By Brad Friedman on 10/17/2008, 4:26pm PT  

Still running from one thing to another today, so only the briefest coverage here for now, on two very important points (and even victories!) today...

Obama Fights Back Against the GOP's ACORN "Voter Fraud" Fraud!

He's finally stepped up and pushed back today, as his general counsel held a press conference call, to announce a 7-page letter to AG Mukasey calling for the special counsel looking into the U.S. Attorney Purge (of which the phony ACORN "Voter Fraud" Fraud was at the heart, btw, as discussed in my piece last night) and the use of federal law enforcement apparatus to create "an unholy alliance of law enforcement and the ugliest form of partisan politics," as Obama counsel Bob Bauer described it today during the call.

See TPMMucks's coverage here...

The BRAD BLOG's "GOP ACORN 'Voter Fraud' Lie" special coverage page has much more here: BradBlog.com/ACORN ...

Good to see the Dems finally standing up for themselves and the voters. A little. Now if Obama would just publicly pledge to not concede the election until every vote is counted, counted accurately, and all election challenges resolved, we'd be in business. The pledge is right here, Mr. Obama (and Mr. McCain, you're welcome to sign it to if you actually give a damn about the voters!).

Oh...and it wouldn't hurt to demand there be enough paper ballots for every voter this year, including in PA where the Dem SoS there recently said paper ballots only need to be given out if every machine in a precinct breaks down. Are you kidding? Stand up for the voters, Mr. Obama! Today's events prove you know how, so please do it!

OH's SoS Jennifer Brunner Wins One for the Voters in the Buckeye State!

She fought it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and won! Another Dem has pushed back, for a change, against anti-voter GOP bullying! In this case, they were trying to force a last minute second cross-check against state and federal databases for hundreds of thousands of voters, despite the state already having done that. As many as 200,000 voters could have been knocked off the rolls at the last minute, or forced to vote provisionally (such ballots are frequently thrown out entirely).

Ironically enough, under the restrictions the GOP was calling for, even "Joe the Plumber" would have been knocked off the rolls. That same "exact match" standard, however, is still being used in Florida (as also discussed last night) and many other states, where Democrats ought to be standing up and raising holy hell. As far as I know, they still aren't.

Brunner's statement, released after the victory today, follows in full below...

Oct. 17, 2008
For Immediate Release

US SUPREME COURT BACKS BRUNNER;
PROTECTS OHIO VOTERS

COLUMBUS, Ohio --- The United States Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner was correct in protecting an estimated 200,000 Ohioans from being disenfranchised in this historic election.

Because of the Ohio Republican Party lawsuit, eligible Ohio voters could have been forced to use provisional ballots if a lower court's divided decision stands. Provisional ballots are not counted until 10 days after Election Day and are subject to partisan wrangling and legal fights.

"Our nation's highest court has protected the voting rights of all Ohioans, allowing our bipartisan elections officials to continue preparing for a successful November election. We filed this appeal to protect all Ohio voters from illegal challenges and barriers that unfairly silence the votes of some to the advantage of others," Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said.

As Secretary Brunner noted on Thursday, she appealed a lower court ruling to the US Supreme Court because no eligible Ohio voter should be forced to use a provisional ballot, which is subject to partisan attacks and legal wrangling after Election Day. Ohioans who have followed the law and simply want to exercise their right to vote should not be penalized because of federal government red tape, database matching errors and computer glitches," according to the Secretary.

"Now that the nation's highest court has ruled in favor of Ohio voters, I encourage everyone to support the bipartisan system of elections administration in our state. I ask all involved to stop the legal maneuvers that unnecessarily shake public confidence. We will continue to work with our local election officials to successfully prepare for an unprecedented turnout and a fair election process," Secretary Brunner commented.

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Article Categories: Ohio, HAVA, Election 2008, Dept. of Justice, Jennifer Brunner, Barack Obama, Democrats, U.S. Supreme Court, ACORN