GOP, protect Dorothy Cooper's right to vote

CNN ^ | 10-16-11 | Donna Brazile

[afraidfortherepublic]

Editor's note: Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor and a Democratic strategist, is vice chairwoman for voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee, a nationally syndicated columnist and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She was manager for the Gore-Lieberman presidential campaign in 2000 and wrote "Cooking with Grease."

(CNN) -- Dorothy Cooper is a 96-year-old African-American resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was born in a small town in northern Georgia before women could vote and when Jim Crow laws mandated racial segregation. Her life has spanned nearly a century of progress: The 19th Amendment extended suffrage to women, the Civil Rights movement led to the dismantling of segregation laws, and the Voting Rights Act outlawed overt racial discrimination in elections.

Mrs. Cooper has always honored this past by voting. In 70 years, she has missed only one election, in 1960, because a move made her miss the registration deadline. Despite living through an era when African-Americans were routinely turned away from the ballot box -- and worse -- Mrs. Cooper said she "never had any problems" exercising her rights. Even before the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965.

Until now.

[afraidfortherepublic]

This deserves a barf alert.

[FlingWingFlyer]

In the English language, “Donna Brazile” means the same thing as “Barf Alert”.

[boop]

So Donna Brzile is saying if some illegal alien came up to the voting booth claiming to be Dorothy Cooper, and stealing her vote, that it’s OK? Brazile is in FAVOR of disenfranchising legitimate voters.

[Hunton Peck]

Assuming for the sake of argument that there’s any truth at all to what Brazille claims, how many more legitimate voters have their votes cancelled out by fraudulent ones, and are thus just as disenfranchised as Brazille claims Mrs. Cooper is?

[shhrubbery!]

Donna Brazile tries to drag the reader to the tendentious conclusion:
"As Mrs. Cooper's experience shows us, photo ID mandates simply don't work ..."

Which is nonsense. Of course photo ID laws "work." They will absolutely work to deter a huge number of frauds.

Every law engenders a few cases, like Mrs. Cooper's, where the applicant for a photo ID is going to run up a against red tape that needs being cut.

If Mrs. Cooper "doesn't have" a marriage license to prove her name change (Brazile doesn't explain whether Mrs. Cooper merely lost her marriage license, or never had one), then I'm sure she could quickly get the red tape cut by some local or national pol's "constituent service staff."

A quick phone call to some Dem pol in TN by Mrs. Cooper --or by Brazile-- would do the trick.

[matchgirl]

When I went to get a State of Idaho photo identification card I took a certified copy of my birth certificate, passport and marriage certificate. I was denied because I had brought my original marriage certificate and not a certified copy from the state of Texas. I had to write for and send the required fee to Texas to receive it before I could reapply for a State Photo ID.

And I am not black.
Follow the rules, Donna, follow the rules.

[CounterCounterCulture]

Fact: The Democratic Party opposed her voting rights, enacted Jim Crow, supported the KKK and opposed civil rights legislation while Republicans worked to support her civil rights and voting rights. Now, nothing has changed. Those who truly suppport voting rights want to make sure her legitimate vote isn’t cancelled out by an fraudulent, illegitimate vote.

[Repeal The 17th]

My mama was born the year that women got the right to vote, and she has (and still) voted democrat ever since.

[RWGinger]

I call BS ms Brazile

How is this woman living? where does she live, eat etc. Does she go to a Dr? who pays for this? Does thos woman receive no gov’t assistance whatsoever? BS
This is a made up story just like the ones that lyin’POS 0dumbo makes up.
Just like the one he amde up Thursday about meeting an unemployed teacher who would be helped by his latest crapulus bill.
ONLT to find out that ‘ unemployedteacher never met 0dumbo and the unemployed teacher has a job.

I bet this 96 y o woman has the right ID, libs just wanted to make a point

[Repeal The 17th]

“Dorothy Cooper” shows up to register to vote
and she presents a birth certificate that says “Dorothy Smith” (or whatever)
and then she wonders why someone has a question about her identity...

“Jose Gonzalez” shows up to register to vote
and he presents a birth certificate that says “Jose Garcia” (or whatever)
and then he wonders why someone has a question about his identity...

“Repeal the 17th” shows up to register to vote
and he presents a birth certificate that says “Repeal the 16th” (or whatever)
and then he wonders why someone has a question about his identity...

Tell me again why this is a news story?

[RWGinger]

JUST what I thought. Brazille is as full of chit as odumbo

In TEXX ( and I bet all other states) a person with a voter registration card can get one from Homeland security
from the link
“•If you are a registered voter and do not have a government-issued photo ID, the Department of Safety and Homeland Security will provide you with a photo ID at no charge. Citizens may obtain these IDs at 48 of the Driver Service Centers across the state. (The only center where IDs are not available is the Driver License Reinstatement Center on Murfreesboro Road in Davidson County.)”

and even More importatnly this
“•The new law requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote applies only to those voting at polling places. It does not apply to those casting absentee ballots under state law, including those age 65 or older who wish to vote absentee or those voting at licensed nursing homes.”
http://www.tn.gov/safety/photoids.shtml

So the bitch Brazille is LYING
We need to call her and CNN out for this chit

[afraidfortherepublic]

1926. My mom was born in 1913, and she’s still voting Democrat too. We just don’t discuss it.

[afraidfortherepublic]

In TX, her marriage could have been common law: no certificate. But, I’m sure that in 96 years of living she has other ID.

[Repeal The 17th]

Mom was born in 1920 (guess I had the year wrong for woman’s suffrage)
we had to quit talking politics over 40 years ago.

[susannah59]

I read the comments following the article. According to more than one commenter, the lady's inability to get a photo ID was a DPS "training issue" and the issue was corrected immediately.

Mrs. Cooper will indeed be allowed to vote.

That being said, I wonder just how hard Ms. Brazile had to work to find this one "innocent victim" of the voter ID laws in the first place? I suspect this "story" took quite a bit of digging!

[originalbuckeye]

I'd like to tell Ms Brazile, to her face, that Condoleeza Rice's parents were registered Republicans. The reason? The Democrats wouldn't let them register to vote in the South. It really is too bad the Dems have controlled the narrative on voting rights. The Republicans have always been the more supportive of minority rights historically. We need a louder voice!

[calex59]

“•The new law requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote applies only to those voting at polling places. It does not apply to those casting absentee ballots under state law, including those age 65 or older who wish to vote absentee or those voting at licensed nursing homes.”

I believe absentee ballots should require a fingerprint on record when first requesting absentee ballots and then when actually voting the fingerprints of the voter should have to be applied to the envelope(easily done on your own) and scanned at the polls, also easily done with the right equipment. Abesntee ballots, as they stand now, are one of the main ways to commit voter fraud.