Democrats look to former thugs and criminals to expand their base (Updated)
UPDATE:
McAuliffe tells Republicans to 'quit complaining' about felons voting
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) on Sunday slammed Republicans who have complained about an executive order he signed extending the right to vote in his state to convicted felons who have served their sentences.
"Well, I would tell the Republicans, 'Quit complaining and go out and earn these folks' right to vote for you. Go out and talk to them,' " he said in response to a question about people saying his order was an election-year ploy to help Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary "I think some of the language that has come out of the Republicans, I would tell them to be very careful at how they frame this, very careful of their rhetoric."
McAuliffe is a longtime ally of Clinton and served as a chairman of her campaign in 2008.
Source: McAuliffe tells Republicans to 'quit complaining' about felons voting | TheHill
Original post …
In what alternate universe can you find a major political party celebrating police-killing thugdom and expending time, effort, and money to insure that criminals are protected from the consequences of their actions.
In tight elections, progressive socialist democrats will turn over every scummy rock to find voters; that is when they are not raising them from the dead or encouraging illegal aliens to vote …
Governor McAuliffe Restores Voting and Civil Rights to Over 200,000 VirginiansGovernor Terry McAuliffe today restored the voting and civil rights of more than 200,000 Virginians who were convicted of felonies, served their time and completed any supervised release, parole or probation requirements. Each of those Virginians will immediately regain the right to register to vote, to run for office, to serve on a jury and to serve as a notary public.
The Governor also worked to reform the restoration process by reducing the waiting period for more serious offenders from five years to three, classifying all drug-related convictions as non-violent, shortening the application for more serious offenders from 13 pages to one page, removing a requirement that individuals pay their court costs before they can have their rights restored, and ensuring that a notation will be included in an individual’s criminal record designating that his or her rights have been restored.
Governor McAuliffe added, “If we are going to build a stronger and more equal Virginia, we must break down barriers to participation in civic life for people who return to society seeking a second chance. We must welcome them back and offer the opportunity to build a better life by taking an active role in our democracy. I believe it is time to cast off Virginia’s troubling history of injustice and embrace an honest, clean process for restoring the rights of these men and women.”
Order for the Restoration of Rights TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME – GREETINGS:
WHEREAS, Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia requires that all those convicted of a felony be deprived of their civil right to vote unless they have their civil rights restored by the Governor or other appropriate authority; and WHEREAS, it is estimated that approximately 206,000 Virginians are permanently disenfranchised from participating in political life due to prior felony convictions even after completing their court-ordered sentences; and WHEREAS, such disenfranchisement disproportionately affects racial minorities and economically disadvantaged Virginians; and WHEREAS, Virginians have increasingly advanced the ideals of equality of all races and peoples, while rejecting the indefinite and unforgiving stigmatization of persons who have committed past criminal acts; and WHEREAS, the Governor is empowered by Article V, Section 12 of the Constitution of Virginia “to remove political disabilities consequent upon conviction,” thus to restore the political rights of any persons disqualified by Article II, Section 1; and WHEREAS, the power granted to the Governor under Article V, Section 12 to remove political disabilities is absolute and without any limitation not expressly stated within the Constitution of Virginia; and WHEREAS, all individuals who have served the terms of their incarceration and any periods of supervised release deserve to re-enter society on fair and just terms, including to participate in the political and economic advancement of Virginia; and WHEREAS, the restoration of civil rights has been noted to achieve substantial benefits for those individuals who have felt long-exiled from mainstream life; and WHEREAS, democracy is strengthened by having more citizens involved in the political process; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Terence R. McAuliffe, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, by and through the authority vested in me under Article V, Section 12 of the Constitution of Virginia, do hereby order the removal of the political disabilities consequent upon conviction of a felony imposed by Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia from all those individuals who have, as of this 22nd day of April 2016, (1) completed their sentences of incarceration for any and all felony convictions; and (2) completed their sentences of supervised release, including probation and parole, for any and all felony convictions. The civil rights restored by this Order are: (1) the right to vote; (2) the right to hold public office; (3) the right to serve on a jury; and (4) the right to act as a notary public. Nothing in this Order restores the right to ship, transport, possess, or receive firearms.
Given under my hand and under the Lesser Seal of the Commonwealth at Richmond, on April 22, 2016 in the 240th year of the Commonwealth. <Source> |
Not everyone was pleased …
McAuliffe signs order restoring rights to 206,000 felons; Speaker calls it move to boost Clinton
The order by McAuliffe, a friend and supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton, is likely to boost Democrats' chances in what will be a key presidential swing state in November.
Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, said in a statement that "The singular purpose of Terry McAuliffe’s governorship is to elect Hillary Clinton president of the United States. This office has always been a stepping stone to a job in Hillary Clinton’s Cabinet."
John Whitbeck, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, criticized McAuliffe for not distinguishing between violent and nonviolent felons.
"Mercy requires that we as Virginians be a commonwealth of second chances. But there are limits," he said in a statement.
"Governor McAuliffe could easily have excluded those who have committed heinous acts of violence from this order, yet he chose not to. His decision to issue a blanket restoration, without regard to the nature of the crimes committed doesn't speak of mercy. Rather, it speaks of political opportunism."
"This blanket action, undertaken for such blatant political purposes, sullies the hard-won second chances for those who have worked so hard to overcome their mistakes. Restoration of rights should be a celebration of overcoming, not a transparent effort to win votes."
But, then again, this is part of the progressive socialist democrats long-term plan …
Holder: State Laws That Bar Felons From Voting Are ‘Too Unjust to Tolerate’
Three days after announcing that the U.S. Justice Department will recognize same-sex marriages in all legal matters, even in states that forbid it, Attorney General Eric Holder took a swipe at states that don’t allow felons to vote.
“In many states, felony disenfranchisement laws are still on the books. And the current scope of these policies is not only too significant to ignore -- it is also too unjust to tolerate,” Holder told a criminal justice forum at Georgetown University Law Center.
Holder urged lawmakers “to stand together in overturning an unfortunate and outdated status quo.” And he called on the American people “to join us in bringing about the end of misguided policies that unjustly restrict what's been called the ‘most basic right’ of American citizenship.”
“These laws deserve to be not only reconsidered, but repealed,” he said.
Holder said state laws that bar felons from voting are “not only unnecessary and unjust, they are also counterproductive” because they perpetuate the “stigma and isolation imposed on formerly incarcerated individuals,” increasing the likelihood that they will commit future crimes.
Such “outdated” laws have a “disparate impact on minority communities,” he said, suggesting that this is, at heart, a civil rights issue.
Of the 5.8 million Americans who cannot vote because of current or previous felony convictions, 2.2 million are black, Holder noted.
“And although well over a century has passed since post-Reconstruction states used these measures to strip African Americans of their most fundamental rights, the impact of felony disenfranchisement on modern communities of color remains both disproportionate and unacceptable.”
Read more: Holder: State Laws That Bar Felons From Voting Are ‘Too Unjust to Tolerate’ | CNS News
Truth-be-told, Eric Holder should be in jail for obstruction of justice and lying to Congress.
Bottom line …
Look to criminals, illegal aliens, and the dead to provide winning vote margins in key battleground voting precincts along with the progressive socialist democrat propensity of finding ballots during recounts or simply bollixing-up the process in opposition precincts. Adding to the issue of voter sanctity is the fact that the progressives fight against photo identification, promote early voting that prevents last minute dirt released prior to an election from affecting public sentiment, and trying to switch all voting to easily compromised electronic and mail systems.
We live in troubling times when elections can be compromises by the corrupt who simply erase the evidence or stifle investigations once in power. And, on a number of occasions, the House of Representatives and the Judiciary has refused to reverse elections where there is evidence of wrongdoing and election shenanigans.
We are so screwed.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
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