Thread: Michelle obama violates Illinois voting law

Originally Posted by Ernie S.

Can't find it, myself. I did post a quote from the reporter who wrote it, though.

looks to me that you are basing all this on some blog. There's no story in the Chicago paper, no link in the blog pointing to a story. Just more of the same BS

Originally Posted by Ernie S.

I don't know.... I suppose we could ask Dennis Campbell?

This would be the purview of the Chicago Board of Elections. If they decide to investigate the matter, then testimony from anyone present at the time who would have knowledge of the conversation, including Mr. Campbell and Mrs. Obama would be appropriate.

Originally Posted by Jefe

Did she talk about voting for anyone in particular? Her husband isn't even on the ballot (obviously), so it's not like she was endorsing a vote for him. So, was she openly endorsing any of the specific candidates by name?

I mean, I don't know, I'm just asking. If she violated any laws, she should be fined (or whatever the penalty is). At first glance, though, I'm not sure she did anything wrong here.

Who do you suppose is more apt to support her husband's policies? the name with the "D" after it of the "R"
If anything does come of this, which I highly doubt, she will quietly pay a fine and it will be forgotten.

Let's suppose that in stead of Ms. obama, it had been Laura Bush in 2006. There would be a which hunt on by now.

Originally Posted by Ernie S.

found it: Michelle Obama votes early - The Oval: Tracking the Obama presidency

The only thing I saw in that story was that she let some people take photos with her including Dennis Campbell. No where did it say anything about her breaking the law.

Originally Posted by wooyarn

looks to me that you are basing all this on some blog. There's no story in the Chicago paper, no link in the blog pointing to a story. Just more of the same BS

Sorry wooyarn, but you're wrong again.

I think Id warn her and drop it. It not worth wasting money on an investigation unless she intended to violate the law.

Originally Posted by wooyarn

The only thing I saw in that story was that she let some people take photos with her including Dennis Campbell. No where did it say anything about her breaking the law.

How about:

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

Originally Posted by jviehe

I think Id warn her and drop it. It not worth wasting money on an investigation unless she intended to violate the law.

Yeah like Justice dropped the NBPP intimidation case

Originally Posted by Ernie S.

Who do you suppose is more apt to support her husband's policies? the name with the "D" after it of the "R"

Doesn't matter. Did she endorse anyone by name? Hell, did she even endorse a particular party over another?

Originally Posted by Ernie S.

Who do you suppose is more apt to support her husband's policies? the name with the "D" after it of the "R"
If anything does come of this, which I highly doubt, she will quietly pay a fine and it will be forgotten.

Let's suppose that in stead of Ms. obama, it had been Laura Bush in 2006. There would be a which hunt on by now.

If this were a polling question to voters, I would be fascinated to see the results: "Who do you suppose is more apt to supporting First Lady Michelle Obama's husbands policies, the candidate with the "D" or the candidate with the "R" next to their names?".

You think the country would score at least a cool 70% for the right answer to that question?

I think the Board of Elections down there should investigate. If it's his words against hers, than it's an impass, but testimony from those around them could clarify things as well.

Overall, I think it's bad for any politician or their partner to be hanging around a polling place telling people to get the vote out. Leave the polling places alone, I say.

Originally Posted by Ernie S.

How about:

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

It's still just a blog. The only thing your second link said about Campbell was that he took a photo with her. Still no prof.

Originally Posted by wooyarn

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

It's still just a blog. The only thing your second link said about Campbell was that he took a photo with her. Still no prof.

What part of that is hard for you to grasp? Are you so blindly partisan that you've lost the ability to comprehend clear, concise English?
Here's a cut and paste of the second link:

First lady Michelle Obama isn't your typical voter, but she did something this morning that is increasingly common: She voted early.

Obama, in Chicago as part of her new campaign swing, voted this morning at the MLK Community Center on the South Side of the Windy City.

At an event last night on behalf of Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, Obama promoted the idea of casting ballots now:

Early voting has already started here in Illinois. In fact, I'll be voting (Thursday) morning myself. And we need you to get folks to the polls so they can start casting their ballots this week.

We also need you to find those folks who are planning to sit this one out, and we need you to tell them that they can't vote just once and then just hope for change to happen.

They've got to vote all the time, every time. They've got to vote for their council members and their mayors and governors and members of Congress.

Because in the end, our campaign was never just about putting one man in the White House. It was about building a movement for change millions of voices strong – a movement that lasts beyond one year and one campaign.

President Obama plans to vote absentee, spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Here's a pool report on the first lady's balloting, by Abdon Pallasch of the Chicago Sun-Times:

First Lady Michelle Obama early-voted in Chicago Thursday morning.

Just after 9 a.m. she entered the Martin Luther King Center on the South Side and was the first early voter of the day.

First lady Michelle Obama
CAPTION
By M. Spencer Green, AP
"I think that's you," Election Judge Dorothy Yarbrough, a retired CTA bus driver told the first lady after looking up Mrs. Obama's voting record.

"You think?" the first lady replied with a smile.

Chicago Board of Elections employee Charles Holiday gave the first lady a quick lesson on how to work the electronic voting machine.

At 5'-11", Mrs. Obama had to hunch over a bit to use the machine. It took her six minutes to get through the ballot, which, in addition to governor, senator, and the big offices, also includes 78 judges running to be elected or retained on the bench.

Social Worker Amanda Deisch was the second voter to show up Thursday morning. She snapped a cell-phone photo of the first lady as she took the voting machine next to her and began voting.

Voter Anna Roberts took the next machine and as Mrs. Obama was finishing up voting, she allowed Deisch to take another cell phone photo and she shook hands with both women.

Obama went back to the desk and handed in her voting machine key, saying "Make sure everybody's voting early."

She let more voters including electrician Dennis Campbell, 56, take some photos with her.

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

"I told her we supported her and her husband and we were praying for them," Deisch said. "I told her we're trying to get the kids moving – her childhood obesity effort."

Originally Posted by wooyarn

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

It's still just a blog. The only thing your second link said about Campbell was that he took a photo with her. Still no prof.

It very well could be that this was said after he voted, and like the doubt that was raised in the article, if he brought this stuff up first and then she agreed and engaged him then, she still would not have violated any law then.

I'm for investigation anyway, though. Get all special interests away from the polling places, please.

I'm going with Republicans on this thread, and watch them fall mute as usual on another item that I view conservatively.