asked the IRS to open an investigation. Sessions noted that Cisneros has endorsed Democrats, including Tony Sanchez for governor and Ron Kirk for U.S. Senate. Sessions also said the foundation once shared Austin office space with a Sanchez campaign committee.

As a nonprofit, the foundation does not have to disclose its contributions or contributors. Partisan political organizations generally are required to disclose that information.

Cisneros, in Houston on Friday for the Every Texan fund-raiser and for the Lanier Public Policy Conference, responded that in seeking an IRS investigation, Republicans are "utilizing an agency of government to create a false issue."

He said the organization's fund raising "has been as broad as we can make it," and that its voter registration efforts are not targeting any particular demographic group. "The critical question is not who gives but how is the money spent," he said.

Cisneros served in Clinton's Cabinet as secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

[weegee]

Earlier this week the impeached former president Clinton went to Harlem to fundraiser for a declared DNC "get-out-the-vote" effort. Having a hard time getting this "non-partisan" organization properly classified.

I did not make it to the FREEP (I didn't have the details) but would like to read comments of how it went...

[ru4liberty]

Houston bump.

[PetroniDE]

The Houston Freepers did NOT Freep this event. That decision was reached due to the facts that the event was held at a private residence, and the increased security guaranteed that a good Freep location could not be obtained.

Thanks for the alert...

[weegee]

Thanks for the update. Is there anyway to get the title mentioned but maybe leave in Houston)?

I read some of the discussion on the Texas page of FR but wasn't able to get myself registered for the other website.

[solo gringo]

Just take a look at the main players and you can see why the Texas gop is coming down hard on this sham.Bill clinton Impeached henry tried and convicted for lying to the fbi sanchez swindled the american tax payers out of 161.Million dollars in failed saving and loan laundred at least 25 million drug money so says the Ex ag for the state of texas I rest my case.

[LarryLied]

This needs more attention. Democrat get-out-the-vote drives are nothing more than bribery.

[LarryLied]

and voter fraud. I forgot that.

[weegee]

I saw a thread that had Ted Nugent working a "Rock The Vote" drive but a couple of years ago, that group was shown to focus their efforts on Democrat voter enrollment.

They claim this one is non-partisan and yet their big fundraiser brings in a man (a former president) who just came from a DNC fundraiser for the same initiative (get out the vote, only in that case it is definitely Democrat).

Does anyone here really know what Demonrat "Get Out The Vote" is? It is "knock and drag". Money that is used to pay volunteers (an oxymoron) to drive vans to harass demorat strongholds (stopping by the same houses 3 times on election day) to drive them to polls.

Having read some of the practices of the payment (a threat of withholding payment from all workers because of a missing hammer), I doubt that they are paying minimum wage or social security for these workers. Shut their system for scampaigns down!

[antivenom]

Freep mail me...I'll get you registered.

[antivenom]

Exactly...they get churches that run dilapitated (?sp)buses into the projects...promise all the voters a hot dog and soda to get on the bus to a voting location...these people have a picnic on the bus...told HOW to vote and then dropped back off at the "projects".

Interesting scam...funny how so many peole that live together in PUBLIC housing will do anything for a FREE LUNCH and to vote for more.

Funny we can't get the RIGHT who live in neighborhoods to COLLECT for a function and then travel en masse to a voting location.

[mhking]

Funny we can't get the RIGHT who live in neighborhoods to COLLECT for a function and then travel en masse to a voting location.

I would agree on one hand, but on the other hand, many on the Right who live in the same neighborhood WORK and cannot get together to go at the same time. In addition, those on the Left who take buses and vans to the Projects for the most part already get out, along with their neighbors.

The only way to combat this is to expose the practice. It stems from the old "Chicago" adage: "Vote early, and vote often."

[onevoter]

Call me an optimist, but my hope is that the Democrats are pushing the "Get out and vote!" theme because they are afraid that the days of mass voter fraud may be over. Ironically it was their hysterical behavior about the vote in Florida that screamed for voter reform. Now, thanks to the Republican's insistence on proof of identity, Democratic partisans may not be able to vote as many times in one election as they used to!

[LarryLied]

There is a group Donna Shalala funded by the name of "consumer survivors"-mental health patients who left treatment. They lobby to see that no one, no matter how incapacitated, is institutionalized. In 2000, they ran vans picking up schizophrenics and other psychotics to take them to the polls.

Dr. Sally Satel mentioned this on C-Span and it might be in her book PC,MD How Political Correctness is Corrupting Medicine

[WOSG]

Observation: Socialists have a socialized way of voting, individualists have an independent way of voting.

[weegee]

Another reason for partisan "Get Out The Vote" campaigns is that it offers the rats an opportunity to play up "disenfranchisement"; anyone who opposes their methods is just trying to "suppress the vote".

[humblegunner]

"Interesting scam...funny how so many peole that live together in PUBLIC housing will do anything for a FREE LUNCH and to vote for more."

That is how they have been taught to survive.
Self-perpetuation. Of nonproductivity.
(It's a liberal thing...)

[antivenom]

"Cultural thang..."