Maine's Deranged Teabaggers Think They Can Be As Fascist As Wisconsin's Scott Walker

While most people were keenly focused on the hysterical games DC careerists and right-wing ideologues were playing with the threat of default, Wisconsin's fascist state government was sneaking through something all fascist state governments dream of-- a tactic urged on them by the Koch Brothers' ALEC-- self-perpetuation. Scott Walker's zombie legislature rushed through a bill to disenfranchise voters without very specific kinds of ID, and Walker signed it before the voters could replace six of his shill senators next month. And then-- surprise, surprise-- he closed down 10 DMV offices that issue the IDs... in Democratic areas.

Last November 38% of Maine voters elected a monkey as their governor, and he often tries finding the worst GOP precedents in other states to try out in Maine. So while Maine's GOP Chairman, Charlie Webster, was accusing Maine students of voter fraud-- ironically at the same time court records were showing how Ohio Republicans stole the 2004 presidential election for Bush using typical GOP election fraud-- it took Maine's longtime Congressman Mike Michaud to call the GOP on their anti-democratic agenda and fascist tactics. And he's decrying yet another Republican play on disenfranchising as many voters as possible, something conservatives have always favored since the founding of our Republic. My best pal, Roland, is from Auburn, so he still stays in touch with what's happening in Maine. He sent me this letter from Michaud Monday:

I wanted to take this opportunity to talk to you about a particularly important effort going on in Maine right now. For nearly forty years, Maine has allowed voters to register throughout the year including on Election Day. In that time, Maine has been among the top five states in voter participation, something we should be very proud of. A healthy, functioning democracy requires participation, and the more the better. A few months ago, the legislature narrowly passed a bill to prohibit registering to vote on Election Day and several days before. I can't say for sure why the legislature felt the need to enact this law, but I do know that in 2010 and 2008 nearly 78,000 Mainers registered to vote on Election Day. Most of these new registrants were un-enrolled, meaning not a member of either party. Under this new system, it doesn't matter how long you've lived in your town, how much you've paid in taxes or if you've even voted before. If you show up to the polls on Election Day and your name is not on the registration list, you will not be allowed to vote. That's not right, and that's not Maine.

There is currently an effort to put this important issue on the election ballot for referendum this coming November. It seems that something as fundamental as access to the ballot and voting rights should not be decided by a partisan vote in the legislature, but should be put before the voters. In order to qualify for the ballot, over 57,000 petition signatures need to be collected. There are teams of organizers across the state working to get the necessary signatures to allow Maine voters to decide. I would encourage Mainers of all political persuasions to get involved in this important effort to restore such a fundamental right for all of our citizens. You can click here to go to www.protectmainevotes.com to get involved. Thank you again for your help, and let's protect the rights of Maine voters.