Editorial: Playing by new rules - N.J. follows U.S. court down wrong path

Sacramento Bee ^ | 10/5/02

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Look what the U.S. Supreme Court has started. Following the example of the nation's high court in the 2000 presidential election, the New Jersey Supreme Court this week decided also to intervene in an election, elevating abstract concerns about fairness over a strict reading of the law. As outraged Republicans are learning, what goes around, comes around.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

WIPE THE SMILE OFF OF THIS MAN’S FACE.
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[Puppage]

Republicans immediately screamed foul, and with some reason.

Some Reason? Some law, perhaps? The democRATic party is indeed, a criminal enterprise.

[Puddleglum]

What an odd omission - no mention of the Flordia Supreme Court's tomfoolery at all. Of course, that would send this article's whole arugment down the toilet, so best not to mention how they bent the law and all.

[Laverne]

This story is not reflecting the facts of the USSC decision on SCOFLA(W)s action -- I believe that the first decision was to "vacate" what SCOFLA did (when they changed the deadlines) on a 9-0 decision (or was it 7-2?) That is the ONLY comparison, the 7-2 and 5-4 decisions of USSC are not the relevant points here. At least that is how I recall it.

[DB]

What crap!

It was the Democrats that wanted exceptions to the law after the fact both times. What a lame idiotic writer...

Wait until it comes around to the USSC.

[11th Earl of Mar]

Try again. The New Jersey Supreme Court is following the same tactics of the Florida Supreme Court, namely making up the rules as they go along in order to help Democrats.

[Bahbah]

I tried to click through to the SacBee to tell them that this is one of the most intellectually dishonest pieces I have ever come across, but I couldn't get through to MPaul on the Ed board. Maybe he'll see it here.

[DWSUWF]

This propaganda angle ocurred to me within minutes of my hearing about the NJ debacle. It took another second to realize that it could only be packaged this way if the NJ event went south for them.

This article is the first example I've seen of the left using it.

That they are now trotting it out indicates to me that they realize it was a gross over-reach, and that it will be turned against them.

The left eats its own, so what was a success is now sacrificed in a pathetic attempt to make a propaganda score.

[Kozak]

What a boat load of crap. SCOTUS got involved in Florida ONLY after the Florida Supremes completely ignored and or rewrote the election laws of Florida. Ditto for the idiots on the NJ Supreme bench.

If the damn ruling by the NJ court stands the people of NJ should demand a full refund of the salaries of the Legislature, since they don't do anything anyway. After all it will be the courts that WRITE the laws.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

Look what the U.S. Supreme Court has started.


excuse me it was the florida supremes who meddled into the election first the scotus wanted nothing to do with that election and even gave them a chance to fix it and only stepped in when the scofla gave them the finger

[McGavin999]

Gee, these idiots just skipped right over the little incident with the Florida Supreme Court didn't they. Ah, those nasty little details can be overlooked.

Liberals don't like details, they might help people figure things out. Little things like the Florida Supreme Court taking the law into it's own hands, just like the New Jersey Supreme Court, is reason enough for the USSC to step in and remind the lower courts that their job is to INTERPRET the law, not MAKE the law.

Just another of those nasty little details contained in the Constitution.

[goldstategop]

LMAO! Wrong Court. The one that screwed up the law so badly that the SCOTUS had to take it to the woodshed not once but TWICE was the Floriduh SCOFLA - also nicknamed for good reason SCOFLAW. Its too much for the liberal Sacramento Bee to get its facts straight in its haste to condemn Republicans for trying to stop the New Jersey Supremos rape of the law.

[Always Right]

You can't change the rules and the players when you're losing the election, Republicans are crying. But the New Jersey court, like the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000, didn't see it that way.

What a complete idiot. It was the Florida Supreme Court that was slapped around for changing the rules. The US Supreme Court ruled that the rules could NOT be changed.

[PhilipFreneau]

People in Sacramento must be absolute idiots if that kind of "editorializing" is allowed in their newspapers. Any fool can see the Supreme Court has not, to date, intervened in any election in recent years -- they have only stopped the intervention by a state court (Florida) in an election, and considering whether to stop the intervention by another state court (New Jersey). Therefore, the author of this "editorial" is clear example of a biased political hack. Ann Coulter has even more material for her next book.

[Dutch Boy]

This will continue until violators of the law are jailed and justices are impeached. The sheeple need to oust all the scum, regardless of political affiliation.

[stndngathwrthistry]

You can't change the rules and the players when you're losing the election, Republicans are crying. But the New Jersey court, like the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000, didn't see it that way.

That thump you just heard was my jaw hitting the floor.

Does this editorialist really--really--not remember that it was Gore who lost the count and filed suit to change the rules?

This is absolutely bizarre. Very few things leftie media types say have the power to shock me, but this shocks me.

[marvlus]

I believe the USSC has jurisdection over Federal Election laws, wheareas the NJSC does not.

[cyncooper]

You can't change the rules and the players when you're losing the election, Republicans are crying. But the New Jersey court, like the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000, didn't see it that way.

What color is they sky in their world in Sacramento??

Do they think the 2000 election questions landed in the US Supreme Court without any intervening shenanigans from the Florida Supreme Court doing just what they decry above?

That is, the SCOFLAs were changing the rules and players when GORE was losing the election!

I read this "piece" in disbelief at their "reasoning" and trying to compare what the NJ idiots did to the US Supreme court. Unbelievable.

Clearly the proper comparison is NJ Supremes to Florida Supremes.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Florida Freepers witnessed the election close up. Since the press didn't ask me my opinion (^:) - to set the record straight - not to respond to the liars on the left:

---

L How Democrats Steal Elections
L Gore, Chris Sautter-"A Recount Primer"
L Knock and Drag: Ryan Lizza reveals how Dems. got out the black vote
L Trial Lawyers try to litigate their man into the White House
L John Lott's Florida Election Study: Black Republicans, disenfranchised by Dems.

---

Did you hear of a Republican* voting twice? Republican* felons voting in large blocks? Republican* illegal immigrants? Republicans* in nursing homes and hospitals "helping" incompetent patients vote? Republicans* adding non-resident names to the voting rosters at the polling locations? Republicans* poking holes in ballots/ eating chads? Writing books about recounts and how to win elections by manipulating ballots? Did Republicans* have a GOTV center set up in a Palm Beach law office, with "ballot protest" forms and a telecom company set up in advance, as well as a team of lawyers ready to put the "recount' campaign in place? Did a Republican* lawyer lie about an Illinois "dimple decision" to the national press and in court? Did Republicans* go into the inner cities and tell the voters that George W. Bush would send them back to slavery? Did a Republican* send a memo to every one of 67 counties - not based on Florida law - telling poll workers how to disqualify military ballots? Did Republicans* misdirect military mail? Make it exceedingly difficult for military overseas to vote? Did the Republican* press cover up the massive Dem. dirty tricks? Did a Republican* Florida elect our Republican House, Republican Governor and GHW Bush over Bill Clinton in 1992? Is the Republican* press still lying?

No.

* Democrat(s)