Dennis Baxley Stands Up Florida's Horrible Voting Laws

I wish Republicans such as state Rep. Dennis Baxley would justify the new restrictive Florida voting laws by claiming that Mickey Mouse was registered to vote. Politifact check the allegations of Florida's favorite rodent being being a voter and found the claim to be false. The entire Florida GOP argument for making voting more restrictive for the poor, minorities and young people is a bogus claim that a fictional character was registered to vote.

Al Sharpton took Baxley to task for the lack of voter fraud cases. Baxley claimed that the new voting laws are to combat voting fraud.

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“You didn’t have laws after hanging chads and other means disrupted this country in 2000…Is it really because young people and minorities started voting and registering in big numbers and this is the new way that you’re going to try and restrict people’s voting rights?” an incensed Sharpton demanded.

“I don’t see why you have to impugn other people’s motives. You may not like some of the content…but I think it makes…people more secure,” a relaxed Baxley, R-Ocala, said. (Baxley later corrected Sharpton – Florida lawmakers enacted a slew of new voting laws in the aftermath of the protracted 2000 election.)

“If it wasn’t broke why are you fixing it other than this is some political game?” Sharpton persisted.

Baxley said the new laws will protect elections from “from mishap and mischief” and pointed out that “Mickey Mouse” had registered to vote in Florida.

That only provoked Sharpton.

“If you’ve got to get Mickey Mouse to make your case…then believe me you’re trying to take all of us to Disney World for a ride,” he said.

Baxley is being disingenuous. Early voting has been cut down by hours. County supervisors of elections have said they do not have the money to stay open on later hours due to to moving from 14 days to 8 days. Baxley failed to provide extra funding to the county election offices. Imagine that.

Al Sharpton: 'The Dream Has Not Been Achieved'

A portion of Al Sharpton's speech from the "Reclaim the Dream" rally in Washington D.C.

A Savagely Bad Defense

A sure sign that Don Imus's career is over. Michael Savage comes to his defense. Although, if Savage really wanted to help Imus, he should have been more vocal before the firings.

On the July 20 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage said Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson "lynched [radio host Don] Imus" over racially charged comments he made during his April 4 show. Savage, commenting on the subsequent firing of Imus, went on to say, "This is what was done in Nazi Germany to Jews."

Savage compares the deaths of blacks and Jews to the termination of a well-paid talk radio host. It takes serious wingnut talent to offend two ethnic groups. Even Ann Coulter would be impressed.

Savage lays out his reasons for why Jackson and Sharpton (he fails to mention the blogosphere) protested Imus's racist comments.

They didn't do so, so much for racial reasons, they did it for commercial reasons. They did it A, to shake down CBS, and number 2, they did it because Imus was a more successful talk-show host than they were. They have loser shows on the weekend that no one listens to. Now, how do you move up if you're a talentless demagogue? What you do is you attack talented white men, and you say that we need to have fairness in America, in the American media. So put us in their seats.

Another way for a talentless talk show host to "move up" is to change his name from Michael Alan Weiner to Michael Savage and spew racist banter to appeal to the lowest denominator. Savage and Imus have both done it for years. Until their MSNBC and CBS received to much heat. They hired and fired Savage and Imus because they create controversy. Not because they had something intelligent to say.

If Savage thinks Jackson and Sharpton got Imus fired then he is deluded. Both have slipped in the political landscape and ran failed predidential campaigns. Jackson's and Sharpton's political clout is near zero. Al Franken makes fun of Jackson.

David Gregory: Fair and Balanced

Hardball host David Gregory gives an extremely slanted question to Al Sharpton that favor Don Imus. This isn't surprising. Gregory has been on Imus's show and made fun of Harry Whittington being shot by Dick Cheney.

Gregory: ... McClellan will come out there and not be straight up about what he knew about the guy's condition. And there was even a question on the floor from a reporter about, you know, Is there a sense of relief within the White House because this guy appears to be fine?

Imus: You guys hope Harry dies, don't you?

Gregory: No. That's actually... that's not funny. Absolutely not.

Imus: I'm not trying to be funny.

Gregory: Well, no, absolutely not.

IMUS: ... You want Harry to pull through and be OK.

Gregory: Obviously.

[laughter]

Gregory: God, you're an awful person.

[laughter]

Gregory is a frequent caller to Imus In the Morning. Gregory covering Imus is the journalistic equivalent of Tim Russert's fair and balanced reporting on the Valerie Plame leak.

In other news: Imus has been fired by CBS.