American Sentinel

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The Obama campaign is trying to get any vote it can in closely contested states. The strategy of appealing to various constituencies has been extended to convicted felons.

According to an MSNBC article,“Obama has co-sponsored a Senate measure that would allow all ex-felons to vote, but his campaign isn’t directly targeting ex-felons for registration. His campaign does include relevant info on its Web site and educates volunteers so they can explain state laws to those who may not realize they have the right to vote, according to campaign spokesman Kevin Griffis

“All we’re trying to do is make sure that, if someone is eligible, that they know their rights and that if they want to vote, they can take part,” Griffis said Tuesday. “I think there’s a lot of misinformation out there. Even people who may have been guilty of a misdemeanor feel like the felony laws apply to them and say they can’t vote.”

It is interesting that the Obama campaign assumes that the loyalty of ex-felons is a given. African American communities are afflicted with violent crime rates far higher than those found in white areas. The Obama campaign could give a voice to the weary and traumatised majority of African Americans who are sick of violent crime. He could even articulate a distinction between self-injurious crimes such as prostitution and drug abuse that might better be addressed by compulsory but non-punitive treatment programs. Unfortunately, all of the signs point to a presidential aspirant who seems to share the ”turn em loose”  philosophy of New york Mayors John Lindsay and David Dinkins.

The MSNBC article cites an individual working to register voters behind bars in Alabama.

“Kenneth Glasgow served 14 years on robbery and drug charges in Alabama. Now a pastor, Glasgow launched a voter registration drive inside the prisons in Alabama, where state law allows voting by felons convicted of lesser crimes such as possession of small amounts of drugs, battery or attempted burglary — even while still serving a sentence.Glasgow, a Democrat, estimates as many as 70,000 felons in Alabama might be eligible to vote but haven’t registered. Bringing them to the polls, he said, has the potential to alter the state’s political landscape”

While civic participation should be considered after a sentence is served, it seems that the magnitude of public indignation at violent crime should be expressed at the polls. Truly repentant felons should be doubly concerned for the peace and safety of a society that they have reentered.

Obama’s confidence that the felon’s vote is his for the asking sends disturbing signals to other sectors of the electorate. The issue of Obama’s friends and endorsers keeps coming up in new forms. Crime victims should be actively interested in this election and comparing the records of the two candidates

MSNBC Article on Obama’s Appeal To Felons

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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 5th, 2008 at 11:27 am and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.