Great News: SCOTUS Refuses to Block Ohio Early Voting
Posted: October 16, 2012 Filed under: 2012 elections, 2012 presidential campaign, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, open thread, U.S. Politics | Tags: early voting, Ohio, SCOTUS, voter suppression, voting rights 46 Comments
The Supreme Court has declined to review the decision of the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the 6th District that:
if Ohio is going to allow in-person voting for members of the military during the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the election, it must open the process to all voters.
“While there is a compelling reason to provide more opportunities for military voters to cast their ballots, there is no corresponding satisfactory reason to prevent nonmilitary voters from casting their ballots as well,” the appeals court said.
Ohio Republicans had sought to cancel early voting that weekend for everyone except members of the military. A U.S. appeals court blocked the plan last week, saying it probably violated the constitutional rights of non-military voters. In a one-sentence order, the Supreme Court today rejected a challenge to that ruling, filed by Ohio’s Republican secretary of state and attorney general….
The early-voting clash is one of two Ohio election disputes with implications for the presidential race between Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. In a second Obama victory, the same Cincinnati-based appeals court last week barred the state from disqualifying provisional ballots that voters cast in the wrong precinct because of poll-worker error.
In other news, President Obama says he “feels fabulous” about the debate tonight.
President Barack Obama walks with Senior White House Adviser David Plouffe and Anita Dunn to debate preparation at the Kingsmill Resort on Tuesday in Williamsburg, Va. — Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Hours before a crucial debate, President Obama tried to flash some confidence and calm for the cameras.
“I feel fabulous. Look at this beautiful day,” Obama said, as he strolled under blue skies at the Virginia resort where he has been preparing for his faceoff with Mitt Romney.
The president has been largely out of sight since Saturday, when he arrived here for three days of intensive debate preparations.
Zeke Miller at Buzzfeed writes that:
President Barack Obama appears amply aware that he fumbled badly during a debate two weeks ago in Denver, but he’s not the only one looking for redemption: Obama’s staff, blamed in part for his weak preparation, for a flawed plan, and for a lame post-debate effort are also seeking a do-over.
The most obvious — and critical — flaw in the Denver debate was Obama’s performance, and aides say they’ve prepared him intensely not to repeat it. They’ve played him the tape of the Denver debacle, examined his facial expressions and overall body language, and prepared for how to personally engage a live audience of questioners.
Tuesday’s town hall-style forum at Hofstra University on Long Island, NY is a format in which Obama in 2008 thrived, as the format’s king, John McCain, stumbled. Four years ago Obama managed to draw a connection with both the questioner and the audience at home. Aides say they expect this stage to be more comfortable, since he’s not interacting with just Romney.
There is also a new plan. Two weeks ago, Obama tried to stay above the fray, backing down from nearly every attack he and his campaign have been firing at Romney by proxy — both on television and in solo rallies across the country. Tuesday at Hofstra, will throw all the punches he pulled two weeks ago, his aides promise. Romney’s tax rate? Check. The 47% video? He’ll work it in there. Osama bin Laden? You can bet on it.
Sounds like Team Obama is taking this seriously. Do you buy it? How are you feeling about tonight?
This is an open thread, of course.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Alex MacGillis is dead on with this piece. I completely endorse her sentiments.
TNR: Against Our Debate Obsession
Hooray for the Supreme Court doing the right thing this time.
Howard Fineman is a case in point.
What Fineman doesn’t say is that he fails, he won’t do it alone. A candidate and his supporters go down together. If he loses, the country’s voters will have turned their back on those basic assumptions either because they don’t believe in them anymore or because the media didn’t tell them what could happen. Perhaps?
But it won’t be because voters haven’t been exposed to the information, they have been. Rather they will just choose to believe convenient lies over the truth. If that’s what we’ve become as a society, there’s not much to do about it now.
WaPo fact checker Glenn Kessler examines Romney’s claims that he’ll create 12 million jobs in four years and finds it’s just more flim flam and bait and switch. 4 Pinnochios
Way late to the game but better than never I guess.
Finally! Get the details on Romney’s tax plan here.
http://www.romneytaxplan.com/
That’s perfect!
That is just what I needed. Seriously chuckling out loud. Thanks for posting that link.
That was good…
Good news from Ohio. Couldn’t have come on a better day.
Here’s a calming read if you have the Poll jitters.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-abramowitz/is-romney-really-leading-_b_1969951.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
Nate Silver still gives Obama a nearly 67% chance of winning the WH. I don’t buy the “Great Flip” in the women’s vote and Obama is clearly ahead with Hispanics and Blacks. All Romney did in the last debate was prove he had a minimal pulse and is willing to lie his socks off. And Ryan, the biggest weasel of all, was thoroughly spanked by Joey Biden.
Obama could have put the whole election away two weeks ago. I seriously doubt he’s going to give into his weak sister routine tonight.
If the Republicans take this election in November they’ll have to steal it.
“Obama could have put the whole election away two weeks ago. I seriously doubt he’s going to give into his weak sister routine tonight.”
I agree. I think the base needs a good shot in the arm that only comes from seeing the guy you support FIGHT!!!
I’ll mention again the lack of polling of cellphones that I think is really distorting the 18-30 vote. I read that the only cell phones that are being polled are families that also have landlines. I have 5 grandchildren between 18-30, they all live on their own, none of them have landlines. I can’t imagine that the 18-30 demographic is being polled accurately.
I don’t have a land line any more either. BB doesn’t either.
“I don’t have a land line any more either. BB doesn’t either.”
Then neither of you will make it to a polling call list. No telling how many people of every demographic fall into your category, but particularly the 18-30 demo. I have been considering giving up my landline, I really need to for financial reasons, but some habits die hard.
Unlike most others, I think the Benghazi story is hurting Obama with swing voters in the crucial leadership role.
The Amazing Story of What Happened in Libya
I just read that Atlantic piece, Ralph. It puts to rest the whole nonsense of a nefarious coverup that Republicans have been screeching about for weeks and trying to blow into some sort of scandal for Romney’s benefit. If anything, it reminds a reader how dangerous the work is in the Middle East, even in a country that is by and large American friendly.
This narrative of what State knows to date about the details on the ground should be required reading for any informed voter. It should, in fact, be a front page headline in every newspaper out there.
Yes it should and the NYT today has a piece where their and Reuters reporters on the ground in Benghazi said that eye witnesses said some attackers told them it was a reaction to that silly damn 14 min movie clip. There was a reason for people to believe that and the NYT stands by their story today.
Romney is planning to tell Obama to “man up” and take responsibility for the deaths in Benghazi.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/aide-mitt-romney-will-ask-obama-to-man-up-on-libya-20121016
Romney wants Obama to man up……….wth, here is what Obama needs to throw back at him regarding security, why is it that on 9/11, 20 other embassies where under fire one way or the other, and the republicans sent their personnel over there, why in the fuck haven’t we heard them say that hey, we have got to man up and offer more security to protect all the embassies, and all our Americans in the Middle East, why aren’t they saying that they too need help? And then fund the fucking security needs, including better intelligence all over the Muslim World, because it’s a real problem with “lack of real time intelligence”……..If those
assests were in place, Hillary and Chris would have known more about the scope of the problem, means the number of people involved and how well they were organized and how well they used their arms.
The testimony that I read, was given about a month after the event, and I can’t judge that report anymore than the republicans can, other than to say they are lying to suit them for political advantage, and Hillary stated that yesterday.
I read Blackhawk Down, and saw the movie…………the report was very similiar to that event. I mean how it played out after the attack began, even tho there was a larger US Force in place, and a much larger militia force fighting, but I remember them running from building to building, calling for help, and trying to get out. Somebody ought to do a video showing them, and just what it was like for our dipolmats and the 5 or 6 Libyan guards………….Compare it to
the Green Zone, compare it Blackhawk down.
Finally in the last 50 years, American embassies have been attacked more than anyone else, something like 26 times. France had 10, and Israel had 7. P.S. the majority of attack occured under fucking George W. Bush.
Thank you, Fannie. I was so enraged when I read that headline that I was speechless. I’m sick and tired of Mitt Romney using the deaths of Americans overseas to advance his disgusting, racist, lying campaign!
Me too BB.
WTF – The biggest cover up evah was fucking Iraq, and that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. The fucking republicans were lying on a massive scale about that. They had well over 100,000 civilian security contractors (Blackwater) that Bush put in play, and there fucking Green Zone, the largest fucking embassy in the entire world, with 15,000 employees, and 150 acres, swimming pools too, and cost us 800 million fucking bucks. My cousin died there, yeah Iraqi Freedon on the Green Zone. Not to mention the thousands of secret agents that served in and around that compound. And the idiots don’t want us to remind of that COVER UP.
Preach it!!!
Damn right!
Oh Fannie, I am reading 500 Days right now and you are right about Iraq, unfuckingbelievable that Bush got away with it.
Blake Hounshell, editor of Foreign Policy, on Benghazi. My only quibble with his take is his belief that the NYT and Reuters are mistaken to rely on their eyewitness accounts. I don’t see anything in those accounts as wrong yet.
Clinton jumps on the Benghazi grenade
If I am right, tick tock related the events as he became aware of them, not necessarily how they happened, and that is often what happens in given testimony isn’t it?
I think this has been obvious for quite some time to an astute observer.
Well, I’m back from the hair stylist. I asked for a simple mid-length bob, but I got the chicken cut instead. It’s at least three inches shorter than I wanted and really butchered looking. Not only that, but half way through the hair cut, the stylist informed me that she had a stomach virus and went to throw up. Oh, happy day!!! Now I look like a chicken and I’ll probably get her damn virus, too. No, I will not be posting pics.
I just hope Obama has better luck tonight than I did today.
Sorry for your bad luck and hope you don’t get the virus. I share your hope for Obama.
Sorry Beata. That’s why I’ve been going the the same hairdresser for close to 20 years. I’d hate to try to find another one. I sure hope you don’t get the virus!
Mercy Beata, Mercy
Sorry to hear that Beata. The difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is about 3 weeks, but a stomach virus has no bright side. If it makes you feel better I got a haircut yesterday and I look like a skinned cat, but I’m going to get up tomorrow, put on my rainbow t-shirt and take my skinned cat head to the polls. I can hear the poll workers now. “Oh my god, here comes a Liberal Obama voting Lesbian”. I’m looking for trouble. 🙂
😉
Oh that is horrible Beata…Damn!
Another Xtian hypocrite bites the dust. Maybe he’ll make a movie about ‘D’Souzas America’ next. 🙂
buzzfeed: Other Woman In Dinesh D’Souza Affair Is A D’Souza Fan
Of course if they ask for forgiveness, they always get it …
Dinesh D’Souza had an affair? Really? I’ve been out of touch but frankly if D’Souza’s been involved in a sex scandal, it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
What a bunch of hypocrites these self-righteous /conspiracy types are. It never fails. Weasels are often brought down by their own devices. Puts a nice little bow on the sorry fraud that D’Souza has masqueraded as serious research. It’s right up there with calling Paul Ryan an intellectual.
Touche!
A bunch of hypocrites. Tomorrow I get to vote against a TP/GOP congressman who impregnated a Patient (he’s a physician) then scolded her (recorded) for not following through on an abortion. He’s one of those marriage is between 1 man and 1 woman (at a time), anti-choice (exception is your mistress) hypocrites. I can’t wait to pull the lever for his opponent. This will make the 2nd time I’ve had the PLEASURE of voting against this prick.
US human rights violations:
U.S. Jails Hold Kids As Young As 13 In Solitary Confinement: Kevin DeMott, who is bipolar and was subject to sol… http://bit.ly/WvTzD5
I’m so sorry I couldn’t join in, personal things kept me away. But just to help jitters, as someone who has late in life discoverd anixrty, remember as important as this election is, we can’t answer for him, can’t control the media and can’t make the Americian people think it will affect them in ways them will never understand. So to make the most stupid become evident, here is the American people in full bloom. It is acutally news.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/16/honey-boo-boo-pick-president-video_n_1969328.html
Hey, this will cheer us up.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/16/chick-fil-a-elon-university_n_1971376.html
I was told that one of the family members was born with an extra thumb…and that it was never “fixed.”
Ha! 🙂