“Is there really any difference between tampering with vote counts and disenfranchising Democratic voters when the end result is the same? Eventually Mr. Manjoo will be able to triumphantly lift his head out of the sand and proclaim that elections here in Ohio ARE pretty much above reproach because by the time Ken Blackwell and the rest of the Republicans are done here, “stealing” elections in Ohio will be perfectly legal!”

I also thought Salon editor Joan Walsh’s comments in response to this brouhaha were completely lame and, judging from Salon reader responses, I’m certainly not alone in my opinion. I’d like to think that she’s learned something from all of this but only time will tell.

On a brighter note, the issue of Blackwell’s CONTINUING efforts to disenfranchise Democratic voters got some traction in today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer:

” Blackwell gets brunt of registrants’ anger
He denies trying to disenfranchise voters

Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Ted Wendling
Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus- Democrats and representatives of voter-registration groups accused Secretary of State Ken Blackwell on Monday of trying to rig this November’s election by publishing draconian new rules governing the activities of people who register voters.

Testifying at a hearing chaired by Judy Grady, Blackwell’s director of elections, lawyers for ACORN, Common Cause, the Ohio Democratic Party and other groups said training documents drafted by Blackwell’s office are so vague that they subject registrars to felony penalties for even inadvertent violations.

As a result, ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, has drastically cut back its voter-registration efforts while its lawyers review the new rules, Katy Gall, Ohio ACORN’s head organizer, said in an interview.

Gall said ACORN has registered 35,000 voters in six Ohio cities since February. Its goal is 130,000.

Samuel Gresham, an attorney for Common Cause, charged that the rules are “part of a consistent pattern, intentionally so,” by Blackwell to disenfranchise black, low-income and Democratic voters.

Blackwell’s actions, Gresham and others said, are intended to suppress Democratic voter turnout in what is shaping up as a closely contested governor’s race between Blackwell, a Republican, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland.

“It appears that Ken Blackwell finally figured out how to deal with long lines on Election Day,” said state Democratic Party spokesman Brian Rothenberg. “He’s just trying to outright deny people the right to vote now.” ”

How depressing, though, that experts think this is going to be a “closely contested governor’s race” . After what’s gone on, wouldn’t you think Atilla the Hun should be able to waltz into Ohio and beat Ken Blackwell?? Ironically, there’s a lot of people out there now saying we deserve what we got and what we’re getting because we’ve *allowed* the Republicans to take over our state. I wonder how they’d like it if I mentioned that they’re the very same people who have *allowed* George Bush to take over our country? They feel helpless about a jackass for a president, a Republican-controlled Congress, and a right-leaning Supreme Court but somehow Ohioans deserve what we’re stuck with because we let it happen?!?! I hate irony!