OMG, Brad! That picture is voter intimidation if I ever saw it!

Wait till you see the video...

Take your pills lady.
Was that some kinda Halloween skit ?

This is the sad truth about PA, and probably other states as well (I can only comment on my home state with any authority). We hear all this stuff about the GOP melting down this year, but the Democrats have just as much scum, and most of them are in the form of corrupt, nasty, greedy for whatever tiny bit of power they can snatch for themselves, older officials. Over in Western PA there's tons of people just like this horrid woman. They may have a "(D)" after their names, but they sure as hell don't follow any of the progressive ideals that brought me and my family to join the party. Times like this I wish there was more of a 3rd-party presence in American politics, because there are a ton of scumbucket Democrats I wanted to vote out, but since my only other choice was to vote for a Republican who held positions even more opposite my beliefs, I was stuck.

Oh. My. God. And I thought Kathy Dent was bad. This is the Cruella Deville of S.O.E.'s!

Would someone *please* include some kind of a text version of this story? Some of us slow dial-up can't make use of all these videos.

She'd look right at home on a barstool, with a smoke and drink in her hand and the wig slightly askew...Madame Barfly

... Varecia asked...
"Would someone *please* include some kind of a text version of this story? Some of us slow dial-up can't make use of all these videos."

There's no ready transcript available, but the primary take-away, stated by Deputy Commissioner Fred Voigt and reiterated and reinforced by Commissioner Marge Tartaglione, is that long lines are not a problem... Long lines are no justification for any thing but waiting...
(apparently that was re: paper ballots) ...
people wait in long lines overnight for baseball tickets... people wait in line all night for a new Ipod...

But the most frightning quote is an abbreviated snipper at the beginning and is even worse than the rest..

"not in the polling place, at the polling place!"

... if that was in reference to the court-ordered paper ballots then thousands of Philadelphia voters are screwed over through no fault of their own.

Jeebus I thought for several minutes that that photo of this cretin was a Halloween Costume.
This beast is scary.

Well like I have been saying for several months the election has ALREADY BEEN STOLEN.
The question is WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Why hasn't election protection and other pertinent officials
called and made aware of this? She should be fired and replaced
immediately!

Oh dear jeebus. That woman is evil personified.

I can't believe that she compares waiting in line for an ipod or baseball tickets or groceries to waiting in line to vote. First of all, we have choices as to where we will purchase any of those things and most people would choose to go elsewhere rather than wait more than a few minutes in line. In order to cast our vote, we must go to our assigned polling place. That is a key difference.

I would really like to know what her motivation is for keeping people from voting. What is in it for her?

I'm glad I don't live in Philly.

COMMENT #4 AC wrote:

"We hear all this stuff about the GOP melting down this year, but the Democrats have just as much scum, and most of them are in the form of corrupt, nasty, greedy for whatever tiny bit of power they can snatch for themselves, older officials."

Which brings this article (below) to mind. It's an excellent article written by my vice presidential candidate, Matt Gonzalez, of Nader/Gonzalez:

What Do They Have to Do to Lose Your Vote?
The Trail of Broken Promises

By MATT GONZALEZ

Excerpt: Watching the Democrats in the final weeks of the presidential election has been a lesson in revisionist history. While they lament the terrible crimes perpetrated against the American people by George Bush and vow to keep fighting for our rights, they conveniently gloss over the fact that they have no standing to make such claims. Indeed, the Democrats, including Senator Barack Obama, have actually voted with President Bush’s agenda, making them complicit in his acts, not valiant opponents defending our liberties...On the street when I am approached by an Obama/Biden volunteer or someone who tells me they’re voting for Obama, I usually ask “What about the FISA vote?” And each time I hear in return “What’s that?” Or if I say, “You know he supports the death penalty,” I usually hear in response, “No he doesn’t.” At what point will there be intellectual honesty about what is happening? People are voting for Obama because they find him to be an engaging public speaker and like his message regardless of his history of being part of the very problem he professes to want to fix. Most people don’t want the actual facts to interfere with the desperate hope that he is everything they want him to be. Do you really want to vote for someone who has already voted to take away your civil liberties because of some vague wish that he’ll act differently as president? Obama himself, speaking of Sen. Hillary Clinton, made a remark that could just as easily apply to him, and, unwittingly makes the case for why no one should vote for him: “We can’t afford a president whose positions change with the politics of the moment. We need a president who knows that being ready on day one means getting it right from day one.” (Salem, OR, 3/21/08). If voting for war appropriations and taking away civil liberties was bringing us closer to a more democratic and egalitarian society, well, I would advocate it. But it isn’t doing that. What is your breaking point? At what point do you decide that you’ve had enough? What do they have to do to lose your vote? End Excerpt.

Full article here:

http://www.counterpunch....rg/gonzalez10292008.html

Nader/Gonzalez 2008
Cindy Sheehan to replace Bush-accomplice Pelosi

I know the comments for the Oprah post are closed but can't I see the comments up to "closin time" ?

Erma #12 I used to read articles at Alexander Cockburn's Counterpunch until I realized he had become unreasonable and out of touch with reality, much like Marge Troglodyte [did I spell that right, Marge?]

I can tell you that the blanket statement "Obama supports the death penalty" is far too simplistic.

Obama Said That Certain Precautions Had To Be Taken Before One Could Consider The Death Penalty, Supported A Moratorium. "As for death penalty moratoriums, Obama, who's also a constitutional lawyer, said unless proper due process exists, no one should be put on death row...'I was a main sponsor of a bill that would have put an immediate moratorium on the death penalty,' said Obama. 'We need to put more resources into the Public Defender's office, so they can do things like DNA testing and take other means to make sure you've got the right person before you consider the death penalty.'"

Obama Said He Supported The Death Penalty For Certain Crimes, But Did Not Support How The Death Penalty Was Administered. Obama said, "I support capital punishment for heinous crimes. I cannot, however, support the current system which is rife with error and lacks sufficient safeguards against wrongful convictions." The Chicago Tribune reported, "Obama qualified his stance, saying that his support eroded further when looking at how the death penalty 'is currently administered in this country.'"

Obama Said That He Supported The Death Penalty For Certain Crimes But Opposed The Death Penalty In Its Current Application. Obama said, "Because my own views on the death penalty are very complicated. I've said that in theory I don't object to the death penalty for heinous crimes--terrorism, mass murder, child killers. But, in its application, it's been racially biased, highly unreliable, inconsistent. So for me to try to pretend that I was a cheerleader for the death penalty, simply to score a political point, that wasn't reflective of my views."

Matt Gonzalez isn't paying enough attention to detail and can't [or won't] see the whole picture.

To understand what’s really happened since the Democrats took their very small majority in congress in 2006, here’s a good site:

The Real Story of the 110th Congress: The Right-Wing Block-And-Blame Game

As the 110th Congress nears its close, the impact of a record-breaking campaign of obstruction by a conservative minority in the Senate is now more clear than ever. The right-wing strategy of "block and blame" has driven the public perception of a "do-nothing Congress." In reality, the 110th Congress would have achieved truly landmark accomplishments—including safely bringing the troops home from Iraq, reducing America's dependence on foreign oil and its contribution to global warming, and funding long-neglected domestic priorities—had it not been for conservative obstruction.

This woman, Marge Tartaglione (D), reminds me of the Bush-enabling scum in congress who charade as Dems (and who are Repugs in reality).

Since 2000, most of the so-called Dems in congress---especially the so-called "leadership"---by their actions and voting record have told us to "fuk off, we don't care what you think. We work for the Bush regime. Don't you understand that by now? We take your votes for granted. We know you will vote for us in 2008 and beyond no matter what we do for Bush/Cheney et al."

This Marge has the same despicable approach to the voters as the Republicrats in congress. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this bitch ran for congress. She'd certainly fit in perfectly with the rest of the trash in there.

Another excellent article:

Vote independent or boycott the elections
By Reza Fiyouzat
Online Journal Contributing Writer

How long shall we allow the system to kick us in the head, take our money, insult us after taking our money, and still expect us to participate in its frauds? With every passing year, the differences between the two ruling political parties in the U.S. diminish further, and their outlook, conduct and even advertising campaigns merge so much so that their members can be mistaken one for the other.

By now it must be clear that the ‘two-party’ system is not only no such thing, it is corrupt to the bone.

It should be instructive to recount some major points of Obama’s record, but since much of that has been done by far more qualified people, it should suffice to point to what’s presented by Matt Gonzalez, in his piece, What Do They Have to Do to Lose Your Vote? (http://www.counterpunch.org/gonzalez10292008.html), in which we find all that is needed to persuade any whose illusions regarding Obama are still unshaken. If, after reading that, you still vote for Obama, then you deserve everything Obama throws at you once in office, and it is you who have no right to complain.

Article continued at this link:

http://onlinejournal.com...blish/article_3943.shtml

I was expecting Marge to do a Linda Blair, spinning that head around like in the Exorcist.
Yes I see Marge with a cigarette, guzzling a beer, wearing tight black leggings...

I forgot --- Floridiot --- PLEASE!!!! I spit coffee on my computer screen reading your vision of Marge!!! Too funny [SAD] !!!

Marge has lost her bearings [marbles?] She has become so arrogant she's forgotten she is a Public SERVANT. Her comparison of our SACRED RIGHT to vote to shopping is horrendous. We should flood her office [Troglodyte cave?] with email complaints ... but OTOH, does she even have 21st Century communication devices?

I was appalled at her arrogance. A big FAT ZERO for Marge.

To Matt Gonzalez:
What are you suggesting, to vote for McCain?
Not a fat chance. Obama will make a difference for the better in this country and the world. You just need to stop being "the cup is half empty person".

Responding to COMMENT #14 regarding the death penalty.

Matt Gonzalez is correct when he makes the statement that Obama is pro-death penalty.

This is from the blog "Abolish the Death Penalty":

Quote: Courtesy of today's Washington Post, here's where Barack Obama stands on the death penalty. In a nutshell: He's pro-death penalty but he is also pro-let's not execute the wrong guy:... End Quote

http://deathpenaltyusa.b...a-and-death-penalty.html

Therefore, if you have 2 categories (one being pro-death penalty and the second one being anti-death penalty), Obama IS pro-death penalty, as Matt Gonzalez correctly said.

I see nothing on Obama's website about the death penalty.

Being Halloween and all, is that Rudy Giuliani dressing in drag again?

COMMENT #18 Ernesto wrote:

"To Matt Gonzalez:
What are you suggesting, to vote for McCain?"

Uh no. I don't know where you would get THAT from!

I swear, there must be something in most people's water.

------> Nader/Gonzalez 2008

Here ya go, Erma:

Subject

Nader has spent his time attacking Obama, but never a peep about McCain.

I don't have any respect left for Nader. I think the wheels came off his bus several years ago and now it seems he's sold his soul.

Kira wrote this:

Quote: Nader has spent his time attacking Obama, but never a peep about McCain. End Quote

Kira, you really should do just a tad bit of research AND LISTENING with an open mind to what Nader/Gonzalez say before you post your propaganda against Nader/Gonzalez.

Yes, "selling his soul" is being anti-war, anti-corporate, anti-FISA, anti-Wall Street bailout and pro-universal health care just to name a few things. Yes, that sounds like somebody that is really "out of touch," considering your lord and saviour Obama is for NONE of these things. In other words, there is no liberal/progressive agenda on Obama's part whatsoever.

So now who's the one who's "out of touch?" The wheels came off Obama's bus long before he chose to actively work for and vote for Bush's Wall Street bailout and war appropriations.

Here's just one example of Nader attacking McCain that you seem to be willfully ignorant of:

Nader Presses McCain on Liberty Attack
http://www.military.com/...k.html?col=1186032310810

Yes, this certainly does look like a candidate who has "sold his soul" and where the "wheels came off his bus several years ago"...

http://www.ontheissues.org/Ralph_Nader.htm

Erma, did you click on the link I provided? The "subject" should have been "Barack Obama Factcheck."

I voted for Obama because I'm very impressed with him. I believe he will help change things - we need a lot of it.

You accuse me of not doing "just a tad bit of research." My aching eyes and continuous lack of sleep for the past 5 years while researching candidates, congress, 9/11 and so on say your assessment is deeply erroneous.

Sorry I missed the Nader comment you linked to. Hey - I have appreciated some of Nader's accomplishments over the years but not lately as I said earlier.

So, I'm going to agree that we disagree heartily on this subject, Erma. C'est la vie.

I guess we need cameras on at the PA polling sites to see just how long these lines are.

It was wrong to compare working voters to iPod line waiters.. And I know a LOT of people that won't wait in line for some bauble because it's not a priority for them, but voting is.

When she said "people stand in lines at the grocery store" I screamed at my screen "NOT for 10 hours! That store would be out of business!!"

Though, she said that "we've never had problems with long lines in PA".. Is that accurate? I thought long lines were problematic most places, but figured there were some places with no issues. Do we have documented long line in PA? If yes, she's nuts.. if no, perhaps this is much adieu about nothing. (after all, wasn't this initially about making sure they had back up voting mechanisms if the machines failed?)

"Here's the thing: A day-long wait might as well be a poll tax. What does it cost you to wait eight hours? Is this the way our democracy works now? We're a country where only people who can afford to give up 20 percent of a week's pay are allowed to vote?" ~~~ Rachel Maddow

Thank Bast some people seem to have remembered the actual subject of Brad's post...

She appears to be too mentally unstable (and possibly handicapped) to be put in charge of anything. She'd BETTER get off her lazy @ss and get some paper ballots ready or she's going to jail.

I predict that Tataglione will be the 2012 GOP VP pick, on the ticket with Palin.

Holy cow! What a piece of work.

Is she elected?!

Margie Tart is an elected official.

Margaret M. Tartaglione, Philadelphia City Commissioners Chairwoman; Board of Elections
City Hall, Room 130
Phone: 686-3460, 3461
Fax: 587-9107

Daughter Renee Tartaglione - Deputy City Commissioner

Here's an eye-opening article about problems with Philly:

Voters not getting’ what they paid for

And an informative website:

Young Philly Politics

I go to school in Philadelphia. It's a cesspool of corruption, patronage, and violence. And Democrats have controlled nearly every level of the city for more than 50 years. This isn't new, but the same party keeps getting elected. While Republicans are always vilified and held accountable for alleged misdeeds or shortcomings, Democrats never incur even a modicum of the same level of criticism and self-examination. Talk about a double standard! I was registered to vote in the city during the primary, and I voted for Hillary. I have now registered to vote in the Philadelphia suburbs, and I've sent in my absentee ballot for McCain/Palin.

I suppose these are Republican's running the election process in Philly? Not....

Well THANK YOU John K. for not being able to see that you are voting for the kind of people you seem to have disdain for as per your comment #33.

A REALLY dumb move.

I have been told on multiple occasions about irregularities in the Philadelphia polling process.
In 2000, I personally witnessed Kerry/Edwards signs in the windows of polling places.
Also, friends of mine told me (on election day) that the "helpful" poll workers escorted them to the polling booth and "showed them how the machine works" by telling them to press the buttons. This "helpful" worker then proceeded to press the entire D slate of candidates, and then waved the voter into the booth. Now, the new machines in use aren't really a booth, they are just a curtain, as shown in the photos of this article. The curtain barely closes, and the "helpful" worker stood right behind my voter friends while they voted. The thing is, the worker could tell how the voter was voting, because if they voted Democrat, they would only press the VOTE button. If they were voting Republican, they would have to press all the buttons, and the buttons beep when pressed.
Since both my friends are Democrats, they merely laughed it off.
I was amazed. This is a basic violation of the secret ballot, upon which democracy is based.
Anybody else in Philly have this happen at their polling place?

Slim Pickens want to correct this statement or is it an indicator of the accuracy of your whole post ?
"In 2000, I personally witnessed Kerry/Edwards signs in the windows of polling places."

Sheesh. I think Marge has inflamed everyone's paranoid imaginations now, Mick, because as completely implausible as I find JP's post, I could actually picture her standing over voters at the machines.... That woman is scary. I hope they boot her out soon... like, maybe, tomorrow morning...?

i agree with Kira #17

this poor excuse for an election official has forgotten that she is a public servant. her position most likely lets her vote early so standing in line doesn't affect her or her poor feet. this just shows how badly this system needs new blood. its too bad that employers don't allow people to go & work the polls without penalty. its really awful that they won't allow people to take the time needed to vote without incident.

the silver lining here is the incredible enthusiasm people now have about voting at all. for some 30 years prior to the 2000 elections, the silence heard on voting day was blaring.

OH MY GOD!! THAT WOMAN IS INSANE!!

My sister and 200 other D attorneys are watching this around the Philly area. Nobody messes with her. She spent her career trying other lawyers for their licenses. She never lost.

Mr.Ed ~ I think we crossed paths in Walgreens at 3am a year and half to two ago ...

That Marge lady looks like the scary face that pops out of the truck driving lady in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Freeze frame it and look. Especially that picture where she has that awful frown on her face.

WOW, she's a doozy even by western pa standards!

She's probably a buddy of fast eddie's.

She's quite a piece of work. How about some customer service retraining for this woman. She gives gubmint woikers a bad rap. Maybe she could use up some of her accumulated vacation time and they could get someone in there who actually cares about the voters. Here in Oregon, we have mail-in ballots. There aren't the elderly and disabled standing in the rain for hours waiting to cast their ballot. There aren't working people having to give up a day's pay to exercise their right to vote. It's much simpler. Plus, there's a paper trail, and we don't have computerized voting equipment converting my vote for candidate X into candidate Y without my knowledge. I don't understand why other states don't adapt this methodology. I mean, the mail system has been proven pretty reliable in this country for what, a hundred plus years now?

... AlreadyVotedInOregon asked...

"Plus, there's a paper trail, and we don't have computerized voting equipment converting my vote for candidate X into candidate Y without my knowledge."

Er... that is not so.

"I don't understand why other states don't adapt this methodology."

Because entrenched interests oppose it... as do quite a few election integrity groups.

Strange bedfellows indeed

The entrenched voting machine interests should be familiar to regulars here, and the EI opposition is because vote-by-mail uses optical scanners to count the ballots and thus VBM actually has all of the vulnerabilities as optical scan machines elsewhere... and VBM adds a few of its own as well.

Brad has commented at length on this hereabouts.

Also here you will find much information on the particular ES&S optical scanners used by Oregon but be careful... to quote Dr. Zaius "You may not like what you find."

re comment #36 and #37,
Yes, of course it was 2004.
The account is correct otherwise.

Nader has spent his time attacking Obama, but never a peep about McCain.

Nader hates Democrats. It has been his sole occupation for the last 20 years to trash them. He had great potential - but he let his personal hate of the Democrats ruin him.

Louis,

Let me put it this way ... Nader was very vocal and negative and wrong about Al Gore in 2000 [also, his campaign is heavily funded by deep-pocketed Republicans.]

I wager if Nader hadn't helped the Repugs cast dispersions towards Gore, bush couldn't have been able to steal the election because there would have been too many votes making it REALLY obvious.

If Gore had been president in 2001 --- I firmly believe there would have been NO 9/11.

Nader joined forces with the dark side.