The Man has some guard dogs. They’re not so fierce as they are quick and snappy, and there’s a lot of them. You can get into spots where you have to deal with them on their terms, but it’s better to just avoid them if you can. Because it’s why they’re there, to pull energy, to distract and waste time, to keep you from seeing clearly what it is they’re protecting.
Answering accusations of voter fraud made against ACORN is probably necessary in some venues some of the time, but the noise of the dispute masks the low rumble of the remarkably widely-held view that the last two national elections were rife with voter fraud, and that that fraud was entirely by and for Republicans, or whatever it is most Republicans are employed by.
So that engaging the ACORN slander at face value deepens the obscurity of that much larger and darker fraud.
Which is probably what prompted Cynthia McKinney to say on Democracy Now! on October 16:

Well, except that they are doing really important, admirable work with minimal resources to register people to vote. Which is kind of important to democracy generally, and to lots of particular progressive causes.

It would be nice if once—just once—liberals could find a way to say something postive about ACORN’s work, instead of the faint praise that they are irrelevant. Seems to me the kid busting their ass for eight hours every day getting people registered has earned more praise from CTers than “not a crook … probably.”

“There is not merely nothing equivalent on the other side”

Again, who said there was? How many D’s in “safe” seats favor coming up with an Iowa like redistricting plan when it may challenge the “safety” of their seat? There’s no real disputing the corruption that’s been wrought in the last 8 years, though there is much that can be said about what was done, or not, to at least try and stem the rising tide that did affect all boats. Omission can be just as dangerous as fabrication. I already voted, not for James, Brian, Ralph, Gloria, Bob, Cynthia, John, or Chuck, [tempting as some were] so I could be free on the 3rd and 4th to take care of other needed duties of the process, but that doesn’t mean I give up my skepticism of change just happening, or that what does is “good” for US like the bailout….

OTOH I could just be a carrier of Morgellons Syndrome.

If I had intended to place them in ‘equivalence’ I perhaps would not have indicated two of Dantes ditches, when one would have sufficed.

They, singlehandedly, did not make the rules.They invented and perfected the tools of modern (i.e. post Voting Rights Act) voter suppression, and thoroughly corrupted the US Dept. of (what used to be) Justice in the process. There is not merely nothing equivalent on the other side, there is nothing that bears mentioning during the same week, let alone in the same breath.

Now, do you actually have something to say, or don’t you? I’m guessing in the negative.

OSCE/ODIHR seems to agree with many of my concerns about faults in the process. In 2000 GWB’s big money collection and playing for the EC win was the problem [aside from Chad Nader] now in the hand of the other it’s a credible way, the way, to win. Most of us know the R screams of fraud are mostly, but not all, pure BS. They’re playing the game to “win” with tools the game has to offer. They, singlehandedly, did not make the rules. If that says “false equivalence” to you, so be it, but it’s like saying the D’s do not participate in the Noble lie.

Toyotas’ Prius is wonderful, but does that excuse the falling standards of the rest of their fleet and their [combined with our big 3’s] attempts to block higher CAFE?

Yes, but that’s like arguing the proper positioning of Barrators v Sowers of Discord and Schism in Dante’s lower 8th ward.

But given your talent for false equivalence, may I suggest that you seek employment with one of our esteemed mainstream media outlets. You’re clearly a natural.

Oh, sure. I’m all in favour of standardised government registration as in the UK (and federalised elections, for that matter), but as Steve says, any attempt at equivalence is absurd. One “side” (and it’s only a side because the Republicans have abandoned the urban poor and minorities) produces a proportion of inaccurate/fraudulent registrations as part of a drive to increase participation (and arguably to advance its side’s favoured party), the other “side” (an actual political party) works to deny people (especially minorities and the urban poor) their votes to reduce participation and to advance itself.

Yes, but that’s like arguing the proper positioning of Barrators _v Sowers of Discord and Schism in Dante’s lower 8th ward. Maybe HAVA was the best compromise at the time; perhaps an incremental step forward, perhaps back owing to added complexities. If or when the D’s put forward a real plan that loses partisan affiliation to the process as a whole, we can discuss a place in Limbo.

Both parties abuse the game for partisan ends…