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Ear to the Ground

Va. GOP Voters Required to Sign Loyalty Oath

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Posted on Nov 28, 2007
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It’s almost primary time, voters of America, so get ready for more electoral shenanigans!  The venerable southern state of Virginia is fast out of the gates this election season, thanks to the local Republican Party, which came up with the ingenious idea of requiring voters who want to take part in February’s presidential primary to pledge that they’ll also cast their vote for the Republican presidential nominee next Nov. 4.


WDBJ7.com:

There’s no practical way to enforce the oath.  Virginia doesn’t require voters to register by party, and for years the state’s Republicans have fretted that Democrats might meddle in their open primaries.

Virginia Democrats aren’t seeking such an oath for their presidential primary, which is held the same day—February 12th.

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By Jim Goodson, December 3, 2007 at 7:14 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

Does anyone remember the(Forget me Not Party)in Nazi Germany? Forgetmenots, Hitlers favorite flower. This is the same MO. JLG

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By tomack, November 30, 2007 at 8:15 am #

I have just alerted the Dairy industry that I pledge to buy non-organic milk. The auto industry: to keep my foot on the gas. Hollywood: never to watch an indie film. The Drug industry: never to raise my own “herbs”. And lastly, the blogosphere: to always say what I mean and mean what I say.

Hey, this might catch on. Although reciprocity dictates I get a chicken in my pot and a car in my garage.

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By RIRedinPA, November 30, 2007 at 4:49 am #

Do you get a Brown shirt with that pledge with matching Stars and Bars arm band?

Have you ever heard of anything more un-American?

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By purplewolf, November 29, 2007 at 8:34 pm #

So what are the repubes going to do, drag their repub voters to the poles with the Blackwater guard detail to look over the shoulder of the prisoner-I mean voter- to make sure they vote for the right party? Otherwise if they do not, will they take them into the parking lot and shoot them for betraying the oath to the R. party?

And as for your vote being private-never was never will be, they can go back thru the punch cards and pull the number of your ballot to see how you voted.a Since when you first sign in to vote, your name is recorded into their book- a ballot and the number of that ballot recorded next to your name so I want to know why they claim your vote is private-it’s not. Then if they pull your card and you have failed to uphold your oath to the Repubs will they come after you in the mddle of the night and cart you off never to be seen again for your betrayal of them.And when did the polititions ever keep their oath to this country including Georgie Boy- who has lied everytime he has taken an oath of office to up hold the Constitution- he has failed to do this since day 1.

Goodbye freedom. Why do foreigners keep wanting to come here, we are becoming a worse country than what some of these people are fleeing from in the first place.

I must say we have really set America up as a shining example of what Bush wants to turn the rest of the world into. And it’s not a good thing.

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By Outraged, November 29, 2007 at 7:37 pm #

What...you want me to “promise” to vote republican...ah....yeah....sure…

Talk about sealing your own fate.

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By PatrickHenry, November 29, 2007 at 6:01 pm #

My pledge is to vote for the best candidate, after hearing debate on all the issues and with a sober mind and make a rational choice.

I believe an American citizen should be allowed to vote for who they feel is the best democratic candidate, the best republican candidate, the best green candidate, etc. 

You are only allowed one vote per office in the general.

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By PaulMagillSmith, November 29, 2007 at 10:45 am #

I live in Virginia and in spite of desperate attempts like this it looks as if they (Republicans) are pissing in the wind now. From a formerly staunch red state nice winds of change are now blowing. The new governor is a Dem, and the state senate just flipped to the dems. I guess you CAN teach an old dog new tricks after all.

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By anonymous, November 29, 2007 at 7:20 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

breaking the oath to these hall monitors would make it fun

what’s so hard about switching your registration to the party you want to screw with?

talk about lazy!

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By louis stroud, November 29, 2007 at 7:00 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

can anyone say nazi germany? the only thing bush is trying to bring to iraq is haliburton,etal, this is nothing more than a corporateist guv. all they want is all the money.and they will do anything to get it,even anything.

louie louie

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By Margaret from Portland Oregon, November 29, 2007 at 6:39 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

There is no way to force someone to stay a Republician or a Democrat since I live in the Northwest the vote is by mail and even though I regestered to a certain party, the Republicians are listed along with the Democrats, Green Party, etc. etc.

My opinion is that the Dems have at least two people who would make a good president, Hillary, Obama, Joe Biden, Dennis Kuchnich, Chris Dodd on the other side you have Guiliani who is a crook and a extreme right leaner as well, the Reps would do well to get to the center as are most Americans, no one wants an extreme idea because extreme ideas do not work, Congress would do well to compromise anything that comes to them on the other side you have Bush who promised one thing and once in office did the bidding of the people who elected him into office, if indeed he was truly elected.

This country has to get away from the electorial college wich favors the east coast over those who live on the west coast, which is why western states have vote by mail so the television stations situated in the east can call out who won before all the votes are in, there should be a wait of at least four hours, after all the president elect does not take office until three months later (or there about).

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By cyrena, November 29, 2007 at 1:52 am #

#116707 by purplewolf on 11/28 at 7:21 pm
(325 comments total)

Who do these people think they are? What if there is no republican candidate that the voter finds acceptable, are they to be forced to vote for an undesirable
==========================

Purplewolf,

This is actually the way that it DOES work out...in those states that do control the primaries by party. Like, in Texas.

Say you’re a registered rethug in Texas. (presumeably many other states as well, though according to the article, Virginia does NOT require this)you can ONLY vote in the primary of your own registered party. So, if you don’t like any of the candidates on your parties’ ticket, then you’re just SOL.

Now apparently, that’s why VIrginia is requiring this unenforceable ‘oath of loyalty’. There’s not a single decent person running on the repug ticket.

The opposite is true of the Dems this time around, since there are at least two that I would consider, and that may be the case with other voters as well. Yet, we’re forced to choose only one.

It’s a jacked up system, and other countries have better ones. (like some get to select 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice candidates).

No doubt our ruling elite prefer to keep things as they are, for exactly these reasons.

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By thomas billis, November 28, 2007 at 8:05 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

What is wrong with a loyalty oath?Everybody in the Bush administration has taken a loyalty to him.Forget the cuntry and what is good for it let us all sign loyalty oaths to our parties.Do they really think that somebody who supports Ron Paul for election could possibly vote for Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani.It is good to see that the Republicans in Virginia are so desparate and know that their candidate is going to be so weak that they will need a loyalty oath to get their supporters to vote for him.Beware republicans their may be no legal way to enforce it but the republican national police are out there.Maybe your neigbor or maybe even one of your own children.Be afraid be very afraid

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By 911truthdotorg, November 28, 2007 at 8:03 pm #

Is anyone really shocked by this?

Oh, by the way, 9/11 was an inside job.

Google videos: 9/11 Press for Truth, 9/11 Mysteries,
Loose Change, Terror Storm, America: Freedom to Fascism

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By purplewolf, November 28, 2007 at 7:21 pm #

Who do these people think they are? What if there is no republican candidate that the voter finds acceptable, are they to be forced to vote for an undesirable? Doesn’t this happen in the “evil countries” that Bush is trying to bring democracy to? What does this say about America to the rest of the world? Why bother with the election if you have no right to change your vote. This is just another cheap shot of the Republicans trying to steal yet another third term presidency in a row.

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