Voters rip Democrats’ oath plan [demand that voters swear to be Democrats at polls]

TheState.com ("South Carolina's Home Page") ^ | Feb. 02, 2004 | LEE BANDY

[John Jorsett]

Dumb.

That’s how people all over South Carolina characterized the state Democratic Party’s decision to require voters to declare they are Democrats if they want to participate in Tuesday’s presidential primary.

Consider Herb Hoefer, a 52-year-old state social services worker. He plans to show poll workers his registration card, but he will not sign the oath.

And if they try to stop him from voting?

“I’ll tell them to stick it in their ear; I’m voting,” Hoefer vowed.

Mike Grogan, a 45-year-old produce manager for Publix, called himself an independent but said he will not sign any pledge.

“I’ll just turn and walk out,” he said. “Requiring an oath is not right. It’ll turn a lot of people off.”

B.J. Wellborn said she and three other voters in her home will not vote because they resent the pledge.

And John McLeod of Greenville said he had planned to vote until he read that he had to take a Democratic oath.

“That would lead to being ostracized by all the Greenville Republicans.”

Strategically, the move could throw a damper on turnout and hurt the chances of candidates John Edwards, Wesley Clark and Joe Lieberman — who are hoping to attract independent voters and disaffected Republicans.

“It sounds like one of the stupidest ideas I’ve heard in a long time,” said Rice University political scientist Earl Black, formerly of the University of South Carolina. “This makes no sense at all. It just steps on the effort of South Carolina Democrats to create a situation to build the party.”

Voters who appear at their polling places will be asked to sign an oath swearing that “I consider myself to be a Democrat” before casting their ballots.

The purpose is to deter Republicans from voting in the contest to create mischief.

Benedict College analyst Glenda Suber sees nothing wrong with the oath.

“The party is trying to make sure the candidate selected by the voters on Tuesday represents the thinking of Democrats in South Carolina,” she said.

The pledge is legal because the Democratic Party — not the state Election Commission — pays for and runs the presidential primary.

State Democratic Party chairman Joe Erwin, who noted the rule had been on the party books since 1976, stressed the oath doesn’t bind voters in any way. He said voters — especially independents and disaffected Republicans — should feel free to participate in the primary.

The contest is open to all registered voters.

Republicans did not require a loyalty oath during their 2000 presidential primary between George W. Bush and John McCain.

Butch Wallace, former chairman of the Lexington County GOP, said the Democratic leaders obviously don’t trust the voters.

“It shows a certain amount of skepticism on the part of Democratic leaders,” he said. “They’re not comfortable with the people.”

Bob Wislinski, a Columbia-based Democratic consultant, called the loyalty oath “extremely stupid.”

“It’s self-defeating,” he said. “What were they thinking?”

Wislinski predicted it would hurt Edwards, who, most polls show, is the overwhelming favorite of independents. The latest tracking survey conducted by Zogby International had Edwards holding a comfortable lead among independents with 30 percent. U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts was next with 14 percent.

Edwards also is the favorite among Republicans in the poll — 29 percent to 13 percent for Kerry.

“If Edwards loses here,” Wislinski said, “he probably could trace it to the loyalty oath.

“This whole thing could come back to bite them.”

Edwards’ spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, said the campaign isn’t concerned about the pledge. She doubted it would hurt Edwards’ effort to reach out to independent voters and disaffected Republicans.

“This is nothing new,” she added. “We’ve known all along that this rule existed.”

Brad Gomez, a USC political scientist, said loyalty oaths aren’t unheard of, but “I don’t think it’s a smart idea, strategically, for Democrats to be doing it.”

[eyespysomething]

miserable failure

Does your tagline: < a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com">miserable failure < /a> work if I put it in the tagline, or in the posts?

[GeronL]

So much for the OPEN PRIMARY

[RightthinkinAmerican]

Democrats invented "mischief making", AKA blatant vote fraud. But that's OK if it's them, I guess.

[Landru]

>To whom do Democrats swear their oaths...?
"Rest assured, there won't be any Bibles involved!"

Sweet Jesus you've misinterpreted the whole thing, Braveman.
Not like you.
Why in the world would you think a *bible* is involved, here?

Well no wonder.
You neglected to add the entire quote; which, leads the reader to make an assumption.

Let's show the quote, in its entirety.

"To whom do Democrats swear their oaths at."

The word "oath"?

...merely a code word, Braveman.

[looscnnn]

"You say that like it's a BAD thing..."

No, just pointing out how stupid it is that they are desperate to beat Bush and yet they are chasing away voters. Maybe they are doing it to keep Dean from winning?

[weegee]

Aren't these the same people who oppose "loyalty oaths" for government workers?

[weegee]

Rest assured, there won't be any Bibles involved!

Don't be so sure of that...

[Doug Loss]

Can a liberal (notice I'm not saying all Democrats) swear a valid oath? Usually an oath is taken before God or on the honor of the swearer, or in some way connected to something that the oath-swearer holds dear and is unwilling to tarnish by lying. I don't think most liberals believe in God, have any honor, or are at all concerned about lying in the furtherance of their goals. Therefore, I don't think any liberal can take a valid oath.

[Cicero]

The S.C. Democrat oath: "As Karl Marx is my witness, I am a Democrat."

Alternative form: "Inasmuch as I hope to be saved by Marxism-Leninism or Maoism, I am a Democrat."

[mabelkitty]

No Constitutions protection for political parties - failure to abide by the Constitutional protections for all to be able to vote will violate civil rights.

I dare them to stop someone for voting simply because they don't want to "declare" themselves or "provide the proper papers".

[PLOM...NOT!]

The purpose is to deter Republicans from voting in the contest to create mischief.

Can you say John McCain and the 2000 primaries?

[quadrant]

This requirement needs to be seen for what it is: an act of desperation by a marginal group.
The Democratic Party of South Carolina has been going down-
hill since the late 1960's, its existence sustained by little more than inertia and history.

Once it was not this way. Its hard to believe now but South Carolina voters strongly supported FDR, and the Democratic Party dominated the state.
The civil rights movement had a lot to do with driving white voters out of the Democratic Party, but civil rights was not the only force that propelled the Republican Party to power.

More than all others, cultural issues drove away moderate and conservative white people.
The war in Vietnam enjoyed strong support in the state, even during the Nixon years.
When abortion on demand became a tenet of Democratic ideology, whites left the Party in droves.
Now, gay marriage appears to be the force that will drive away those white people who remain.
One cannot but wonder if the Democrats whose ideas set the tone for their party have any idea the effect those ideas have outside their own circle.

Now, Democatic candidates are trying to use the economy as a wedge issue. It may succeed (at least, somewhat)for the state has been hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs.
And there is a Populist history in South Carolina. One of the greatest of the populists, Pitchfork Ben Tillman, rode to power on the backs of resentful farmers who were hard-
pressed by low prices for crops.

However, 2004 is not 1890 (the year Tillman was first elected governor) and the state has changed. The Democrats have changed too. Now, they are at the margins of power and reduced to requiring silly and self-defeating loyalty oaths.

[samanella]

So what will happen if one says (with fingers crossed) "I am a Democrap?" Will you be tarred and feathered if they find out differently? Will you get on mailing lists (I hope so, so I can tell the Dems exactly what I think of them)? Will the long arm of the law pistol whip you? What are the real consequences if you lie to them?

[GOP Jedi]

Isn't this the same gang that was smirking about sending Dems to the SC GOP primary polls to cast a vote for McCain to stop W in his tracks in 2000?

Guess what's good for the elephant ain't good enough for the ass.

[weegee]

Rats at DirtyUnderwear will bitch and moan about us FReeping online polls; literally they will out FReeps to the media. The same people who decry this tactic will support DUmping on polls and DUping the masses.

I've seen the threads and they see no hypocrisy in their actions. You expect them to play by consistant rules let alone you expect them to "play fair"?

[weegee]

Lynn Ashby was the editor of The Houston Post before the Houston Chronicle was allowed to purchase that paper and shut it down.

He said that he alternated parties every primary cycle; he said that this provided him with the most campaign literature mailings.

There are times where one "needs" to vote in the opposite party's primary in order to have a say. Decades ago Texas was a "Democrat" state and since some seats would be unopposed in the general election, the only way to have a say was to vote in the primary election.

Some Dem's have gone RINO and have to be defeated in the primary these days.

[timydnuc]

Sign an oath to the democratic party but don't you dare pledge allegiance to our flag (Under God and all). What does this tell you about the democratic party?

Party before country, party before conscience, party before humanity, party before family, party before God. Party, party uber alles.....!

These people make me sick!

These people will find out the truth one day. On that day I hope to be waving to them from the other side of the Pearly Gates as I play #7 at the Lord God Almighty Golf & Country Club.