JUDGE In NH Phone Jamming Case Rules DEM Party Can Seek Millions From GOP

[kpete]

A judge in New Hampshire rules that the New Hampshire Democratic Party can seek millions in damages from the GOP:

Judge says Dems can seek more than just phone costs in jam case
November 30, 2006

MANCHESTER, N.H. --A judge has ruled New Hampshire Democrats can go after more than just the cost of renting and using telephones that were jammed by Republicans on Election Day four years ago.

The ruling offers the Democrats the right to argue the GOP jamming in 2002 hindered their attempt to boost voter turnout.

Republicans wanted Judge Philip Mangones to rule the Democrats could only claim $4,974 in damages -- the cost of renting and using phones for the get-out-the-vote campaign. Democrats argued they should be able to go after more than $4 million in damages -- the cost of seven months of work for the get-out-the-vote effort.

That's nearly half of what Democrats spent on their effort, which was disrupted for nearly two hours the day it was supposed to pay off.


more at:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/11/30/judge_says_dems_can_seek_more_than_just_phone_costs_in_jam_case/

[LeftCoast]

1. This is wonderful!

WooHOO!

[warrior1]

2. two snaps up

and a circle.

[verse18]

3. Yes!! Hit the Greedy Old Party were it really hurts,

in their wallets.

[Ganja Ninja]

4. Ka-ching!

:rofl:

[GardeningGal]

5. This is great....

hit them in their checkbook where it will hurt the most!

[newyawker99]

6. WOOOHOOOOO!!

:bounce:

[Scurrilous]

7. Good News!

:thumbsup:

[Mr_Spock]

8. That's cool

I'm sure the RWers are whining about 'activist' judges etc... They seem to think they have some inalienable right to cheat without facing any consequences.

[Sapere aude]

9. Can we use this against Laura Inghram?

[farmbo]

37. Damn right... Laura should probably start lawyering up.

We know she broke New Hampshire law by taking actions which she knew (or should have known) would jam the lines on election day. Who knows how many other state's laws she violated since her show is aired nationally? And if her remarks were, as rumored, part of the election day RNC "blast fax" which Laura dutifully repeated, then they're part of the conspiracy as well... and recidivist offenders!

Federally, she should--at a minimum-- face FCC fines or a suspension of her syndicate's license.

And her worse nightmare: Senator Leahy's on the case, armed with newly minted subpoena power!

[niceypoo]

47. That was my first thought......it's Ingram Time!!

The time when repuke whack job talkshow hosts have carte blanche to do or say anything without any recourse is over. The time when republicans can go "wilding" on the airwaves is over. There should be hell to pay. Throw the bitch into prison for all the Savages and the Coulters and the Limgaughs to see. Send a message to the right wingjobs that denying Americans the most basic of right of US citizens, the right to vote, is serious business that will be dealt with severely. They seem to think election fraud is funny. Show them how funny we think it is.

[madfloridian]

10. Wonderful...now if we can just find out Mehlman's role in this.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/484

It sure has not gotten much attention at all.

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. Excellent news!

We need to start making these people pay for the crimes they commit.

[KittyWampus]

12. Hear this, if the Dems pursue the lying, harassing robo-calls made in Nov the GOP

will be in deep financial doo-doo.

[ClintonTyree]

34. DEEP financial doo-doo is right!

They can be fined $500 for each robo-call in which they didn't identify who was making the call and in who's behalf. Conservative estimates are in the range of tens of thousands of these calls, perhaps hundreds of thousands. At $500 a pop that's going to add up to some serious money, FAST.
This is just another facet of draining the GOP swamp. The GOP swamp is flooded with money instead of water, so hopefully the Dems can relieve the GOP of that awful money that fouls their swamp. We'd be doing them a favor, yes? Hey, that's what we're all about, helping people, right. ;)

[maxrandb]

13. I'm sorry, but we need to Kick them while they're down

I want to Repuke Party (especially what it has become in the past 2 decades) to be beaten, stomped, kicked to a bloody pulp of festering sores, so that all it can do is limp slowly to the margins of power where it belongs.

I'm not interested in reconstruction, or olive branches. The Republican Party, in it's current form, should never again be able to hold power over all three branches of government.

[frylock]

16. word up!!!

boot-to-the-neck! :bounce:

[TheMadMonk]

49. Nah. In the fork.

We want the satisfaction of hearing them squeal.

[coznfx]

30. Damn Straight.

If they manage it again, the result will be the total and irreversible destruction of everything good and noble in/about America

[Old and In the Way]

31. It's Organized Crime masqurading as a political party.

RICO the crap out of them.

[Vinca]

14. Great news and long overdue! nt

[sakabatou]

15. This is good news...

[jasmeel]

17. Please do it!!

[133724]

18. Can anyone Spell RICO????

Racketeering, Influence & Corrupt Organizations?????

Triple damages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cassiepriam]

19. They don't care about fines, worth it to them if they can steal the elections

They just consider it the price of doing business....

[IndyOp]

24. The fines will have to be BIG & OFTEN to have an impact, but if

the Dems get moving on this across the country it could have an important impact. Dems should sue the GOP regarding harassment of African American voters in Virginia and take the GOP on in every other case they can bring.

The Southern Poverty Law Center's suits against the KKK brought that filthy organization to it's knees. The remnants that remain today are nothing compared to the holdings that the KKK once had.

[cassiepriam]

33. The repugs have had unlimited funds.... will have to be more than fines.

That is a small price to pay for winning an election.
They can get the price of the fines the first
day they are sworn in on K Street.

Lawsuits might work.....

[BrotherBuzz]

42. They do not have unlimited funds and they are starting in a hole with....

bleak prospects in the near future; K Street knows which side of the toast to butter.

NRSC IN DEBT: The Republicans' senatorial campaign arm, which lagged behind other national party committees in fundraising the past two years, emerged from the Nov. 7 election in debt and is soliciting donations to get out of the red. In an urgent appeal to donors this week, Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, the chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, beseeched contributors to "help us retire our debt." "If we let this debt linger, it will cripple our efforts to recruit great candidates for the next election and begin our drive to win the one additional seat we need to regain the Senate majority," Dole wrote.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061129/ap_on_el_se/republican_debt

[cassiepriam]

44. I assumed since they wiped out the US treasury they had enough to pay a

few fines.....

[BrotherBuzz]

45. And increase the national debt by borrowing

"How can I be broke if I still have checks?"

[cassiepriam]

46. Yep, they just say "charge it."

[AspenRose]

20. Muahahahahahaha....SWEET!

}(

[sonias]

21. Outstanding - Now let's break their bank

:applause::applause::applause:

Sonia

[MoonRiver]

22. WOOHOOHOO!!

Next time they will think a few times before trying to steal an election!
:kick:

[Sydnie]

23. Yep, that should help them start from the hole for 2008!

:woohoo: :rofl:

[Hidden Stillness]

25. The Tip of the Iceberg--This is Their Whole National Republican Operation

I damn well hope they can--this was a crime, not a "telephone inconvenience." It cost Jeanne Shaheen the election. You will recall that she was slightly favored to win, it was a baffling shock that she "lost," and she "lost" by a very small margin. It destroyed the State Democratic Party's ability to get rides to the polling places organized, as well as all inquiries on that date. It was a crime against free and fair elections, and one Republican operative has already gone to jail for it. This is only the beginning; their entire operation has been one of crime and lies, bought-off "journalists," and all the rest, since the '80s or so. You didn't really think that Republicans "won" "elections" by understanding NASCAR and "framing," did you?

[marions ghost]

32. yep

If Repuglicans had to pay for their crimes they never would have gotten so far. They have abused a lax system for many years. These people have no sense of honor. The only thing they understand is force, or shall we say, effective controls on their behavior. We have to use all the legal powers we have against them.

Cases like this are a start. But as you say, only the tip of the iceberg...

[Redneck Socialist]

48. It is highly unlikely that the phone jamming cost Shaheen the victory

They were essentially tied in the polling going into election day. She lost by over 19,000 votes. A couple of hours of jammed phones doesn't account for that many votes. It wasn't a shock to anyone that she lost.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

26. Empty their pocketbooks and hand it out to Dems

A more fitting punishment for those greedy, corrupt, vote suppressing, killers of democracy I cannot imagine.

[berni_mccoy]

27. Paying for phone service to get out the vote: $4,974

Price for Seven Months of Work for Get-Out-The-Vote effort: more than $4 million

Watching Republicans squirm as they hand over the cash: priceless

[buddysmellgood]

28. Make em pay or they'll do it again.

[upi402]

29. A wigglin' ass

as circle snaps in the face are goin' on.

[TheMadMonk]

50. careful with talk like that. you might arouse them.

Esp if the arse is underage.

[DemReadingDU]

35. morning kick

[LynneSin]

36. I say we forgo the million and insist that Jean Shaheen gets her rightful seat

She was well ahead of Sununu leading up to that election. That was bullshit that he won and the call jamming probably allowed that to happen

[jazzjunkysue]

43. Can I have an AMEN!

[Demeter]

38. Three Cheers for the Democrats of New Hampshire!

Glad to see the North will rise again!

[ooglymoogly]

39. OH GOODY GOODY...

the best way to bring these treasonous bastards down is to hit their wallets....plus 4 mill for nh dems is a hell of a lot of fundraising

[happydreams]

40. I don't mean to burst bubbles but

what is a few million and some more negative press for the Repugs to losing a seat in Congress? Shaheen needs to be put in office.

This ruling could help in that effort though it would require another proceeding.

[caligirl]

41. and Dean sent a letter to Mehlman reminding him of the long standing court

order issued years ago for illegal campaign practices. I have absolutely no doubt it is the plan to keep repugs in court and bring them to their financial knees for every vote lost in every state where repugs suppressed the vote.

[upi402]

51. Republicans deserve to pay the price for betraying democracy

any price, ultimately they will have to answer for their crimes in court.