Follow the voter suppression schemes

Jack Balkan suggests that the way to understand the ongoing Department of Justice firings scandals we need to follow the voter suppression schemes.

"Hasen also links to an interview with Iglesias in which he accuses Rove, through an intermediary, of pressuring him to bring spurious vote fraud prosecutions. The identity of the intermediary is particularly interesting. It was Pat Rodgers from the American Center for Voting Rights, a faux grass roots organization which was essentially created by Republican Party operatives to trump up phony charges of voter fraud, to claim that the problem of voter fraud was pervasive, and to support various laws that would restrict voting rights in the name of preventing fraud. As Hasen pointed out, this organization suddenly and mysteriously disappeared off of the face of the earth following the 2006 elections when the Democrats regained both houses of Congress (and, concomitantly, the power to investigate the White House).

One theme keeps reappearing in the DOJ scandal: The Bush Administration wanted U.S. Attorneys who would push frivolous voting fraud claims that would discourage likely Democratic voters in close races. This is the big story behind the DOJ scandal; it's what the media should focus on.

During Watergate we were told to follow the money. In this scandal, you should follow the voter suppression schemes."

See also Balkan's Did Rove Aide "Cage" Black Voters in 2004? Did McNulty or Goodling Know About It?