Runt Row Raggy

[charby]

Looks like the 1st Lady was campaigning in a polling location.

From Drudge, its a breaking news article so it doesn't have a hard link yet.

First lady Michelle Obama appears to have violated Illinois law -- when she engaged in political discussion at a polling place!

The drama began after Mrs. Obama stopped off at the Martin Luther King Center on the south side of Chicago to cast an early vote.

After finishing at the machine, Obama went back to the desk and handed in her voting key.

She let voters including electrician Dennis Campbell, 56, take some photos.

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

According to the pool reporter at the scene, the conversation took place IN the voting center not far from the booths.

Illinois state law -- Sec. 17-29 (a) -- states: "No judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person shall, at any primary or election, do any electioneering or soliciting of votes or engage in any political discussion within any polling place, within 100 feet of any polling place."

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS ELECTIONEERING

When questioned about the brazen nature of Mrs. Obama's campaigning, press secretary Robert Gibbs defended the action.

"I don't think it would be much to imagine, the First Lady might support her husband's agenda," Gibbs smiled.

Developing...

[makattak]

Noting will come of it.

Laws are for the little people.

ESPECIALLY in Chicago.

[BMacklem]

Okay this really angers me to no end.
I can understand her wanting to shill for her husbands agendas, but SHE STILL BROKE THE LAW.
And Gibbs defending the action by saying that? That wasn't a defense, it was an attempted justification.
I am SO tired of those who think they "rule" making laws they are exempted from, while forcing us to do things and make us criminals for their benefit. This is just getting more bizzare by the day with those two.

[vaskidmark]

Michelle is still, at least by definition, an officer of the courts of Illinois.  Her action ought to be grounds for lifting her law license, if not some lesser but still public sanction.

Of course, we will never see anybody move to make those possibilities happen.

But she knows she broke the law.  Gibbs knows.  The on-site election officials know.  And now some fraction of the population of Alpha Centauri also knows.

But nobody that cares has the power to do anything about it.  And nobody with the power cares.

I'm starting to think that a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism is now being hooked together, car by car.  I'm not sure how long it has to be to get to be too long.

stay safe.

[BMacklem]

It's already too long, and it's been too long for too many years now.
Hopefully this November will shake things up enough to scare them into compliance, and a return to constitutional principles, and maybe they'll realise that they're working for us, not the other way around.

[Perd Hapley]

AZRedhawk found a story about a lady being barred from wearing a politically-themed shirt when she goes to vote.

http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=26513.msg516999;boardseen#new


I don't know exactly what Michelle Hussein Obama was doing there, or if she broke the law. Given the First Couple's previous behavior, whatever she did was probably classless, divisive, clueless and politically backward.

But if the law makes it illegal to wear a Tea Party t-shirt or chat about politics in a polling place, then the law is an ass. If anything, the Tea Party t-shirt lady and the MHO are both being singled out for special treatment. Organized advocacy at the polls is one thing, but get a grip. People are going to talk, and people wear political t-shirts. It doesn't hurt anybody, and we don't have enough cops to enforce rules against it.

Funny how we can't check folks' ID at the polls,* but we can censor their speech. Funny how voter intimidation by Black Panthers earns you a pass from the Justice Department, but wearing a t-shirt gets you booted from the polling place. Funny how I've never heard of a law against talking about politics at the ballot box, until MHO did it.

FWIW, I tend not to advertise my politics while voting. Wouldn't want the enemy to know whose ballot to lose, or anything.


*They check ID in Missouri. Represent!

[vaskidmark]

2008 in Virginia we had orange safety vests for folks with alleged political statements on their clothing to wear while casting their vote.  http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/24/polls.wear/index.html

And not only do they check ID in Virginia, they make you state your whole name as you registered - no hiding that embarassing middle name of R.O.S.E.B.U.D.

stay safe.

[Scout26]

*They check ID in Missouri. Represent!

If they did that in Illinois, then it would make it difficult for the dead to vote....