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The Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity group has reportedly ended its advertising blitz for the cycle, and has shifted its effort to get-out-the-vote efforts. In North Carolina, it looks more like keep-out-the-vote. The group is behind a bunch of “incorrect” mailers, telling residents—and a cat—how to register to vote. Or rather, confusing them mightily about how to do it.

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Among the misinformation in the mailer: two different deadlines for mailing registration applications; instructions to return applications to the N.C. secretary of state’s office, with a return envelope addressed to the State Board of Elections—with the wrong zip code; directing people to the secretary of state for more information on registering, which that office does not provide; giving the wrong phone number to the secretary of state’s office; telling people their county clerk will inform them of their voting precinct, which county clerks don’t do.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/26/1332558/-Kochs-try-to-register-a-cat-to-vote-in-North-Carolina#

6 thoughts on “Kochs try to register a cat to vote in North Carolina”

    • From Wikipedia:

      Inverted totalitarianism is a term coined by political philosopher Sheldon Wolin in 2003 to describe the emerging form of government of the United States. Wolin believes that the United States is increasingly turning into an illiberal democracy, and uses the term “inverted totalitarianism” to illustrate similarities and differences between the United States governmental system and totalitarian regimes such as Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union.[1][2][3][4] In Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt by Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco, inverted totalitarianism is described as a system where corporations have corrupted and subverted democracy and where economics trumps politics.[5] In inverted totalitarianism, every natural resource and every living being is commodified and exploited to collapse as the citizenry are lulled and manipulated into surrendering their liberties and their participation in government through excess consumerism and sensationalism.

      A rose by any other name… It’s plutocracy in form (i.e. money rules) and corporatism in practice (i.e. merger of state and corporate power). Totalitarianism, though qualified as “inverted,” suggests autocracy irrespective of private ownership which has not yet – thankfully – become realized in America. It is a thought-provoking description nevertheless. Thanks for the contribution!

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    • Deliberately misinforming voters about registration and election requirements is technically a felony. Prosecuting such crimes is another matter, however. Local and state prosecutors would have jurisdiction to file criminal charges, but in this case (i.e. North Carolina) they are most likely to be Republicans who would probably oppose prosecuting their political party’s most wealthy benefactors (i.e. the Koch brothers). On the federal level, the Department of Justice could prosecute the Koch’s organization (Americans for Prosperity) for violating the civil rights of North Carolina voters. Although, this too would be problematic since proving discriminatory intent in a court of law is difficult, and such a case would leave the Obama Administration (and Democratic Party candidates) open to retaliatory accusations of partisanship.

      The problem is less about the law and more about who holds power. Welcome to America, my friend, the land of the oppressed and the home of the corrupt.

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