On the Nebraska Democrat Party blog Nebraska Democrat Party Executive Director Barry Rubin referred to Commissioner Castillo as “tio tomas” Spanish for Uncle Tom. Mysteriously, the post disappeared in the next few days.

Not only did Mr. Rubin use a nasty racial slur, he refuses to apologize. He actually had the guts to say “the truth hurts.” Democrat Party Chairman Steve Achelpohl said he and everyone in the party stand behind Barry Rubin 110 percent.
Nice leadership for the party of acceptance.

I’m sureyou all will find a way to get Mr. Rubin off the hook and shift the blame to Commissioner Castillo, but you’ll have a hard time with this one.

Castillo’s actions in office hurt Latino voters, as well as every other population that is disproportionately low-income. Drawing attention to that fact by using the Spanish language is one of the tamest “insensitivities” I can imagine. Their was no intent whatsoever to use Castillo’s ETHNICITY as a cause for scorn. The only thing under ridicule was Castillo’s performance as Election Commissioner and claiming otherwise is little more than a tawdry stunt made for cheap political points far more objectionable in terms of decency than Rubin’s failed attempt at being clever.

If a person Republican or Democrat for that matter isa member of a certain ethnicity and they are in a position to help or hurt their ethnicity and they in turn do everything possible to maintain the stauts quo then they are an uncle tom.

And Barry did apoplogize. He apologized on the blog and he called Mr. Castillo. Mr. Castillo declined his call. I wonder why more republicans aren’t outraged by the obvious tactics at voter suppression in North and South Omaha?

Is it because we all know that when voters in these areas are aware of the facts are registered and vote that the numbers favor democrats?

It is no secret that republicans go out of their way to suppress the vote. It is too bad that none of you aren’t upset about that .

Mr.Castillo is resigning for a reason. Why don’t we get back to discussing what that reason is.

Check out this article from the College democrats of America Blog.

CRNC Officer Promotes Voter Supression
College Republican National Committee Treasurer (and leading candidate for CRNC chair) Paul Gourley, on the record…

One recent Sunday, at Morton Blackwell’s Leadership Institute, a dozen students meet for the second and final day of training in grass-roots youth politics. All are earnest, idealistic and as right wing as you can get. They take careful notes as instructor Paul Gourley teaches them how to rig a campus mock election.

It’s nothing illegal — no ballot stuffing necessary, even at the most liberal colleges. First you find a nonpartisan campus group to sponsor the election, so you can’t be accused of cheating. Next, volunteer to organize the thing. College students are lazy, and they’ll probably let you. Always keep in mind that a rigged mock election is all about location, location, location.

“Can anyone tell me,” asks Gourley, a veteran mock electioneer, “why you don’t want the polling place in the cafeteria?”

Stephen, a shy antiabortion activist sitting toward the rear of the class, raises his hand: “Because you want to suppress the vote?”

“Stephen has the right answer!” Gourley exclaims, tossing Stephen his prize, a copy of Robert Bork’s “Slouching Toward Gomorrah.”

The students, strait-laced kids from good colleges, seem unconvinced. The lesson — that with sufficient organization, the act of voting becomes less a basic right than a tactical maneuver — doesn’t sit easy with some students at first. Gourley, a charismatic senior from South Dakota and the treasurer of the College Republican National Committee, assures them: “This is not anti-democracy. This is not shady. Just put [the polling place] somewhere where you might have to put a little bit of effort into voting.” The rest, Gourley explains, is just a matter of turnout.

Definitely a future GOP leader.

Posted by Seth Tanner at May 25, 2005 12:35 AM | TrackBack

Comments

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/05/25/blackwell/index.html

So, why don’t you read the article and then try to defend it instead of “bashing” the source.

RE: Rigging elections: This is where Bill O’Riley would say to you, “Bad behavior doesn’t justify bad behavior.”

And as for the “Cigarettes for Votes Program” (similar to the: Oil for Food Program), it wasn’t very effective. They tried it in South Dakota and look what happened to Dacshle.

However, I’ve rewritten the strategy, and we’ll be trying it in Hawaii in ‘06. (Hawaii was my first choice to test my new plan, because I want to sit on the beach and hand out cigarettes to people - only for their vote, of course.)

Also, Joe, please start using commas.

How come you haven’t raised an issue with any of the following three elections since November?

THIS is the future of the Democratic Party? Oh no wait, Howard Dean is…?

Back to grassroots basics. This blog and the the poltical activism of UNO College Dems is proof of that. The fact that you and Joe take time out of your precious days worrying about what we do and say or what Dean does or says is proof of that.

Your beloved Presidents approval rating is proof of that. I think someone is getting nervous. the American public is hip to the republican lies.
They are mad as hell and guess what they aren’t taking it anymore.

You said “This blog and the the poltical activism of UNO College Dems is proof of that.”

Where’s the “proof”? All I see is a bunch of poser Dems not doing any work like I talked about.

How many hours have the rest of you on here contributed to a campaign? How many phone calls have you made?
How many doors have you knocked on?

If more of you would get off your rears and work like the rest of us, perhaps we’d have more Dems elected in this state than republicans!

Just a FACT Robin-R!

In recent Omaha city elections, UNO Dems put in hundreds of hours on behalf of Democratic candidates, and those candidates - such as Mayor Fahey and Jim Suttle - definitely noticed. Hell, the UNO Dems even received an award at the annual Democratic Party dinner for their stand-out performance. Ignorance of these facts is no excuse for your entirely uncalled for attack on this organization. I suggest if you want a bit of respect around here you start by showing some yourself and apologizing. If you’re as passionate as you’d have us believe, we definitely could use you in this state, but if you can’t refrain from denigrating your fellows, frankly, we’re better off without you.

I spent the spring volunteering at the North Omaha Office for Mayor Mike Fahey. I spend my time talking to freinds and family in North Omaha about the good and the bad things about my beloved party and how to make things better.

So you see Brian I practice what I preach. Thanks Kyle for having my back.

Will I be seeing you at the state central committee meeting?

Do you have any plans to move this party and this state in a progressive direction? I didn’t think so. You just come around here to make yourself look important and to pour out criticism.

Well Brian it is time to put up or shut up. Myself and everyone who identifies ourselves as democrats post here for reason. We volunteer for a reason. We vote we protest, we speak out for a reason!

Many people ask me why I am democrat and I answer them this way
I am a demcorat because I am my brothers keeper. My party is the party of we us and ours. The republicans by contrast are the party of me my and mine.

Somewhere our country has lost the spirit of FDR and the legacy of equality and fairness. I am here to help get that back for us. We are a good nation but we could be a great nation.

Greatness requires sacrifices it requires us to make the hard choices evn when they are not popular.

You may question the way I say things Brian, I am not here to be P.C. that has gotten us nowhere but please don’t ever question my dedication to what I believe in. You know nothing about me.

If you did you would have not made such a bonehead statement about me or any of the College Dems.

The buttons worked wonders and for your information it was the consumers staff and students that asked for the f bush buttons. We iniatially printed out buck fush ones and many students requested that we switch the letters.

I have no ill feelings towards Brian. I just think that he is grossly misinformed about what UNOCollege Dems are doing. People are afraid of change but the status quo middle of the road, place nice dlc style of politics isn’t working. If Brian can’t see that then I am sorry.

I welcome Brian to come volunteer with our group anytime. Then he can see for himself what we are or are not doing.

I still love you all…except Rockin R’s and Kyle Michaelis who is a very mean individual.

Kyle and I are mean for defending ourselves? We are mean for answering your questions? It is you sir who accussed College Dems of being lazy blowhards (not exactly your words) but offer no apology when you are proven wrong why is that?

Could it be that you are the Brian from the NDP’s Blog who is registered to a young republicans blog and therfore not here for healthy debate but here to cause strife.

I do not call you out of your name sir although many colorful ones come to mind. So, please stop referring to me as rockin R. That is not the name on my birth certificate.

And Joe,

I think that Bush is a man with no ethics and I also think that he is terribly misguided. Perhaps if he truly read more of the Bible and prayed for understanding of the scripture instead of holding it as some sort of prop, he would be a better man.

Bush is a man just like any other man. He is not my God he is not anyones God.What he is the president of the United States. I respect the office of the Presidency however I don’t respect the man.

Bush is not above criticism in fact since he is the President he should be subject to criticism more than any other elected official. Republicans are rarely politically correct in their character assinations of Democrats.

Therefore I feel no particular inclination to be pc whenever I criticize one of them.

We love you too. now let’s get down to work.

Second, you never answered the question. It doesn’t matter what you think? Then why would you ever comment on this blog? Sorry, Joe, I don’t buy it.

One cannot be half pregnant. You are either for dom benis or your against them. They have NOTHING to do with marriage. It’s about equal protection under the law.

Dom benis are simply making sure that when something serious happens, my partner and I are able to act under the same set of rights and responsibilities as “married” people.

Face it, there’s a growing undercurrent in your party of people who ARE fair-minded, and, although they don’t “agree with homosexuality” (whatever the hell that means) still believe that gay men and women deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, just like they believe they should be treated.

Joe, all the radicals have left are the wedge issues. They’ll bang the drums, scaring people and raising money with these wedge issues.