Rep. Elijah Cummings went on the Ed Show last night and told outright lies about the Tea Party group True the Vote. (Full video here) True the Vote is dedicated to election integrity and reviews voter rolls for problems and trains poll watchers. The poll watcher training, just like training used by the federal government, teaches poll watchers how to record information about what happens in the polls. Yesterday, we learned one reason that some people don’t want them in the polls – because they will deter voter fraud.
Cummings, unfortunately, went on national television (though of course next to nobody was watching the ratings challenged Ed Show) and outright lied about private citizens.
His lies:
“True the Vote will do almost anything to stop people from voting.”
A lie.
“I am thoroughly convinced that this is an effort to intimidate voters.”
Another lie.
The True the Vote trained pollwatchers “will be very confrontational” with voters.
A third lie.
True the Vote wants people “to turn away” and leave the line and not vote.
A fourth lie.
Cummings says there “is no doubt about it” that these efforts of civic minded citizens are illegal.
A fifth lie.
Poll watchers are “harassing” people who want to vote.
A sixth lie.
And then Cummings’ big reveal: “The more people hear about all of these efforts, of trying to stop them from voting, the more they want to vote.”
Pay attention. All of the complaints about the role of the Tea Party in the polls this year is designed solely to energize a disappointed minority base. Thanks Elijah, we just suspected that was your motive.
Cummings is willing to bear false witness in order to help his political cause. This is the most shameful sort of politics, to lie about your neighbor to preserve your power. I wonder what Bishop Walter Thomas would think?
All other lies, whether from Demos, Common Cause, and all the others, are designed to do the same thing – to energize a base by lying about your neighbor.
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