For those that have been keeping up with the 2008 United States Presidential Elections from the beginning and nearing to the end, one should get a grasp of the intensity of the race. For us that have kept close watch, we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. The track for Clint Eastwood’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” seems to be highly appropriate in regards the every aspect of the race.
In the Democratic primary race for the party’s nomination, it was an interesting Wild West shootout between frontrunners Senator Hillary Clinton of New York and Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. At the end, it was Obama that came out as the party’s nominee.
Now, the general election is a Wild West shootout between Obama and GOP Presidential nominee Senator John McCain of Arizona.
We have seen the ugliness of the race. Then again, before, during, and after Election Day on November 4, things could become uglier than they already are.
So far, it has been revealed that a bunch of dirty tricks are popping up again. These tricks are usually aimed at deterring people going out to vote.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of the scenes of where these dirty tricks are being launched. So far, there have been complaints of fliers warning voters that they could be arrested at the polls if they have unpaid tickets and/or criminal convictions. So far, these complaints have mainly come out of the African-American neighborhoods.
Also in Pennsylvania, there have been e-mails linking Obama to the Holocaust as a means to scare away the Jewish voters.
Ironically, Obama is getting much needed help in Florida from Jewish Democrats via the “Great Schlep.” This is a movement by young Jewish Democrats to get their elders to cast their votes for Obama.
The Great Schlep could be the one thing that may link Florida’s youth vote and elderly vote. So far it has been known that Obama has made big gains in regards to the youth vote.
In an article on TIME.com, one person said that whoever wins the youth vote wins Florida on Election Day.
There’s even a fake flyer out in circulation throughout Virginia. The document is dated “10/24/2008.” According to this flyer, Republican supporters will vote on November 4. Democratic supporters will vote on November 5th.
The Virginia State Board of Elections was quick to dispel that rumor. It was revealed that this fake flyer was distributed to mainly Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads, and Norfolk. These three places have a high demographic of African-Americans.
Police are currently looking into that matter.
In New Mexico, there have been claims of harassment. Two Latino women filed a lawsuit. They claimed that an investigator working with a GOP lawyer had harassed them.
According to Guadalupe Bojorquez, one of the women filing the lawsuit explains that her mother was questioned about her status.
In the case of Nevada, people claiming to support Obama told Latino voters to cast their ballots over the phone.
So far, it is revealed that under the Voting Rights Act, it is illegal to use methods to mislead and intimidate voters. In this case, these tactics are considered to be methods to mislead, intimidate, and deter people from casting their votes.
While dirty tricks are one thing, it is harder to find the sources and arrest the ones responsible.
These are the examples of dirty and ugly tricks that are popping up. We can expect more ugly things to pop up between now and Election Day.
The tension’s hot to start a massive bonfire. Make sure to bring plenty of weenies and marshmallows smores to this constantly burning and rising political bonfire.