Clinton Campaign Uses Teacher's Union in Nevada to Block Poor Hispanic Caucus Participation

Funny how Democrats who made false accusations that Republicans wanted to disenfranchise poor and minority voters are doing just that in Nevada!

Remember all the brouhaha about the Bush campaign trying to disenfranchise Black voters in Florida? Yet, when the U.S. Civil Rights Commission issued it's otherwise scathing report, it could find NOT ONE person denied the right to vote.

If anyone disagrees, then name Black voter who was intentionally refused the right to vote due to a Bush conspiracy to deny their rights.

You might think that Democrats would be especially sensitive to the issue since they routinely demonstrate such concern on the matter. If you thought that, you would be wrong:

CLINTON ALLIES SUPPRESS THE VOTE IN NEVADA
by Ari Berman
The Nation
January 15, 2008

...On Meet the Press on Sunday, Hillary Clinton said her campaign had nothing to do with a lawsuit--written about by Nation Editor Katrina vanden Heuvel--that threatens to prevent thousands of workers from voting in the Nevada caucus on Saturday.

Back in March, the Nevada Democratic Party agreed to set up caucus locations on the Vegas strip for low-income shift workers, many of them members of the state's influential Culinary Union, who commute long distances to work and wouldn't be able to get home in time to caucus. It was an uncontroversial idea until the Culinary Union endorsed Barack Obama and the Nevada State Education Association, whose top officials support Clinton, sued to shut down the caucus sites. The Clinton camp played dumb until yesterday, when President Clinton came out in favor of the lawsuit.

Clinton's comments drew a heated response from D. Taylor, the head of Nevada's Culinary Union, on MSNBC's Hardball. "He is in support of disenfranchising thousands upon thousands of workers, not even just our members," Taylor said of Clinton. "The teachers union is just being used here. We understand that. This is the Clinton campaign. They tried to disenfranchise students in Iowa. Now they're trying to disenfranchise people here in Nevada, who are union members and people of color and women."

Rank-and-file members of Nevada's teachers union also come out against the lawsuit filed by their leadership. "We never thought our union and Senator Clinton would put politics ahead of what's right for our students, but that's exactly what they're doing," the letter stated. "As teachers, and proud Democrats, we hope they will drop this undemocratic lawsuit and help all Nevadans caucus, no matter which candidate they support."

The lawsuit's opponents make a persuasive point. Creating obstacles to voting is what the GOP does to Democrats, not what Democrats should be doing to other Democrats.

Will we see a media firestorm over this blatant attempt to disenfranchise the poor and minority voters in Nevada? Will we see an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Civil Rights Commission?

You know the answer: NO!

But mark my words. Next time a Republican poll worker asks a Democrat to provide identification before voting (just as they do with all voters in many states), the Dem will scream "I'm being DISENFRANCHISED!"

Voting rights and truth aren't important here. The big lie works and the Clintons will do whatever it takes to win.