Mike Luckovich for April 08, 2020

The most pernicious form of voter suppression we have seen yet — forcing people to literally risk their lives to exercise their franchise.

And they are taking aim squarely at Democratic voters. In Milwaukee, a Democratic stronghold and a major U.S. city with a population of 600,000, they only allowed FIVE in-person voting locations, whereas there used to be 180.

More than half of all COVID-19 deaths in Wisconsin have occurred in Milwaukee.

In what I’m sure will become an iconic photographic image, the head of the Republican Wisconsin legislature wore a medical face mask, gloves and hazmat covering while declaring for the camera that it “incredibly safe to go out.”

After this pandemic is under control and the virus eliminated, the Republican party should also be wiped off the face of the earth.

It’s the freakin’ Primaries folks. I completely fail to see how the GOP gets anything useful out of forcing them to vote on schedule. Though I did see where there’s a real chance that folks who actually voted absentee but after the initial deadline had been “extended” may have their ballots tossed.

The turnout showed people telling Bonespurs and company, “bite me”.

I’m surprised a rethugican state legislature hasn’t called out the state police to guard against “suspicious” (i.e. minority) voters who may commit voter “fraud” or other “subversive” actions.

Vos and his cronies are all bums and need voted out.

If I were president, the first thing I would do is sign an executive order that every election in America needs to be 100% vote by mail. Every registered voter gets a ballot, with a deadline for registrations to be completed 5 days prior to the election. Postage is included. Counts would begin 24 hours after the election and the postmark must be be ON OR BEFORE the election date. But then, I am not POTUS

Let us hope that the GOP’s goal of keeping its 5 to 2 majority on the state Supreme Court is diminished to 4 to 3 after the votes are counted. Of course, the election managers may find it necessary to count the votes several times until they add up right.

The Republicans KNOW that they CANNOT WIN an honest, free and legal election, so they HAVE TO CHEAT, ANY WAY THEY CAN! PERIOD!!

It’s Wisconsin. In 2016, driving on I94 between Milwaukee and Minneapolis, in the countryside all you saw was Trump and Walker signs. But when you got to Madison (UW) and Milwaukee, all you saw was Hillary signs.

https://www.axios.com/photos-coronavirus-wisconsin-primary-election-b4e5b7fd-60f3-49c3-8ef4-66e1f8882458.html

Welcome to the “3rd” world, U.S.A.

Looking in my crystal elephant, I see Wisconsin (the home state of my paternal grandmother) going all blue…. Good job GOP!

Wow.. there seems to be no depths the Republicans will go to.. to try and stay in power. Got to make you proud doesn’t it.. if you are a republican.

Republicans HAVE to lie and cheat in any way they can. When people are given a choice of two statements on issues that actually affect their everyday life, one that describes the Republican position and the other the Democrat’s, the Democratic position is chosen by about 80% of Democrats and Independents. No surprise there. The weird part is that just under half of Republicans also choose Democrat positions, unless they are told which position is supported by each party. Then they fall into line and choose the Republican option- 78% of the time. So, it is entirely reasonable for Republicans to lie a lot. The people running the Republican party are in that half of the Republicans who actually believe in Republican positions. They are roughly 25% of the voting public. They have no chance of ever winning a national election unless they keep as many people as possible from voting and keep the rest of them confused enough to vote against their own best interests.

Normal people hate Republicans so much these days they will risk their lives to vote them out.

What will happen to Bubba when he realizes he can’t sleep in on Sunday morning because of compulsory church attendance? Will he switch to moonshinin’ when he can’t buy a cold “suitcase” of beer anymore? And no safe abortion for his kid cousin after their “walk” during the family reunion? Holy s …! :-0

If my state prohibits absentee ballots based on this decision, I will go to the polls and vote in person even though I am old and “at risk” due to my age. And I will vote Blue. I have always believed that Dr. King was right when he said that if you have nothing worth dying for, you have nothing worth living for.

Evers resisted (for several weeks) a legislative solution to move the election date. He also claimed he had no authority to change the date.

Right up to the moment 48 hours before the election when party officials informed him that liberals in Milwaukee and Madison were not returning absentee ballots at the same rate conservatives were in red counties.

All the while the Elections Commission was urging people to obtain absentee ballots. The rule was mutually agreed upon that ballots had to be postmarked by election day (as opposed to received) and would be counted provided they arrived no later than Monday next week. And in fact, more than 1.2 million ballots were mailed out, 5 times the number supplied in 2016.

Evers and the Dems tried an end run at the last minute after balking at a bipartisan solution for weeks. Both the Wisconsin and the Federal Supreme Courts made the correct decision in slapping down Evers and the Dems.

I spent yesterday serving as an election official in Madison, Wisconsin, during which time I was (as always), scrupulously non-partisan. But the day before I sent the following letter to the top 10 dailies in the state:

Let’s be blunt. Republicans hate it when people vote — especially the “wrong kind” of people.

Their loathing for democracy was most clearly stated by right-wing guru Paul Weyrich, who laid out the case for voter suppression back in 1980: “I don’t want everybody to vote. … Our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.”

Acting on his advice, Wisconsin Republicans, in thrall to their corporate overlords and campaign financiers, have done everything in their power to throw roadblocks in the path of voting: blatant gerrymandering to dilute opposing votes; restricting hours of voter registration; limiting the areas where volunteers can register voters or the times when DMV offices can take your picture; moving primary elections from September to August so college students can’t vote; closing or constantly changing polling locations (especially in minority areas), preferably to places without public transportation; and of course the notorious and completely unnecessary photo-ID requirement.

To Republicans the current COVID global pandemic was like manna from heaven. It could be lethally dangerous for strangers to cluster in groups of 10 or more, so they could let nature do their dirty work for them by scaring citizens away from the polls. But only if the election were held as originally scheduled.

That’s why, given a special session of the Legislature during which they could have postponed the election (as 15 other states have done) or adopted a sensible alternative like all-mail-in voting (as Gov. Evers proposed), they literally didn’t give a minute’s consideration to either. “Vote if you dare” was their attitude.

(continued)

LOOK AT WHAT THE REPULSICANS ARE TURNING AMERICA INTO. Herr Fuhrer Hitler would be so proud.